More on the U3 Smart Drive

As promised we will have more on the U3 Smart Drive here at Flash Driven. I recently did an email interview for U3 and Esther Kruijver, U3 VP of Platform, answered my questions. I would also like to thank James Cortese and Tricia Arana of AR Partners for all their help.

1. In very simple terms what is U3 and what can it do for non-techies?

U3 has created a platform that transforms USB flash drives from simple storage devices into USB smart drives. A U3 smart drive hosts a "personal digital universe" -- not only a person's data and files, but software programs, personal preferences and the means for managing them -- all in a highly secure environment. Now consumers can work from any PC as if it were their own. When the smart drive is removed, the PC remains unaltered.

2. Is U3 only for Windows Systems? If yes when are you going to have U3 for Linux?

For now U3 is only compatible with Windows. But Mac and Linux support are coming in the future.

3. What is the vision of U3?

U3 unites USB drive manufacturers and software developers behind a single, best-of-breed platform for U3 smart computing. The U3 platform and accompanying development tools make it easier for partners to develop new U3 smart products. In fostering a growing community of hardware vendors and compatible U3 smart software, U3 ensures that consumers can choose from an ever-growing array of U3 smart devices and software applications.

4. What can we expect from U3 in the months or years to come?

U3 will continue to expand the functionality of the platform and ensure that our end-users have a great experience with the product.

5. I have viewed the U3 community forums, based on the concerns there such as software stability especially on the Launchpad. How are you addressing these things?

U3 continues to look for feedback from its customers and has an ongoing process in place for including enhancements in the platform driven by customer feedback.

U3 monitors the issues raised in the online community and is constantly working to improve the platform. Once problems are identified, U3 works with its hardware and software partners to resolve them. The result is improved performance and smoother hardware and software integration.

6. Since U3 is making your files and system truly portable, meaning you can carry it around, why didn'’t you make it interoperable to Windows and Linux?

Our first priority was to launch U3 addressing the needs of the broadest set of customers. We have plans to address additional operating systems and development environments, including Linux and the use of Java. We will announce more details in the future.

Visit: U3 Website

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