migo coverage

8/14/2019 Migo Coverage

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Coverage For MigoDATE PUBLICATION TITLE AUTHOR Circulation

02/2004 PC World Desktop in a Key Chain Carla Thornton 1,250,000

02/2004 Mobile PC Forward Solutions Migo Dylan Tweney 200,000

12/31/03 EWEEK Best (and Worst) of the 2003Desktop and Mobile PC Market

Rob Enderle 400,100

12/29/03 South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Drive Goes Wherever You Go Jeff Zbar 234,254

12/2003 Maximum PC Reviews: Forward Solutions Migo Dwight Looi 300,000

12/22/03 Network World Power These Up Keith Shaw 170,000

12/21/03 The Sunday Times (UK) Doors Awards for 2003 Nigel Powell

12/18/03 New York Times PC Data and Bookmarks DangleFrom Your Key Chain

J.D. Biersdorfer 1,130,740

12/2003 MyBusiness Magazine My Gadget Lena Basha 556,308

12/8/03 Globe and Mail Migo Ian Johnson 317,411

12/7/03 Honolulu Advertiser Words From Well-Traveled Chris Oliver 147,714

12/3/03 NBC Channel 4 D.C. Taking your computer profile withyou

I.J. Hudson N/A

12/1/03 Datamation Who's Walking Around With YourFiles?

Brian Livingston N/A

12/2003 ComputerUser Migo Thumbdrive Elizabeth Millard 900,000

12/2003 Business 2.0 Silicon Santa Soshana Berger 550,000

12/2003 PC World Little Drives, Big Promises 1,250,000

11/25/03 Network Computing Leave Your Laptop At Home Lori MacVittie 220,000

11/20/03 CNBC Power Lunch Walt Mossberg N/A

11/20/03 The Wall Street Journal You Can Lug Home Your OfficeComputer Inside Your Pocket

Walt Mossberg 1,820,600

11/15/03 KNTV TechNow! Scott McGrew 79,000

11/6/03 CNN Headline News CNN Headline News N/A


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11/2003 Mobile EnterpriseMagazine

Putting the P in PC Tim Bajarin 40,000

10/31/03 Bloomberg Radio:Bootcamp

Taking Your PC Along...on a KeyChain

Fred Fishkin N/A

10/30/03 CJAD AM 800 Holder Overnight Evan Berle andPeter AnthonyHolder

N/A

10/28/03 BusinessWeek Online Consumers: Thanks for theMemory

Alex Salkever 1,065,090registeredusers

10/2003 MobileTrax Forward Solutions Migo Fills aMuch Needed Void for MobileComputing: The Mobile WindowsDesktop

N/A

10/27/03 VARBusiness XChange Panelists Debate the

State of Innovation

Luc Hatlestad 107,500

10/27/03 EWEEK More on Flash-basedApplications

DavidMorgenstern

400,100

10/26/03 WMAQ NBC 5 Chicago Weekend Web N/A

10/24/03 EWEEK Much Ado About A USB Dongle? DavidMorgenstern

400,100

10/20/03 EWEEK MigoKeeps Data in Sync; Letsusers take office with them.

Henry Baltazar 400,100

10/17/03 KNTV Gadget of the Week Scott McGrew 79,000

10/16/03 Rafes Radar Worlds Smallest PC Rafe Needleman 30,000

10/9/02 Edmonton Journal USB Key Makes Backups Easy Andy Walker 127,507

10/8/03 EWEEK The USB Dongle That MayChange the World

Rob Enderle 400,100

10/2/03 ABC World News Now The Latest Tech Gadgets Dick DeBartolo N/A

9/28/03 KICU TV Silicon Business Today Interview N/A

9/24/03 MobileMag Forward Solutions develops MigoDesktop Replication for mobile

computing experts

Dave Conabree

9/23/03 TechnoNuts USB device takes your computerwith you

Staff N/A

9/23/03 Geek.com News Staff 370,000monthlyuniquevisitors


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9/23/03 DSStar Forward Solutions UnveilsPortable Personal ComputingSystem

Staff 25,000

9/23/03 SmallBizTechnology.com

Forward Solutions' Migo -absolutely a must have!

Ramon Ray N/A

9/23/03 VARBusiness Keeping Track Of Memory Cards David Strom 107,500

9/22/03 IGN.com My Migo M. Wiley 10.5 millionmonthlyuniquevisitors

9/22/03 ET Planet Desktop to go where Migo goes Staff N/A

9/22/03 Storage Pipeline Forward Solutions' Migo HasStorage On The Run

Terry Sweney N/A

9/22/03 CNET News.com Desktop to go where Migo goes Ed Frauenheim 63 million

monthlyuniquevisitors

9/19/03 SmallBizTechnology.com

On Monday, ForwardSolutions....

Ramon Ray N/A

9/19//03 TWICE Migo: More Than Just A USBDrive

Doug Olenick 20,666

9/19/03 CRN Secured Computing Michael Vizard 117,500

7/30/03 Computer Times This gets the thumbs-up! Chua Hian Hou


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Desktop in a Key Chain

Carla ThorntonFebruary 2004

I love my desktop. It has my files, e-mail, and Internet settings arranged just the way Ilike. Thats why I hate to leave it when I travel. What I really want is an easier way toset up my laptop to operate like my desktop while Im on the road.

Forward Solutions Migo (find.pcworld.com/38648) is a USB flash drive ($150 for 128MB,$200 for 256MB) that makes parting with your desktop easier at least for Outlook andIE users.

The Migo has data management and synchronization software on board. When youplug it into a USB port on your office computer, it can copy the desktop (and someinterface settings), Outlook in-box, favorites, and selected files. Plug it into another PC,type in your password, and youll see a copy of your office PC.

Plugged back into my office machine, the Migo syncs my e-mail and any new favoritesIve saved on the other PC: then it updates files, including folder structures. Even withthe convenience of the Migo, however, I hesitate to abandon my notebook altogether. Adestination PC that has a corrupted in-box, as one of my test machines did, may rejectthe Migo.

M-Systems takes a similar approach: Its $60 (64MB) to $290 (512MB) DiskOnKey

Classic 2.0 USB flash drive (find.pcworld.com/36032) allows you to copy your files.Once you install the companys free, downloadable MyKey applet on the drive, theprogram creates a hidden partition where you can password-protect files and hide themfrom other users view. Alas, its more trouble than its worth. You have to launch theon-board applet every time you want to see your password-protected files. And toreallocate space, you have to wipe the entire key. Argh.


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February 2004


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Best (and Worst) of the 2003 Desktop andMobile PC Market

Rob EnderleDecember 31, 2003

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1424627,00.asp

The year's dramatic turns in the global economy and geopolitics were echoed in the PCindustry. Here are some of the good and bad events that crossed that smaller stage.

The Good

Intel makes waves: After being slapped upside the head by Transmeta Corp. a fewyears ago, Intel Corp. came back with a bang in 2003. It released its first processordesigned from the ground up for mobilitythe Pentium Mas well as the Centrinotechnology bundle, which took the laptop space by storm. One of the biggestbeneficiaries of Intel's Centrino was HP's tablet computer, which originally boasted acompelling design but was hampered by horribly slow performance.

X marks the SPOT: Microsoft's SPOT (Smart Personal Objects Technology)-basedwatches arrived in beta form in 2003, and mine is now wedded to my wrist. The devicesautomatically update to reflect the local time and receive inbound messages on helpful

information such as weather and stocks.

Cheap wireless networking: The mobile workforce has long dreamed of a low-costwireless network for their laptops. A number of vendors launched a nationwide initiativeto drive wireless technology everywhere, but it took T-Mobile to provide both Wi-Fi andGPRS (General Packet Radio Service) data at affordable rates. A lthough it isn'tbroadband yet, cheap wireless networking took a giant leap forward in 2003.

Apple unleashes "Panther": Speaking of steps forward, Apple Computer Inc. finallygave in and made a solid effort to make its operating system compatible with theMicrosoft-dominated world, with the release of its "Panther" OS. Now mobile Apple userscan access some of the same resources us Windows folks have had for years and

maybe get off the euthanasia list maintained by their local IT departments.

My first Ferrari: While I've secretly lusted after Apple laptops, Acer Inc. stole my heartthis year with its new laptop co-branded with Ferrari. Sporting the Ferrari horse on itshot-red lid and a mobile Athlon XP chip inside, this is one sweet box. Yes, I have PCenvy (and am seeking counseling for it).


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IBM's T-40 keeps going and going: IBM released its new T-40 series, which can getup to seven hours of battery life, allowing many of us to leave the power brick at home.Now if it only looked like the Acer. ...

New class of power notebooks: When I think "performance product," I envision thenew class of power notebooks with desktop chips and 17-inch panoramic screens. I'm

writing this column with Gateway's model now, and it not only makes me much moreproductive, but I can play a decent game of Unreal on it. It even has health benefits: Ithas done wonders for my biceps. My only regret is that no one is yet making one witheither the new Extreme Edition Pentium 4 or the Athlon 64 FX. (OK, so maybe thatwould be over the top, but it would still be cool.)

AMD's 64-bit move: Speaking of the Athlon 64, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. steppedout from behind Intel in 2003 and made the bold move of going to 64 bits on the desktop.Intel came back with what amounted to a workstation chip at one-third the price, and thetwo companies are now competing heavily in the performance space. There issomething to be said for competition, and the performance user clearly won this battle.

Is that a computer in your pocket, or. ... ? Some of you (wimps!) would rather not useyour laptops to build upper-body strength, and one of my pet projects has been to helplaunch a new class of pocket computers. Several companies made progress this yearwith modular computers: Antelope Technologies started shipping its product; OQOreceived a second round of funding; and thanks to their efforts, the promise of a full-boatWindows PC we can put in our shirt pockets by Christmas 2004 just got much better.

Desktop blades: The other brand-new technology to hit the market in 2003 was desktopblades. With reliability and security that rival servers and no heat or noise on thedesktop, these blades favored companies like IBM and Hewlett-Packard. HP left IBM inthe dust getting its version of the product out first, but Clear Cube is the old hand in thisspace.

The other Mini that made a splash in '03: Another new form factor was the VIA EPIAMini-ITX motherboard. Showing up in desktops about the size of paperback books andbecoming a favorite for creative new desktop PC designs, automotive use and evenrobots, this was the most interesting part of Comdex Las Vegas 2003.

The USB dongle that could change the world: Speaking of good things in smallpackages, there was nothing smaller than Forward Solutions' MiGo portable USBstorage device, which allows you to take much of your PC's personality with you on alittle USB dongle. The idea of storing your files and settings on a device you could put ona keychain boggles the mind and inspired me to paint an alternative future where we

wouldn't even have to carry laptops anymore.

See eWEEK Labs' review of the Migo portable device.

Flat panels/LCD TVs: Flat-panel prices dropped like a rock in 2003, and even LCD TVsstarted to become affordable. It's about time too: CRTs are horrible for landfills. (It'salways good when you can buy something cool anddo something nice for the


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environment.) The best of this breed was a 17-inch-wide LCD TV from Dell for $699,which got rave reviews.

Peripherals: Peripherals enjoyed dramatic improvements in '03: Logitech launchedseveral lines of inexpensive THX-certified speakers that will prompt the neighbors youhate to move; Microsoft made up for its disastrous Bluetooth keyboard and mouse with

its gorgeous Elite line; ThinkOutside rolled out a really cool wireless PDA keyboard;Gateway released a $350 Camera (T50) with a ton of features and 5-megapixelperformance; and HP released a scanner (4600) that looks like art.

CD-/DVD-Rs:: Verbatim came out with some really cool-looking media, such as CD-Rsthat look like vinyl records and DVD-Rs that look like film reels. I put a friend's weddingon the DVD-Rs, and the result definitely did not suck. Also in 2003, both Sonic andInterVideo brought out easy-to-use, powerful tools for PC-based DVD creation.

Media Center PCs: Media Center PCs approached a rubicon this year, with theGateway 910 series giving Sony a run for the money. Come to think of it, Sony broughtout some incredibly good-looking systems: the V505D, Z1 and TR series are juststunning.

Just as we started the year with a new processor, we ended the year with one as well:Transmeta's Efficeon Processor hit the market, insuring competition and continued lowprices for mobile and forming the heart of HP's PC Blades. Competition is always goodnews.

The Bad

Now for the flipside. Clearly, the economy really stunk for most of the year, resulting inlayoffs, shortages, lots of doom and gloom, and a Comdex that radiated a fraction of its

former glory. Don't even get me started on spam, which approached national crisis levelsas the government attempted to respond.

Diversity on the desktop: The absolute worst event of 2003 was a group of "securityexperts" arguing for diversity on the desktop, backed up by an idiotic recommendationfrom one of the large firms to put 10 percent of IT staff on Apple. Throwing out nearlytwo decades of data on the benefits of desktop standards, this classic "research"recommendation would only add cost and virtually no benefit. Desktops are notserverstoo many seem to forget thisand there is still no substitute for thinking.

What were they thinking? IBM launched ThinkVantage, and the software createdproblems with those of us who had the otherwise wonderful T-40 laptops. Whether it was

issues with Rapid Restore taking out our files or phantom wireless problems that justdidn't seem to want to go away, the moment peaked with a group of analysts actuallyasking Intel to go to IBM on their behalf to fix the related problems.

And the award for worst mobile product goes to. ... : Sharp brought out a newversion of its Linux-based Zaurus, which cost a whopping $850 here in the states andwouldn't synchronize with any major e-mail program. This was a huge step back(remember the old $100 PDAs that didn't sync with anything?) and probably should get


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the award for one the worst mobile products of the year along with that horrible Nokiagame phone.

Trusted computing: Trusted computing, a technology backed by an international castof vendors and even more critical for mobile machines than for desktops, went virtuallynowhere. Even though companies like IBM feel it is critical for open-source platforms,

concerns about digital rights management and government access sidelined the effort.

China's new Wi-Fi rules: China decided to start driving technology standards; its first,targeted at Wi-Fi, would provide a back door for the Chinese government and heavilyfavor Chinese technology providers. This could herald similar actions by other countries,making it nearly impossible for an international company to compete or for folks to havesmart phones, laptops or handheld computers with embedded Wi-Fi devices.

A bad Apple: Apple, not to be outdone by Microsoft in the horrible-pricing-decisiondepartment, didn't give provide recent hardware customers its new OS for free or evenat a discount. Some folks found that they had to pay the $130 even if they bought thenew hardware after the release of the new OS. This year Apple gets the crown forsticking it to loyal customers.

Patch pain: Microsoft patches were certainly no fun either; while much of this wasdriven by folks who seemed to take every security alert and turn it into an attack (notexactly pillars of our community), these patches drove IT managers to distractionworldwide. Apple and Linux had patch problems as well, once again demonstrating howdifficult this feat is when you are dealing with large numbers of machines.

Silicon Valley to close Its doors: The most recent really sad event was Silicon Valleyannouncing they would cease operations at the end of the year. Right on the cusp of therecovery, it is a shame to see this mainstay of the technology media world follow somany others. My fingers remain crossed for TechTV.

Ending on a high note, recent surveys indicate the market is in recovery (there is even acompany, VenLogic, training firms on how to do IPOs); HP is being rewarded for skillfullyexecuting its merger; Microsoft has generally recovered from its pricing mistake; andeven Gateway is suddenly looking like a player again. On a personal note, I haven't hada major crash in months and discovered a whole new set of PC-modder toys to keep megoing over the holidays. Here is hoping for the best for you in the New Year!

Rob Enderle is the principal analyst for theEnderle Group, a company specializing inemerging personal technology.


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DRIVE GOES WHEREVER YOU GO

Jeffrey D. ZbarDecember 29, 2003

Once upon a time, a business trip meant Joey Smith would have to synchronize the files,e-mail and other data in his laptop computer with that in his desktop, pack the computerand all his cables, and hope he found a comfortable place to work.

Smith even had trouble ensuring he'd backed up the right files when leaving the office atday's end. He'd burn selected files to CD-ROM to take home hoping along the way thathe didn't forget any important files back at the office.

"That just wasn't efficient for me," he said.

Now, Smith pulls a thumb-sized drive from the USB port, stashes it in his pocket, andambles carefree out the door.

What's changed? Smith purchased a USB flash memory drive called Migo. The device,from Forward Solutions, copies selected folders, files and documents, stores the last 30days of e-mail from Outlook, and captures a user's preferences, favorite Web sites andsettings. When Smith arrives at another location, he plugs Migo into any PC runningWindows 98 or later operating systems, and the device commandeers the PC.

His settings come up. Outlook loads his most recent e-mails. Even the image on hisdesktop at the office comes up on the host PC.

When he's done, all the files are stored back on the Migo. Only a trace of the files heopened remains on the host computer. If he opened a Microsoft Word file, for example,the only sign of the file would be the name on a drop-down menu, but the file itself couldnot be accessed.

"All my files are updated, so when I get home at night and plug it in, I'm real time up tospeed," said Smith, managing partner with Capital City Partners Southeast, a CoralGables investment banking firm.

Migo takes advantage of flash memory storage technology that allows anywhere from 16megabytes to almost a gigabyte of data to be stored on a USB device the size of anadult thumb. The difference is that where devices from Targus, M-Systems DiscOnKeyand Trek will store data, Migo is powered by a microprocessor that allows the user toselect, retrieve, store and upload settings and files to a host computer.

Log on to the password-protected Migo, and up pop your settings. Log off, andeverything's stored back on your Migo and all the original settings are restored on thehost PC.

For $200, Smith got a Migo with 256 megabytes of memory that allows him to recreate


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his Outlook (Migo does not work with Outlook Express) inbox and recent documentseasily. Also, any files he needs to open, like Word, Excel or PowerPoint files, must havethe application on the host PC.

"This just brings a whole new dimension to mobile computing," said Tim Irving, presidentof Island Octopus Inc., a Migo dealer in Sanibel. The device is not yet available at retail.

Using his Migo, Irving will access files at a cyber cafe, a client office or the airport. "Itgoes beyond mobile devices. It replicates my complete computing environment. When Ipull it out, that computer never knows I was there."

Smith still may travel with his laptop computer. But Migo has made back-up anddocument portability much simpler, he said.

Jeffery D. Zbar is a freelance writer. He can be reached [email protected].

PORTABLE COMPUTING

What: Migo, a thumb-sized flash drive that replicates your PC desktop, files, 30 days ofOutlook e-mail and Web page favorites on any Windows PC

Cost: $150 for a 128-megabyte version or $200 for a 256-megabyte version

Where: Learn more at www.4migo.com


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Power these up!

Cool Tools editor Keith Shaw picks five devices that can make you more powerful on thejob.

By Keith ShawDecember 22, 2003

http://www.nwfusion.com/power/2003/1222gadgets.html

Gadgets get a bum rap - often thought of as executive toys or useless trinkets that existmerely to boost young executive egos. What could be more annoying than watchingthese yuppies show off the latest Titanium-embossed gizmo that can play the themefrom "Chips," as if they figured that owning the gadget will get them the corner office?Let them have those - here are five devices offering increased productivity, which weprefer over gloss.

Handspring Treo 600.When converged devices came out, the naysayers looked at their bulkinessand stuck with their tiny cell phones. After a few revisions, Handspring hascome out with a device that is small enough for those "tiny cell phone" snobs,yet powerful enough for you to get your work done.

The Treo 600 offers a lot to like. It comes with an embedded keyboard thatspeeds up your data input, whether it's wireless e-mail or a new document. Thekeyboard is backlit, which means you can work in the dark. Like previous Treodevices, the 600 works on the Palm OS, our favorite mobile operating system.And the cell phone includes not only a speaker, but a conference calling

feature that lets you patch in multiple colleagues at once.

The Treo 600 is available on the GSM/General Packet Radio Service wirelessnetworks run by AT&T Wireless, and T-Mobile, but we preferred the Sprintmodel, which runs on the CDMA 1x network, because it offers more coveragefor making cell calls and the data speeds are a bit faster. The Sprint versioncosts about $500 (depending on rebates), plus monthly voice and/or data service.With the Treo 600 in your pocket, you'll become more productive - and productivityproduces power.


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USB Flash - the next generation.In the past, USB Flash devices served as floppy disk replacements. Plug into a port,transfer files, move to the next computer, plug in and transfer files. But now,manufacturers are loading these devices with useful applications.

Forward Solutions' Migo device (between $150 and $200, depending onstorage space) replicates the desktop of your notebook or PC, and stores acopy of your documents and data from the last 30 days. Instead of figuring outwhat files you need and moving them over manually to a USB Flash device,the Migo software does it for you during a synchronization process. Just moveto another USB-enabled desktop (such as an Internet kiosk), and voil, thelook, feel and the last 30 days of your documents appears on the screen. Youalso can transfer Internet-based e-mail, and Migo is working on a method toprovide Exchange-based e-mail users access to their e-mail. Stay tuned.

Another notable USB Flash device is Kanguru Solutions' KanguruWizard ($50), which includes software that can make your data "disappear."

When you install the device on a computer, you can move confidential datainto a "virtual drive" on the PC. When you remove the Wizard device, thevirtual drive disappears, and any prying eyes won't be able to find the files onthe computer.

The third USB device we like is StealthSurfer's StealthSurfer(between $50 and $130,depending on storage space). Its customized Netscape Web browser can be used on anInternet kiosk or other public computer. StealthSurfer will keep your private informationfrom being left behind on that public machine. Like all the USB devices, you can alsouse the StealthSurfer for file storage and transfer.

All three of these devices let you leave your notebook at home while keeping your datawith you (and secure). More power than that is hard to come by.


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APC TravelPower Case. Nothing says power like being powered up at all times. Ifyou're carrying around a notebook, cell phone, PDA, etc., then you are always worriedabout running out of power.

The TravelPower Case ($99 or $129, depending onmodel) from APC is an innocent-looking notebook bag

that includes power adapters and cords for charging all ofyour devices through one power outlet (be that a caradapter, airline adapter or standard AC plug). The bagincludes adapter plugs for most standard notebooks, andalso can hold all your papers and other businessparaphernalia. If you travel, this power bag will keep youcharged up and ready to go.


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Doors awards for 2003Nigel PowellDecember 21, 2003

In our fifth annual awards, the Doors team recognises 20 landmarks that made this theyear that consumer technologies caught the popular imagination LAPTOP VISIONARY:

Intel.

Mobile computing took pole position in 2003 as WiFi hotspots appeared all over the land,enabling people to access the internet from hotels, libraries and pubs.

About time, too. Desktop boxes were ditched as fully featured laptops causing noticeablyless shoulder strain dipped in price towards 1,000, and the public said yes please.Doors credits Intel, in particular, for achieving this.

Its Centrino chips have powered a generation of power- efficient and ever-dinkiernotebooks that "talk WiFi" as standard, which is another way of saying you can use themto go online without wires. And you'll be able to do it faster once Intel embraces thelatest high-speed standards in the new year. Remember: when Intel decides to push anidea, things change. (Just think USB).

THE NEW ZORRO:

Steve Linford.

Britain's masked avenger of the antispam movement is Steve Linford, 46, who hasreceived vicious abuse for his work keeping our inboxes free of Viagra ads -and worse.Linford put together the Spamhaus Block List (SBL), a humungous database of spamsources that is relied upon by many of the world's biggest e mail backbones, fromgovernment agencies to free providers. SBL is no "silver bullet", but Spamhaus's fingerin the dyke is a noble response to the global scourge of spam. It is undoubtedly moreeffective than the approach taken by California's spam vigilante, Charles Booher, whofaces prison and a huge fine after allegedly threatening to send anthrax to a Canadianplastic surgery company that offered him penis enlargement.

LANDMARK DIGITAL CAMERA:

Canon EOS-300D.

There are keen amateur photographers who will go to their graves clutching a roll of film-but the EOS-300D (left) is a sure sign that digital is now in the ascendency. Breakingthe sub-1,000 barrier for a camera with near-professional specifications, this Canon isremarkable for taking pictures full of minute detail. Check the sample images at


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www.dpreview.com/gallery/canoneos300d_samples and note every razor-sharp hair onthe cat and the gloriously saturated colours on the statues. Meanwhile, camera qualityfor the beginner has leapt to three or four million pixels -good enough to print at A4without noticeable grain. If only someone could fix those horrible mobile-phone cams ...

COMMUNITY CRUSADER:

David Williams.

If the councillors of the Welsh sea-side resort of Colwyn Bay showed half as muchpassion and pride in their town as resident David Williams (below), one wonders if itwould be in the "dilapidated" state that he describes. Williams is the webmaster ofwww.colwyn1. freeserve.co.uk, a site that is a shrine to Colwyn's heyday, stuffed full ofpictures and affectionate anecdotes garnered from his career as a local newspaperphotographer. It also acts as a goad for the men in suits, shaming them into action whenthe pond is filled with empty beer cans, or footpaths fall into dis-repair. Williams isneither a vindictive Victor Meldrew type, nor, as he can- didly admits, the world's bestsite designer: he is a one-man crusade against the inadequacies of bureaucrats, and his

site stands as a testament to his cause.

INDISPENSABLE GADGET:

The Pen Drive.

The tiny USB pen drive had humble beginnings indeed -no more than a keychain deviceto store data as a replacement for the ageing floppy disk. Today, the market for theselittle gizmos has exploded beyond recognition. Spurred on by plummeting memoryprices and the proliferation of USB ports on computers, sales have increased twentyfoldin three years, and global sales are expected to top 2.2 billion by 2006. This Christmas,you cannot turn round without seeing a new derivative, from the Migo (above), which

transports your complete PC setup and e-mail system around on a key fob, to the PhilipsCamera Key Ring with its snazzy digital camera and flash-memory combo. There iseven one built into a wristwatch (www.laks.com).

SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR:

Microsoft Digital Image Suite.

Great photo software from Microsoft? Bill Gates's crew may have released somestinkers in the past, but Digital Image Suite is a winner. For 65, this is software that willput a smile on the face of any digital-camera owner - beginner or pro. It comprises twoprograms: an album for storing and archiving photos to CD, and an editor for enhancing

and editing images. Both are superb. The editor will improve poor pictures and removeglitches with ease; the album makes it a doddle to find what you want, and will evencreate narrated photo shows on video CDs that will play back for relatives across theAtlantic. A must for any digital-camera enthusiast.

WHITE FEATHERS AWARD:

MSN.


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Wafer-thin excuse of the year must be MSN's attempt to explain away the hard-nosedcommercial decision to close its online chat rooms by citing the pretext that childrenrisked being stalked by paedophiles -undoubtedly true rather than simply admitting itwouldn't foot the bill for proper supervision.

Gillian Kent, director of MSN, told Doors: "We have taken a stand to provide our users

with a safer online environment." This move merely turfed thousands of kids into thecyber-streets elsewhere on the net. Rival portals, such as Freeserve and AOL, haverightly rec- ognised their obligation to provide registration, professional moderators andeducation for young chat-room visitors, rather than abandoning the less profitable partsof their services because they don't want to invest in making them safe.

BODY PART OF THE YEAR:

The teenage thumb.

Thumb culture was busier than ever, as the mobile phone further evolved from acommunications device to a customised badge of identity for the digital age. Texting

dominated: a record 1.8 billion messages were sent in the UK during October, as teensfound a lingua franca for flirting, dumping and gossiping. Meanwhile, electronic ringtonesinvaded every playground, and the Sugababes hit Round Round made more money as aringtone than as a single. Java games and Multimedia Messaging Services -this year'snew kids on the block -are competing in a European youth market worth 4.8 billion.Picture messaging created a silent rhyming slang: sending Britney Spears meant "Fancya few beers?".

THE LAZARUS RISES AWARD:

Rock music.

"The biggest underground movement since punk" is an over-used accolade, but whenapplied to internet-led music by the head of the UK independent Gut Records, the tagcarried authenticity. "Screamo", which sounds as you think it might, and its lighter cousin"emo" (short for emotional) combine to provide rock music for web-savvy youth, and theinternet message board is the medium for keeping in touch with heavy-metal heroes.The Brighton band Hiding With Girls let fans choose its next single through its website,and the Welsh quintet Funeral for a Friend (right) cultivated chat forums to breach theTop 30 in October. As a brand, Kerrang! spread the rock gospel: its strong web-radioaudience helped it to win a new digital radio licence.

LET'S GET SOCIABLE CHALLENGE SHIELD:

Online gaming.

Gamers are sad individuals who sit alone for hours in their bedrooms, right? Absolutelynot. In 2003, gamers got a life as leading console makers took online multiplayerfacilities into the mainstream.

Half a million players worldwide are ready and waiting for action on Microsoft's Xbox Liveservice, goading and cajoling each other over headsets while thrashing round the trackin, for example, Project Gotham Racing 2. And talk seems to result in, er, relationships.


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LOADED GUN AWARD:

The all-powerful consumer.

Online shoppers have never had it so good as internet shops and related services havefallen over themselves to become more appealing -none more so than price-comparison

websites. Not only have their range and number exploded this year, but a site such astesco.com/pricecheck shares information that was once for its directors' eyes only. Theincreasing tendency for consumers to shop around online for the best deal at a site suchas uk.pricerunner.com has placed a loaded gun in the shopper's hand. This was also theyear when the auction site eBay overtook Amazon as the UK's biggest online retailer -adirect gauge of the consumer's appetite for striking a bargain. In response, Amazon hasupped the ante by introducing its Marketplace as a means to sell second-hand goods.

DIGITAL PATHFINDER:

Ashley Highfeild.

The BBC has assumed new confidence in blazing a trail for 21st-century technology, itsweb portal, www.bbc.co.uk, standing second to none in scope and delivery ofmultimedia, news and social services. Overseeing this empire, and cast as chieffuturologist, is Ashley Highfield (right), director of new media, whose talk for the RoyalTelevision Society was a tour de force, outlining the digitally powered society thatbeckons (www.paidcontent.org/stories/ashleyrts.shtml ). Such leadership has not gonewithout criticism, however. Detractors -notably the British Internet Publishers' Alliance -point to the BBC's budget "overspend" of 100m a year on internet services alone, andthe difficulty of competing with a publicly funded service.

They call for BBC Online to be more accountable.

TEACHING GRANNY TO SUCK EGGS TROPHY:

Apple.

Downloading turned into a torrent in 2003, as legal music clubs burst onto the web. Amidthe controversy surrounding the ethics of file-sharing networks, such as Kazaa, thatenable the illicit swapping of music files, one company led the way in legitimate listening.Apple must take credit for two immensely popular innovations that this year changed theway we receive, listen to and pay for music. The iPod media player became theWalkman of its era, placing a 10,000-song jukebox in the palm of your hand, and theiTunes music service offered tracks for download over the internet at 99 cents apiece -25 million sales since April, the UK service launches next year. Apple taught those dumb

music moguls a lesson they should have learnt years ago: that licensing their artists'songs to legitimate download services keeps music alive.

RADIO AS TELEVISION AWARD:

Freeview.

Three factors have propelled Freeview's digital set-top box into 2.5m homes, which nowenjoy 32 free television and text channels, plus 20 radio stations, after paying as little as


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50 for the box. One motive is BBC4, a glorious Shangri-la for the minority who wanttelly that deserves to be watched, rather than ambient wallpaper; another is theEuropean Champions League football on ITV2; but the biggest motive is the radio,especially Kerrang!, Kiss and Smash Hits, which regularly attracted audiences of500,000 each. Perversely, you might think that digital-quality radio is driving demand forthis TV box: Freeview pulls in 8m listeners.

Compare this with the paltry 317,000 viewers that the jejune BBC3 managed on its bestnight yet.

HERO AMONG BLOGGERS:

Salam Pax.

Salam Pax, the Baghdad blogger, provided a rare note of humanity from the Iraqi frontline. Pax's ramblings at dearraed.blogspot.com -sample: "War sucks big time. Don't letyourself be talked into having one waged in the name of your freedom" -were at oncetrivial and heart-rending. This anonymous 29-year-old architect, who was speaking from

the centre of war, confirmed that tyrants cannot silence dissent so long as someone inthe neighbourhood has a modem. Concurrently, BBC World Service listeners uppedtheir text messages to the radio station tenfold. News websites saw unprecedenteddemand for alternatives to the official accounts of events, and the Arab television stationAl-Jazeera launched an English version of its website to counter alleged western bias.This truly was the first internet war.

UNSUNG SURVIVOR:

Johnny Broadband.

For two years, one of the few helpful guides through the burgeoning jungle of high-speed

websites was the much-lauded www.johnnybroadband.co.uk -until Johnny fell on hardtimes last summer. Why? Because behind the superhero was a regular guy called JohnMorley, from Nottinghamshire, who lost his job as an internet developer. He created hisdirectory of 20,000 links as a labour of love, then found he couldn't afford the 111 thathis hosting company was asking for renewal. Johnny moved his site to its currentaddress, www.siteforsites.com, for which www.hostme.co.uk was charging 40 a month,but the site's 1,000 hits a day used more bandwidth -so the bill went up by 80. "I am stillhanging in there, but this is money I just can't afford," Morley says. Such are the realitiesof life in the internet fast lane.

FINALLY AFFORDABLE:

The DVD recorder.

At last, you can throw out the last vestige of 1970s technology, that old video recorder.No more fast-forwarding through tape to find what you want, then viewing it at half thequality of the original signal. DVD recorders, such as the entry-level Philips DVDR70(above right), have fallen to 250. Next year, expect recorders for even less in thesupermarkets. Once your VCR goes, you can join the digital age to enjoy better pictureand sound quality, and fast programme retrieval. Four years ago, basic DVD playerscost 400 and there were plenty of sceptics who though they would never take off.


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Today, a player such as the Pacific 1002 costs one-tenth of that price (Pounds 42 fromwww.asda.co.uk). Memo to manufacturers: it's about price, people.


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PC Data and Bookmarks Dangle From Your Key Chain

By J.D. BIERSDORFERDecember 18, 2003

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/18/technology/circuits/18migo.html

With their large storage capacity and small size, U.S.B. flash memory drives havebecome a common way to carry large files from one computer to another. The tinydevices are getting even more useful, as demonstrated by the Migo from ForwardSolutions, which can not only carry files but synchronize Outlook mailboxes so yourcorrespondence is up to date no matter what computer you are using.

The Migo has synchronization software that can keep documents and other files updatedbetween different computers, and can even transfer personalized touches like yourpreferred desktop wallpaper and browser bookmarks to the PC at hand. In the event thatpersonal information is to be stored in its memory, the Migo can be protected with apassword for security.

The Migo is available in two sizes, 128 megabytes (suggested price: $150) or 256megabytes ($200); full specifications and a list of dealers can be found atwww.4migo.com. The drive works with Windows 98 SE and later and Outlook 2000 andlater. For students, business travelers or anybody who spends days roamingnomadically from computer to computer, the Migo can make every PC you use feel justa little bit like home.


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My Gadget

Lena BashaDecember 2003

http://www.mybusinessmag.com/fullstory.php3?sid=900

Gil Rutkowski

Owner of Inova Consulting Corp.(http://www.inov8it.com)Chicago

What he does: Owns a consulting and staffing company devoted to helping small- andmedium-sized companies develop their IT departments.

Favorite Gadget: A high-capacity USB-flash memory device

What it is: The Migo USB-flash memory device can hold up to 256MB, allowing users tonot only transfer simple data between computing devices, but also MP3s, Internetfavorites, desktop background and Outlook e-mails all on a device the size of a key.

Why he likes it: When I go to clients, I dont want to carry a whole lot of CDs or burn

fresh CDs whenever I need something. The Migo takes care of that. I see it as the keysto a car. You plug it in, you turn it and youre moving. I have many friends who arecomputer literate, but who are easily tripped up by new technology and software. TheMigo is so simple to install and use, Im quite confident that I could drop this on anyonesdesk and with minimal instruction theyd have no issues using it.

Price: $150 for 128MB version; $200 for the 256MB version.

To Buy:http://www.4migo.com


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Migo

By Ian JohnsonDecember 8, 2003

http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031121.gtmigonov21/BNStory/TechReviews/?query=Migo

Reviewed on: Windows XP, Windows 2000 Also available for: Windows 98 through XP Professional

The Good: Portable; easy to use; simple software; reallycool way to temporarily duplicate your personal desktop onanother machine.

The Bad: Only works with Outlook 2000 or 2003 e-mailclient, and the Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser atthe moment (although the company promises other e-mailclients and Web browsers will be added soon).

The Verdict:If Outlook 2000/2003 and Microsoft's InternetExplorer are available on your work machine as well asanother computer at home or at a travel destination, theMigo could relieve you of having to lug a laptop to get atyour personal desktop and files. It's also a handy backup

device.

REVIEW:Keyring memory drives are a fabulous invention, because theymake it easy to take digital copies of information, pictures andmusic with you anywhere plug them into a USB drive on anycomputer and you've got instant access to all those importantfiles. But most people still have to carry a notebook computerhome or on business trips, even if there's another computeravailable at their destination, because they need access tothings like their personal e-mail system and list of Webfavourites.

It seems like such wasted effort to haul a notebook around when computers havebecome so prolific, but what 'ya gonna do, right?

Well, if you have the right software configuration on your main machine, you might wantto check out the Migo from Forward Solutions Inc.


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Migo is basically a keychain drive plug it into a Windows computer and the system willset it up as a removable hard drive so that you can drag-and-drop files to and from it.The drive comes in 128MB or 256MB capacities for $149.95 (U.S.) or $199.95,respectively.

That's a hefty premium over a standard keychain drive, but there's a reason. The Migo

has some built-in software called PocketLogin that makes it far, far more useful than oneof its generic cousins.

When you plug in the Migo and call it up in the My Computer window, you'll find a filestored on it. Run that file, and things get interesting. First of all, you'll be presented with ascreen that asks whether you want to synchronize the Migo with the computer, or runyour own profile on that computer.

You choose the first option when you run Migo on your main computer. For most people,that's probably the work PC, but some may choose to synchronize with a homecomputer. Up comes a screen with option so synchronize the folders in the machine'sOutlook 2000 or 2003 mail client (including mail folders, contacts and calendar items). It

will also take note of your basic Windows preference settings and wallpaper, your Webbrowser favourites, as well as specific files and folders you tell it to copy.

The software's interface is simple and clear, so you shouldn't have to resort to themanual. The whole sync process takes less than a minute.

The second option in the log-in screen is used when you're working on a Windowscomputer in, say, a hotel, Internet cafe, at a friend's place anywhere you need accessto that main computer's files and settings. For most people, this would probably be at ahome computer, accessing the settings and files of a work system, but it could also be amachine at school, a resort or grandma's house. Choose this second log-in option, and asmall tab will appear at the top of the screen. Highlight the tab and click on your main

computer's name on the drop-down tab, and the Migo's magic happens.

After a couple of seconds, the borrowed computer's desktop will get replaced by whatyou'd see if you were logging in on your main PC. Like a curtain dropping from the top ofthe screen, the borrowed machine's desktop image will be overwritten by your ownwallpaper from your main machine, along with shortcut icons to your files, folders and e-mail system. Fire up the browser, it will have all your favourites listed. Use the e-maillink, and you'll see your computer's inbox and outbox as they were when you lastsynchronized the Migo with your PC, and you'll be able to check answer e-mail as if youwere at your own desktop. You'll be able to access all the files stored on the Migo fromdesktop icons as if they were stored on the computer you're borrowing, too.

The crucial point here is that everything you do on the borrowed computer is entirelytemporary. You're working off the Migo, so when you unplug it, there's no trace of whatyou were doing on the borrowed computer. Whether it's your home PC or an Internetcafe machine, no files or work record are left behind for others to snoop. I looked fortelltale tracks among the borrowed PC's temp files, Web cache and document historyafter I removed the Migo, but couldn't find anything.


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The Migo is also password protected (there's a built-in hint system to help you if you getforgetful), but unfortunately there's no encryption. If you lose the Migo or it gets stolen,your files will still be secure due to the way the Migo stores the data, the company says.

Here's how Migo's director of product development, John Dye, says it works: Thepassword mechanism is part of both the firmware and software of the Migo. Without the

password, you cannot access the data that is stored on the secured partition. When theuser creates a password for the Migo, the device reformats the drive into two separatepartitions. The first is a small 3 MB non-secure (public) partition containing thePocketLogin software application. The second is a much larger (125MB or 253MBdepending on the size of Migo you have) partition that holds the user's data.

When the user inserts the Migo into their computer, they see the unprotected area alongwith the PocketLogin application. Clicking on the application opens a window promptasking for a password. The firmware in the Migo checks the password and then re-mounts the drive using the protected portion of the drive. Form there, the user hasaccess to the secured data until the device is removed from the computer or the userexits PocketLogin. So if the password isn't supplied, the drive appears with a 3MB

storage capacity. If the password is provided, it unlocks the drive as the full 128MB or256MB device.

I'm not a professional code-breaker but I know a few basic system-busting tricks, and Icouldn't crack the security. Still, I'm not sure I'd personally want to put it up against ahard-core hacker without some solid encryption as a last line of defense.

That said, the Migo's software is superb in terms of user-friendliness. You don't need toinstall a thing on any Windows computer to get it to work, as long as the PC has a USBport and can recognize a removable drive just run that little program stored on theMigo and up comes your personal desktop.

The software ran perfectly in my tests on Windows 2000 and XP machines, except inone case on a Win2000 desktop on a corporate network. For some reason, the Migowanted to log in and synchronize with the borrowed computer as if were my primary PC.I still haven't been able to figure out what I did wrong in that one case my only theoryis that the other computer was an identical model to mine on the same network, and withan identical disk image created by the IT department - but otherwise the softwarebehaved as it was supposed to.

The desktop overlay on a borrowed PC's desktop is intriguing. You'll only see theshortcuts to your files and folders, but if you go to the Start button, you'll still be able toaccess all the underlying files and resources of the borrowed PC. But on the surface,anything you access from the temporary desktop is "yours" your browser favourites,

files and even an MP3 folder, for example, and they all come out of the Migo's memory.

The main limitation is the size of the Migo. Even the 256MB unit only has so much space if you save a lot of photo, music or video files along with your basic desktop settings,you'll run out of space pretty quickly. As such, the system-customization can only go asfar as the Migo's storage allows, and you may have to leave big files, archives ordatabases behind on your main PC. The Migo will warn you if you're trying tosynchronize more than it can handle, too, and has a meter showing how much space isused and how much is still free in case you want to add in some more files.


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When you log back in to your primary PC, any changes you've made to the Migo fileswhile working on borrowed computers will be synchronized on your main machine. Youre-mail boxes will be updated, and the latest copies of files and folders will overwrite theold ones on your computer.

The Migo is supremely portable, but the designers cut corners in one spot they reallyshouldn't have. Most keychain memory drives have a good, solid cap to cover the USBconnector and prevent it from getting wet, soiled or filled with lint. The Migo comes onlywith one of those little opaque plastic covers they put on the ends of USB cables toprotect them during shipping those ones you throw away as soon as you open theretail package. The lack of a decent cap, considering the premium you're paying for theMigo, is just cheesy.

On the up-side, software maintenance is all taken care of for you. PocketLogin'ssynchronization process automatically checks for software and firmware upgrades onthe Internet each time you hook it up to a computer with Internet access.

The Migo is brilliant, but it has its Achilles heel. It currently only works with the MicrosoftOutlook 2000 or 2002 e-mail system. It's not compatible with Outlook Express or other e-mail clients. This is a problem, since most people I know are on Outlook at the office, butrun Outlook Express at home. Not too many hotels and Internet cafe computers aretooled up with Outlook, either most let you access e-mail only through a Web portalsuch as Hotmail or YahooMail.

Making e-mail portable is one of those most compelling reasons to invest in a device likethis. Sure, synchronizing all the files automatically at the touch of a button is a fantasticconvenience, but most people could probably get by simply by copying the files theyneed onto a cheaper keychain drive before leaving work, and then working off thekeychain drive at home or at a hotel. Having your wallpaper cover the existing one on

the temporary desktop you're using is cool, too, but it's just fun eye candy.

Without wide e-mail compatibility you're mainly left with the ability to work with your fileswhen you're at someone's else's computer. As such, the business case for paying asubstantial per cent premium over a standard keychain drive in order to get the Migosoftware gets weaker.

But that could soon change. Forward Solutions says it plans to support e-mail systemsand Web browsers beyond Outlook and IE, although it doesn't have solid dates yet. Themain upcoming e-mail update will handle Lotus Notes followed by AOL, it said, and thecompany is also working on a Mac and Linux product as well as Netscape support.General software updates to the Migo are free, but the company hasn't finalized the

pricing for upgrades to handle new mail systems.

Until the upgrades arrive, if you do run Outlook both at home and at work or you knowyou'll have Outlook access at a hotel or friend's place where you regularly stay, the Migois a really cool way to take your desktop with you without lugging a laptop. And it's a nicebackup device to make sure you've got a copy of important files in case your desktopcrashes or your notebook gets stolen.


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The gadget is most useful to a niche audience using Microsoft software now, but when itbecomes able to synch with other browsers and e-mail systems outside the workplace,the Migo is suddenly going to become very appealing to a wide range of people.


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Words from well-traveled

By Chris OliverAdvertiser Staff WriterDecember 7, 2003

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Dec/07/il/il03a.html

Inside Denver International Airport last month, travelers moved slowly through thesecurity checkpoint in various states of undress. Beneath a "Got Laptop?" sign,transportation security officials worked tirelessly to keep the line moving.

With outside temperatures in the low 40s, hats, coats, scarves, jackets, and shoes had

to come off inside the terminal.

The biggest holdup? Shoes.

If you're traveling through an airport this holiday season, whether it's Neighbor Island orto the East Coast and beyond, wear easy-to-remove shoes. They do have to come off atsecurity.

What else can make your journey easier and reduce stress? We asked some ofHawai'i's frequent travelers for their best holiday travel tips:

Jeanette Foster, travel writer:

Foster, who is updating Frommer's Hawai'i guide for 2005, travels inter-island twice amonth, to the Mainland six times a year, internationally two or three times a year. "I trynot to check baggage and always prepare myself for delays with a bottle of water andreading materials," she said.

To save space in her bag, Foster intends to leave her laptop at home and take instead aMigo, a tiny device that contains software which allows the user to copy the contents of aPC e-mail, Web-page favorites and key files or folders. "When you get to whereyou're going, at a hotel business center or Internet cafe, you plug in the Migo, enter yourpassword and you're all set. It's a godsend for business travelers," Foster said.


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The Migo

Taking your computer profile with you

I.J. Hudson, Tech ReporterDecember 3, 2003

http://www.nbc4.com/technology/2679676/detail.html

The Migo from Forward Solutions, plugs into almost any windows computer, and carriesyour profile. That could include important documents, your latest email, presentations,and even your wallpaper to personalize it all.

Why? So any computer at a hotel, cybercafe, or another office can be personalized to

look and act like your machine at work or home.

Who's it for?

Joshua Feller is President of Forward Solutions: "the real focus is the mobileprofessional, the person that either works in the office all day and then goes to homeand work and is used to dragging a laptop back and forth or trying to copy things on thedisks. Now you just need to carry the Migo."

The Migo has built in security and software to help you set up which files you want tocarry. "We allow you to pick and choose either entire folders of data, or within aparticular folder, you can filter it, and you can see I only want two weeks of data or files

that have changed in the last 30 or 60 days as opposed to taking the entire mydocuments folder, which could be hundreds and hundreds of megabytes," says Feller.

Plug in the Migo, the wallpaper and icons change, and the data is there for Outlook,Word and other applications. The Migo doesn't transport applications. They must beresident on the machine. Return from the road trip and the Migo syncs up the work orhome machine with the work you've done on the road.

Thousands of road warriors carry laptop computers all across the country, and Fellersays the Migo could save them from losing company data if the laptop is stolen. "If thatmachine is stolen, you've lost the asset, but you have all the data in your pocket, andyou can just go into your presentation and say, may I borrow the computer in the

conference room?' You plug it in, log in and do your presentation as though nothing hadhappened."

Someday, a slightly huskier Migo may make the migration of old programs and data to anew machine a snap.

The Migo from Forward Solutions retails for 200-dollars.


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Who's Walking Around With Your Files?

By Brian LivingstonDecember 1, 2003

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/columns/executive_tech/article.php/3114691

At this very moment, one of your employees may be walking out of your building with acomplete set of word-processing documents, e-mail messages, even Windows desktopsettings.

This could actually be good. It probably means that your employees have the benefit ofnew, little devices you've given them, called keychain drives, that allow them to work

away from the office without having to carry a laptop computer.

The Keychain of the Future

Storage devices that fit on a keyring or belt and fit into a USB slot on any desktop ornotebook PC aren't all that new. But these little external drives are now beingprogrammed to support roaming workers in ways that add a whole new dimension toportable computing.

Examples of the new breed of roaming devices are:

Optimal Desktop. This product is software that you install on removable media. Theultra-portable device stores all your browser favorites, desktop settings, and files youcommonly work with, so you can access them at a different computer. In addition toworking with USB keychain drives of any capacity, Optimal Desktop can be used withZip or Jaz disks or the Flash memory contained in handhelds.

Migo. A new entry into the market, Migo stores the same kinds of information as theOptimal Desktop, but goes farther by also handling Microsoft Outlook e-mail files. Youcan copy any or all messages and e-mail folders to a Migo from one machine and thenreply to the messages from another. Migo synchronizes everything when the device isonce again plugged into the primary PC. The product is software that's integrated into aspecially "hardened," secure USB drive.

Optimal Desktop has been shipping for about the past 12 months, but the Migo devicebecame available only about eight weeks ago. Both offerings go far beyond the ordinarycut-and-paste usage of plain USB keychain drives, in terms of empowering officeworkers to be productive outside of headquarters.

A Whole Office in Your Pocket


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Optimal Desktop comes in a Standard edition, which is downloadable free; aProfessional edition, which is $39.95 for one user; and a Mobile edition, which is $49.95.In a telephone interview, Karan Bavandi, the president and CEO of software makerOptimal Access Inc., said corporate orders for 1,000 or more copies of Optimal DesktopMobile would receive a 50 percent to 60 percent discount from these prices.

Bavandi says any removable device that has Optimal Desktop Mobile installed can bepassword-protected to prevent access if the device is lost or stolen. In addition, thesoftware can maintain a list of passwords needed to log onto various Web sites, and thatpassword application can itself be password-protected.

A Secure Enterprise E-Mail Gizmo

By contrast to Optimal Desktop, Migo is somewhat more oriented toward enterprises thathave a substantial investment in Microsoft Outlook and Exchange Server for centrallymanaged e-mail. Once employees have been set up with Migo devices, any importantfiles and any selected quantity of their e-mails can go anywhere with them on theirkeychains. Any computer at home or in an Internet caf can become a workstation,displaying each user's familiar shortcuts and mail folders.

This type of roaming requires that the "guest" computer the employee is using have bothMicrosoft Windows (98 SE or higher) and Microsoft Outlook (2000 or XP, with Outlook2003 support coming soon). Because Migo devices don't ordinarily store entireapplication suites, the outside PC also needs Microsoft Office if Word and Exceldocuments are to be edited remotely.

Migo lists for $150 with a 128 MB USB drive or $200 for 256 MB. Josh Feller, presidentof Forward Solutions Inc., the manufacturer of Migo, says the price of the larger unitwould drop to "the $140 to $150 range" for orders of 1,000.

The Corporate Interest in Roaming

Isn't it dangerous for employees to take all that data outside of the company itself? Notreally. The people who work with this data probably have many ways to save it or print itout if they ever wished to. If your files are so sensitive that this concerns you, you shouldhave adminstrator-level alerts in place to prevent users from attempting to download anentire file, whether to a USB drive or a removable hard disk.

Optimal Desktop and Migo are ideal for cases in which employees are trusted to handletheir day-to-day documents responsibly but can't always be sitting in front of the samedesktop computer. Using intelligent keychain drives, your company can stock a set of

standard laptop computers, which are then "brought to life" by employees who simplyplug their traveling gizmo into a USB port. If one laptop fails, the USB device can beswitched to any other machine that has the same suite of software, and the work cancontinue.

Forward Solutions' Feller says the Migo is specially designed to give confidence toenterprise IT leaders. The firmware of the device itself protects the passwords, making itextremely secure against attacks on the data if a device falls into the wrong hands.


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Conclusion

Most enterprises have a need for some employees to work on documents while travelingor during their off-hours at home. Software such as Optimal Desktop Mobile andhardware such as Migo now makes it exceptionally easy for users to do this withoutlugging with them a laptop computer and all the usual transformers and cables.

To research the possibilities of these products for your company, see the descriptions atOptimalAccess.com and 4Migo.com.


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FEATURES

Silicon Santa

Handing out holiday bonuses? These high-tech gadgets are sure to cheereveryone from the achiever in the corner office to the slacker down in the mailroom.

By Shoshana Berger, December 2003 Issue

http://www.business2.com/subscribers/articles/mag/0,1640,53303|2,00.html

The CEO

[1] IBM ThinkPad T41: You need a computer that knows how to keep asecret. This 4.9-pound laptop comes with built-in encryption to shield yourproprietary data from prying competitors. $1,669-$3,699; www.ibm.com.

[2] Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 5: These space-age loudspeakers deliver2,500 watts of sound that's calibrated to the acoustics of your room withthe push of a button. $16,000; www.bang-olufsen.com.

[3] Shanling CD-T100 CD player: The retro looks are more than skin-deep. The CD-T100 uses four vacuum tubes to bring out the depth in your discs. $1,995;

www.musichallaudio.com.

[4] PolyVision Interactive Plasma Display: No more group hugs around the PC.Instead, share your vision on this digital whiteboard that doubles as a computer monitor.$12,499; www.polyvision.com.

[5] Nokia Vertu: It's just a phone, not a PDA -- but that's why you hired a personalassistant. Vertu announces your arrival in fine metal casings forged from stainless steel,gold, or platinum. $5,200-$21,000; www.vertu.com.

[6] Sony Cli PEG UX-50: This extra-slick handheld is also extra-handy: Powered byPalm OS 5, it has an MP3 player, a digital camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a rotating colorscreen. $700; www.sonystyle.com.

The Tech Wonk

[1] Antec iLuminate LED: Any PC looks fast and furious with LEDs under the hood,pulsating to the beat of your music. $20; www.antec-inc.com.


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[2] Dremel 8000-01 Cordless: This little baby is like a Cuisinart for case modders. The10.8-volt cordless rotary tool comes with 60 attachments to make handy work of yourextracurricular projects. $70; www.dremel.com.

[3] Koss Pro4AA: Selective hearing can be a beautiful thing. These headphones sealyour ears inside an acoustic cocoon so you can appreciate the head-banging bass

without driving your co-workers crazy. $100; www.koss.com.

[4] HP Workstation zx6000: It's pretty, it's powerful, and if you want, it comes with Linuxinstalled. The HP zx6000 is the first dual-processor workstation based on Intel's next-generation Itanium2 64-bit chip. From $5,623; www.hp.com.

[5] Sony Ericsson T616: Maintain your telepresence with this handsome little cameraphone that comes equipped with five-way conference-call capability, multimediamessaging, and POP and IMAP e-mail. $369.99; www.sonyericsson.com.

[6] Combat DigiQ Tanks: With three battle modes, infrared cannons, andremote control, DigiQ's 2-inch tanks let you fight corporate battles from thecomfort of your cubicle. $79.95 each; www.kidrobot.com.

The Road Warrior

[1] Aura FoneGear: Bluetooth cell-phone headsets are expensive. Here'sa cheaper cordless alternative. Aura's FoneGear uses magnetic inductionto deliver 25 hours of talk on one AA battery. $59-$79;www.auracomm.com.

[2] Migo: This 256MB USB key fob synchronizes and transfers your desktop settings,Outlook e-mail, and browser favorites to any PC, so you'll always feel right at home.$200; www.4migo.com.

[3] Apple iPod: The best MP3 player keeps getting better. Now available withpersonalized engravings and 40GB of storage, the iPod is the ultimate accessory for jet-set nomads. $500; store.apple.com.

[4] TravelPro Platinum 3 Rollaboard: TravelPro was founded by an airline pilot, so thecompany's no-nonsense Platinum 3 includes plenty of pockets and an expandable maincompartment. $300; www.travelpro.com.

[5] Sony Vaio TR2: Meet the perfect cross-country companion. Powered by a wireless-ready, 1-GHz Pentium M processor and a long-life battery, the 3.1-pound TR2 alsoincludes a CD-RW/DVD drive. $2,200; www.sonystyle.com.

[6] Handspring Treo 600: The Mensa-smart phone has arrived, brilliantly endowed witha "qwerty" keyboard, Palm OS 5, Outlook-compatible e-mail, and a Web browser. From$500; www.handspring.com.


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The Mail Room Dude

[1] Diesel DZ7023: The Space Invaders-style readout is old school, butthe water-resistant case gives this watch a clean, contemporary feel.$120; store.dieseltimeframes.com.

[2] Tapwave Zodiac: Crossbreed a PDA with a GameBoy and what doyou get? The Zodiac multimedia player -- a do-it-all entertainment devicethat delivers MP3s, videos, and Tony Hawk skateboarding. From $300;store.tapwave.com.

[3] Jansport T246 Euphonic: This made-for-media knapsack sports retractable hi-fiearbuds, side pockets for your MP3 player or discs, and a built-in volume control. $60;www.jansport.com.

[4] Apple iBook: Slick as soap, the 4.9-pound, 12-inch iBook comes with a CD-RW/DVD drive and enough multimedia software to terrorize the recording industry.$1,300; store.apple.com.

[5] T-Mobile Sidekick: The original was sweet, but the new version issweeter, with a luscious color screen, a camera, 32MB of memory, POPe-mail access, and AIM instant messaging. $300; www.t-mobile.com.

[6] Mongoose Hornet FS: Rocket to work on the electric FS; its 24-voltbrushless DC motor and full suspension hum through the urban jungle atup to 15 mph. $539.99; www.currietech.com.

The Garage Entrepreneurs

[1] Mini Memory watch: The 128MB memory card and the USB cable built into theband mean your data will always be close at hand. $128; www.minimotoringgear.com.

[2]Yamaha MusicCast: Garage rock goes high-tech with this 80GB server and built-inCD-RW drive. You can also pump your music to five different locations via Wi-Fi. $2,800;www.yamaha.com/yec.

[3] Microsoft MN-700 Wireless Base Station: Gates & Co. weigh in with an 802.11gwireless router that comes with 256-bit encryption and a very competitive price. $139;www.microsoft.com.

[4] Minolta DiMage Xt Biz: Designed specifically for business users, this 3.2-megapixeldigital camera attaches voice recordings to pictures so you can connect your ideas totheir inspiration. $350; www.dimage.minolta.com/xt.


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[5] Mitel Networks 5240: This voice-over-IP phone does more than just save money; italso boasts a large backlit display, visual voice-mail, Web browsing, XML compatibility,and PDA integration. $650; www.mitel.com.

[6] Toshiba Portege M200: Toshiba's newest tablet PC comes with a1.5-GHz Centrino chip, an elegant docking station, and a display that

adjusts automatically to show off your big ideas in portrait or landscapemode. From $2,300; www.toshiba.com.


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December 2003


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R E V I E W

Leave Your Laptop at Home

Lori MacVittieNov 25, 2003

http://www.nwc.com/shared/article/printArticlePage.jhtml?articleID=16101208&pgno=1

If you travel between two or more offices within your organization and hate carrying your

laptop around, but don't want to be without your e-mail and important documents,Forward Solutions can help you out. The Migo device lets you transport any part of yourdesktop between machines without installing drivers or software.

Migo is a combination of synchronization software and a USB 1.1 storage device. OtherUSB storage devices may be used to transport documents, but it's unlikely they canprovide customizable synchronization with Outlook for instant access to your e-mail,calendar and contacts in a familiar environment. Nor are they likely to offer thepersonality transplant provided by Migo.

I tested a 128-MB version of Migo in our Real-World Labs in Green Bay, Wis., and wasdelighted with the prospect of being able to substitute a finger-sized device for my laptop

while traveling between my home office and our labs.

Migo can store profiles for many machines--you assign them nicknames to differentiate.Additionally, each machine is designated as a "synchronization" or "login" machine.Synchronization machines serve as your primary workstations; login machines aresecondary machines that you work from, such as those in remote offices. The machinetype (login or synchronization) can be changed at any time.

Sync and Go

I designated my Windows XP SP1a laptop as a synchronization machine and waspresented with a set of configuration options. File synchronization can be based on file

type, modification within a user-configurable number of days or simply "all files." As aboon, when you choose the files and directories to synchronize, Migo displays theamount of space left on the device as well as the space necessary to synchronize thefiles you've chosen. I synchronized my desktop, a few directories and some specific files,as well as Outlook and IE, including bookmarks. Because the device is USB 1.1, it's slowfor both synchronization and the log in/log out process, but it did the job.

Next, I plugged Migo into the Windows XP Pro SP1a Dell I use in the lab, gave themachine a nickname and made it a login machine. Migo loaded its software, which


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appears in the system tray, and placed a small tab at the top of the desktop called"PocketLogin."

When you click on the PocketLogin tab, you get a visual representation of the desktopfor each machine you've designated as a synchronized machine (see screen at right). Iclicked on the visual representation of my laptop, and Migo "logged me in." My laptop's

desktop appeared, down to the background but minus the shortcuts to applications Ihadn't synchronized.

Clicking on "My Documents" took me to the documents I had synchronized off mylaptop, not to the local folder on the login machine. I modified a few files from "MyDocuments." When I later returned to my sync laptop, I was presented with a list of newand modified files and was able to sync these changes to their folders.

Suspicious as I am, I opened the control panel on the login machine to see if anadditional, perhaps temporary, user had been created. Impressively, Migo performed nomodifications to the machine or its settings; all desktop shortcuts to user-specific datawere directed at the Migo device rather than the local machine.

Sync Specifics

I ran Outlook 2003 on my login machine, and this posed a problem: Migo supports onlyOulook 2000 and 2002. Forward Solutions expects to offer support for Outlook 2003soon.

I worked around the difficulty by opening my PST (Outlook's personal folder files) onMigo within Outlook 2003 and configuring my Outlook 2003 to use Migo as its data store.I tried Migo on a different XP machine in the lab with Outlook 2000, and it worked asexpected. Still not satisfied, I tried the same process on a Windows 2000 Pro machine

and was pleased to discover no difference in functionality.

Good Flexiblesynchronizationoptions Zero-footprintapplicationexcept onWindows 98(requires driverinstall) AttractivepricingBad

Device is USB1.1 (not 2.0) Does not


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Migo uses the existing transport to send and only modifies the POP3 settings to matchyour own, so it requires that you have at least one mail account on the login machine inorder to send mail through it. This is the only way to deal with ISPs that require users tosend mail from an IP within their network. If you're using Outlook in corporate mode (i.e.,connecting to Exchange), you'll need a VPN connection or you'll have to read mail viaExchange's Web interface. Forward Solutions says it is looking into more elegant

solutions for Exchange, as well as support for additional groupware solutions in thefuture.

You'll also need to remember your Exchange password. For security reasons, Migodoesn't transfer your POP3/IMAP account passwords.

My IE bookmarks were accessible, though IE cookies and auto-form-fill data were nottransferred. I'd like to see support for other common and personalized applications aswell, such as instant messaging clients and alternative browsers. You can sync theconfiguration files, but most people aren't aware of the location of these files, and itwould be sweet for Migo to do this for users.

Resizing the task bar proves the product isn't flawless. When I did that, all local shortcutsreappeared on the desktop and couldn't be hidden again without logging out and loggingback in.

Data storage on the device appears to be secure. I couldn't see any files on the deviceunless I was logged in with the proper password. I copied the executable to a differentUSB storage device, but the application wouldn't run off a non-Migo device. Plugging thedevice into a Linux machine and mounting the file system provided a similar experience:The main application appeared, but no other files could be seen or accessed on the filesystem.

Out of Network

Migo doesn't solve issues with remote connectivity to Exchange if you're outside theorganization. If you can't communicate with Exchange via Outlook remotely now, Migocannot give you this functionality, unless the machine you use as your remote desktopvia Migo uses a VPN connection to provide access. POP3 and IMAP, however, can beused if your organization allows remote access over the public network, but this limitsthe use of calendaring, as integration with Exchange is necessary for such functionalitywithin Outlook. If, however, you're looking only for the basics--e-mail, contacts and files--Migo is just the thing to obviate carrying a laptop from office to office, and it's well worththe price.

Lori MacVittie is a Network Computing technology editor working in our Green Bay, Wis.,labs. Write to her [email protected].


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You Can Lug Home Your Office Computer Inside Your Pocket

By WALTER S. MOSSBERGNovember 20, 2003

In a world of multiple PCs, keeping them all coordinated is a hassle. Some people luglaptops home every night, so they can work on their office files and office e-mail afterhours. Others use slow dial-up connections at home or in hotels to perform cumbersomeremote log-ins to office networks.

But, what if you could take the key contents of your office PC, and much of its look andfeel, anywhere, without lugging a laptop or logging in to your office network?

A new $150 gadget about as big as your thumb, called the Migo, lets you do just that.

You just plug the little Migo into the USB port of your office PC -- or any other WindowsPC you choose -- and software embedded on the device will copy onto the Migo yourrecent Outlook e-mail, Web-page "favorites," key files or folders you designate, evenyour desktop icons and wallpaper.

Then, when you get to any other PC where you'd like to work -- at home, at a hotelbusiness center, Internet cafe, etc. -- you plug the Migo in again and enter yourpassword.

In seconds, this "guest" machine is transformed into a partial clone of your original PC.

Your own desktop icons and wallpaper replace the ones that were there before. Yourown e-mail shows up in Outlook instead of the e-mail that was there before. Your ownInternet favorites show up in the second machine's Web browser instead of the favoritesthat were there before. And your own key files show up in a desktop folder and can beopened in Microsoft Office or other applications.

When you're done working on the second PC, you just log out of the Migo and remove it.The machine you were using reverts to its original state. And when you return to youroriginal PC, the Migo updates its files to reflect any changes you made.

I have been testing the Migo for a week or so, using six different Windows PCs, and Ireally like it. There are a few small downsides, but in general it works as advertised.

The Migo, made by Forward Solutions of San Ramon, Calif., is based on a popular newtype of computer storage called a keychain drive. These are pocket-size devices stuffedwith memory chips that can hold computer files.

Many people already use keychain drives that cost much less than the Migo to move keyfiles between different PCs. But Migo vastly improves this process, because it comes


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with synchronization software that's embedded right in its hardware, along with anembedded security system that protects your files.

With a cheap, plain-vanilla keychain, it would take a lot of work to replicate as much ofthe original PC experience, including e-mail, bookmarks and wallpaper, as the Migodoes. With the Migo, all this happens with a few mouse clicks.

By default, the Migo copies the past 30 days of e-mail in your Outlook inbox, any itemson your desktop that have changed in the past 30 days, your wallpaper and your InternetExplorer browser favorites. A simple interface will let you customize this. You canchoose to copy more or fewer days of e-mail, or e-mail from Outlook folders other thanthe inbox. You can select specific files or folders to copy, or certain types of files and notothers.

The software monitors the total size of the material you want to copy and warns you if itwill exceed the capacity of the Migo. Currently there are two models: a 128 megabytemodel that sells for $150 and a 256 MB model for $200. The company plans a 512 MBmodel by the end of the year, and models with more than a gigabyte of storage in 2004.

In my tests with a 256 MB model, I found I could pack in plenty of e-mail and lots of keyfiles. Migo stores all of your stuff in a secure portion of the device that can be accessedonly with a password, if you opt for password protection.

When you log into the Migo on a second PC, a small tab appears at the top of thescreen with a thumbnail picture of the desktop of your original PC. You just click on thepicture and the second PC is transformed. You can even save the key contents ofmultiple PCs on the Migo and install any of them on a guest PC.

Migo can be purchased from the company's Web site, at www.4migo.com, or fromvarious retailers listed on that site.

However, there are some restrictions and drawbacks to the Migo. Any guest machineyou want to use must have Outlook installed, plus any programs, like Microsoft Office,whose files you want to use.

In addition, Migo leaves some traces of your work and files behind on the guestmachine, even though the actual files are stored only on the Migo. For instance, a copyof Word on the guest machine may list your file names as recently used, though the filesthemselves can no longer be accessed. Migo's maker promises a new version soon thatwill totally wipe out these vestiges.Also, I ran into a nasty crash twice when trying to remove my Migo. The company says itis working on a fix.

But, all in all, Migo is a terrific little product that makes life simpler.


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Putting the P in PC

By Tim BajarinNovember 2003

A simple USB key enables road warriors to personalize any computer.

http://www.mobileenterprisemag.com/APCM/templates/corporate_nomad_template.asp?Articleid=997&Zoneid=38

While working on a mobile computing project for a major PC vendor in 1989, I startedthinking about creating what I called a mobile brick, a small plug-in module with a CPU,hard drive and I/O ports that could become a sort of modular PC. My vision was to havea PC shell on a desk in a hotel where I would be able to plug in my brick (which storedmy data, files, personal desktop and UI on it) and make that shell my own personalcomputer. I envisioned a day when my local library (and even the back of every airplaneseat) would have a similar PC shell available and all I needed to do was plug in my brickand they, too, would instantly become my very own PC.

Back then, however, the technology wasnt available to deliver anything like this. Whilethe technology is accessible today, convincing hotels, libraries and airlines to support aPC shell is highly unlikely given the low costs of PCs and the fact that if you really need

a PC on the road, you can just go to a hotels business center or an Internet caf anduse a public PC. You can also use products like Laplink Everywhere or GoToMyPC toaccess your files from the road, but these assume you have left your PC powered upand connected while away. The one thing that is missing from this scenario is the abilityto carry with you all of your files, personal UI, desktop and preferencesall of the thingsthat make your PC extremely personal.

Well, the folks from Forward Solutions have come up with a product called the MIGO. Itsbased on a USB Key Flash Drive, which I can use to carry my personal digital stuff withme for use on any PC. This unique device comes with customized software thatbasically allows a person to automatically download her own desktop UI, personalsettings, preferences and Web browser favorites, as well as designated files, including

e-mail files and folders for Microsofts Outlook or Outlook Expresswhich all becomeavailable when plugged into any desktop PC or laptop. It literally turns any PC into onethat is exactly like ones own back at home.

The entry level version uses a 128MB key ($149); the next step is the 256MB model($199). Both of these include all of the software on the key itself to synchronize filesbetween any desktop or laptop that has Windows 98 SE/ME/2000/XP. The first releasewill only support Office 2000 and 2002, but by the end of the year MIGO hopes to have


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full support for Office 2003. A 512MB and 1GB key will be available after the first of theyear. The company also hopes to offer support for Lotus Notes by early 2004.

I recently tested MIGO on a trip to Europe and was able to turn a plain vanilla PC in anInternet caf into my own just by plugging in the MIGO USB Flash Drive.

This is a very innovative approach to synchronizing files between personal computersand truly personalizing the PC. Although it is not exactly like my original mobile brickconcept, it virtually does the same thing by enabling me to take all of my personal digitalstuff with me and use it on any PC I happen to come across in my daily travels.

Tim Bajarin is president of Creative Strategies (www.creativestrategies.com), atechnology consulting and research company based in Campbell, Calif.


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SPECIAL REPORT: THE STORAGE COMEBACK

Consumers: Thanks for the Memory

Alex SalkeverOctober 28, 2003

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2003/tc20031028_4408_tc133.htm

Ever-higher-capacity devices at ever-lower costs are sparking a revolution in consumerelectronics that's only just beginning

When thieves broke into Ramesh Goonetilleke's Honda Civic in 2002 and stole his

stereo for the fourth time in as many years, the project manager for a San Franciscosoftware company decided that was enough. Rather than replace his stereo again,Goonetilleke bought a $400 digital music player made by Creative Nomad, whichincludes a 20-gigabyte hard drive that easily holds his collection of hundreds of musicCDs.

He had audio technicians install a plug-in jack between the front seats and wired it to anamp and speakers in the trunk. For $70 he purchased a remote control that lets himselect songs without taking his eyes off the road. "It works pretty well, and for me it hasmade the CD obsolete," says Goonetilleke. "It's all on my Nomad." While he misses liveradio a bit, his new setup has the advantage of avoiding radio's repetitive -- and boring --playlists.

Goonetilleke is on the front line of a revolution in the consumer-electronics and PCbusinesses made possible by rapid advances in memory technology. The plunging priceand soaring capacity of data storage have begun to radically alter electronic devices andthe way people interact with them.

PRELOADED MUSIC? Hundreds of thousands of consumers are snapping up disk-drive-based music players from Creative Nomad and Apple (AAPL ). Digital camerasthat easily transfer images to CDs increasingly endanger the consumer film businessesof Kodak (EK ) and Fujitsu. The latest home PCs can store tens of thousands