Microsoft and SanDisk team up on U3 replacement

The U3 standard for machine-independent applications isn't exactly an aging one, but it seems that Microsoft and SanDisk have found some room for improvement, announcing today that they've teamed up to create a "new experience" for USB flash drives and memory cards. According to the two companies, the new technology will expand on and replace U3, and will let users carry their full personal computing environment (including their familiar interface) with them in addition to a few applications. As with U3, you also supposedly won't have to worry about anything being left behind on the computer after you unplug the drive. You'll have to get by with the standard U3 drives for a while longer though, as the new and improved version won't be rolling out until the second half of 2008, with the first such drives coming, naturally, from SanDisk.

[Cutie @ May 11th 2007 11:18AM]

Second half of 2008? Hmm, that mean 1 year from now,,,. I just wanna see how the next info. Technology changing so fast, the revolutionary really comes in minutes..

I wonder if the Doraemon world will come shortly, when thre's wonderful item that can change our life... I find so many gadgets that can can our life, and we one step closer to the future...

http://www.cutiegadget.com
My blog of Cutest gadgets ever!!

[anonymous @ May 11th 2007 11:45AM]

WHAT?????

[Jeff P. @ May 11th 2007 12:09PM]

And who says that high school English would never come in handy?

[Michael LaFramboise @ Mar 5th 2008 6:31PM]

Some elementary school math would come in handy too :/

Are you still living in 2007 Cutie?

[Ondra Soukup @ May 11th 2007 11:33AM]

Great. U3 drives will be even cheaper and our system-wide dumping U3 drives will have even more use :P

(I'm getting away with just 2GB one, dumping teachers' network drives to it :P)

[robi @ May 11th 2007 12:05PM]

Microsoft and Sandisk in bed together... I wonder if we will be seeing Zune compatible Sansa players next year

[Muu @ May 11th 2007 12:40PM]

Whatever they do, I sure hope they make the stuff removable, and most definitely NOT included in the flash to begin with (like U3 is now).

[Jeffrey J. Hoover @ May 11th 2007 1:18PM]

That goes double for me. I had to find a PC to use to get U3 off my thumb drive.

Don't make me use Windows.

[Tavis Veighey @ May 11th 2007 12:43PM]

U3 was a joke. I had nothing put problems with it! Updating the aps often ment I would loose everything. (FireFox and Thunderbird)

If I want a portable app, I will get the Makers PORTABLE version that will work on ANY Flash Drive. Then to make it easier to launch them, I'll get a Portable Menu System like PStart!

I have a U3 1 gig flashdrive... And I have run a tool that the maker released to REMOVE that U3 crap.

Many of the apps available for U3 were for Puchase only, and were EXPENSIVE for what they were.

I also sncountered issues getting the U3 launcher to launch on some computers. And without the U3 launcher, your portable apps do not work.

[Mike @ May 11th 2007 12:44PM]

U3 is terrible, at least from my experience. I'd recommend using going to http://www.portableapps.com and using that instead. That doesn't leave any footprints on the computer, and it runs much more efficient.

[David Barth @ May 11th 2007 1:25PM]

Mandriva is doing this for years: the latest mobile desktop on a key is called Mandriva Flash: check it out Microsoft ! http://www.mandriva.com/en/linux/flash. And you get a 3D desktop for free, even with your prematurely aged pre-Vista PC ;)

[Tony Rayo @ May 11th 2007 3:02PM]

I still find it ironic that SanDisk Memory Stick Duo cards work better and can transfer data faster in a PSP than Sony's own (and pricer) first party cards. Gotta give it up for SanDisk, they do what they do well. Heh it reminds of that commercial... I cannot think of the company atm, but their slogan is "We don't make a lot of the products you use, we make a lot of problem you use better".

[Andir3.0 @ May 11th 2007 4:21PM]

3M

[Andir3.0 @ May 11th 2007 4:22PM]

And it was: "We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy, better." If I remember right.

[Tony Rayo @ May 11th 2007 4:36PM]

There we go, thanks =).

[l2k @ May 11th 2007 6:02PM]

It wasn't 3M it was BASF.

[win2k @ May 11th 2007 6:38PM]

Isn't mojopac (www.mojopac.com) already doing this.

[M0les @ May 12th 2007 9:03AM]

Jawol! U3 is annoying junk. Remove it at your first opportunity.

M0les.

[Galley @ May 12th 2007 9:40AM]

Lexar's PowerToGo (which uses Ceedo technology) is actually pretty good, but they charge you extra to be able to install any program not on their list.

[nikster @ May 12th 2007 12:23PM]

U3 now gets help from Microsoft to become even more annoying? Great news!

Fun fact - you can't just uninstall U3 - it stays on your stick until you use the special U3-uninstall software downloaded from SanDisk website. If you use this with anyone else's PC, they will be happy to know that U3 is getting automatically installed on their system just by plugging in your drive. Not unlike certain viruses.

U3 sucks in so many ways, I could fill a whole page now. But let it suffice to say - U3 is complete and utter shite, annoyware which installs itself all over the system. I didn't get to the part where it's supposed to solve some problem because I uninstalled it before I ever got to that part.

[Malcolm @ May 14th 2007 1:29PM]

What do you bet the main function of the "U4" standard will be digital rights management on thumbdrives?

[PismoPat @ Feb 26th 2008 3:07AM]

U3 won't uninstall even with the tool. It thinks it has more than one U3 drive on the computer and tells me to remove one of them. (Who in the world would ever buy another once they have one. What a time waster.) It uses 2 drive letters, one for the ROM drive and one for the USB Drive. I only want a USB drive.

Anyone know how to effectively uninstall this thing?

[ducky @ Mar 5th 2008 5:54PM]

sledgehammer

[Fragger @ Mar 6th 2008 12:03AM]

But a sledgehammer wont work on the titanium version :o

[RS @ May 4th 2008 11:44PM]

VERY DISAPPOINTING!!! As a former assembly language programmer with some skill at following directions and a great deal of innate logic, I've found the U3 software totally unusable after an aggravating 10 or 12 hours of attempting to get a backup/synch system going. Good luck to anyone else tinkering with this. I'd advise you to abandon from the get go.

[chuychavez @ Feb 26th 2009 2:42AM]

I recently purchased the Sandisk 8 GB - it came with the U3 software! I didn't want it running on my computer, so I spent about 3 hours trying to find the U3_uninstaller.exe - which I finally did find it.

Now the new problem is that after running this uninstaller, which did eliminate the U3 software, but it converted the 8 GB to a 4 GB! What a rip-off! Sandisk you will not ever get any more of my hard earned funds! Basta on the Sandisk!