The latest in mobile technology can untether users not just from desktops, but from laptops and even from PCs entirely.HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.—Whether its remote desktop search on a Blackberry device or an entire workspace stored on a USB flash drive, IT managers can count on new products showcased at the
Demo conference to help workers go mobile.
During the opening of the conference here on Tuesday, dozens of companies demonstrated software and services in hopes of becoming the next TiVo or Palm. A total of 65 companies will debut new products at the conference.
Formerly DemoMobile, the show changed its name to Demo this year in part to reflect the ubiquity of mobile data, said Chris Shipley, executive producer of Demo.
"Over the six years of DemoMobile, wireless technology has become an integral part of most every aspect of computing," she said. "So now it only makes sense to plot wireless advances in the context of the broader technology markets."
Mobility certainly continued to play a significant role in a number of products unveiled at the conference. U3 LLC opened the show by introducing the first USB smart drives armed with its portable drive storage format, which allows road warriors to carry their work space, including all their files and applications, with them on a USB drive.
The company showed off USB smart drives ranging from 215MB to 1GB of storage from SanDisk Corp., Kingston Technology Company Inc., Memorex Products Inc. and Verbatim Ltd.
U3 is designed to allow mobile workers to leave their laptops behind. By plugging a U3 smart drive into any PC, users will be able to launch U3 smart software applications. Once the U3 smart drive is removed, all windows close, leaving no personal information behind on the PC.
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Giving end users the ability to access their files and applications remotely was also the aim of Realm Systems Inc., which demonstrated its Mobile Enterprise Platform Version 1.0. The platform is made up of the Real Mobile Personal Server, a device end users carry with them, and the Realm Management Router, a central management router for IT managers.
When a Realm Mobile Personal Server is connected via USB to a networked PC, it automatically establishes a secure VPN to the users corporate network. As with the U3 smart drive, all signs of the users work disappear once the device is disconnected.
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For end users who prefer not to use PCs at all, EasyReach Corp. debuted EasyReach, a remote desktop search service that enables users to find any file or e-mail on a remote PC using a BlackBerry, Treo or Internet browser. Users can use keyword search capabilities to find documents on their remote desktops and then deliver those documents to any e-mail address.
Available on Oct. 1, the EasyReach remote desktop service will start at $8 per month for unlimited access to one PC or $80 a year; or $10 a month for unlimited access to two PCs or $100 a year.
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