Finger Gear's Computer-On-a-Stick (COS) is the first bootable USB flash drive with a complete preinstalled desktop environment. The COS is fast because the drive is completely self-contained with its own ultra-fast operating system. Startup takes less than ten seconds and shutdown in three.
Bundled elegantly with the device is the Open Office Productivity Suite which enables users to create, edit, and save Microsoft Office compatible, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files with PDF printing integrated throughout. The Computer-On-a-Stick also features the popular Mozilla FireFox web browser, Evolution Email, similar to Outlook, and many of the most commonly used software applications including Zip compression tools, Telnet, and Instant Messenger.
The COS is ideal for mobile users who do not want to lug a laptop between home and office or through airport security. Parents may also find it ideal for their children since the drive is completely self-contained, requires no software installation, and leaves no trace on the host PC. Fry's offers the entry level Computer-On-a-Stick, which contains a 256MB flash drive and starts at $99. The COS is also available in Fingerprint Editions which allow you to login securely using just your fingerprint.
The high level of security is attractive to corporate, educational, and government agencies concerned about lost devices or leakage of confidential data. Users must login with their password before each session, and all data saved to the COS is encrypted with industry standard 256-bit AES encryption.
The COS can be used as a regular USB flash drive on Windows, Linux, or Macintosh systems. For non-sensitive data, users can save or transfer data among PCs using the drive's shared public folder -- without having to boot from the device. Moreover, the device is virus-proof, claims Finger Gear, because the operating system is both write-protected and encrypted, effectively blocking worms or malicious code.
"Finger Gear is pleased that Fry's Electronics was quick to recognize the Computer-On-a-Stick as a significant advance in USB Smart Drive technology," says CEO Jon Louis. "Flash Drives aren't just for data anymore. Now you can make any PC your PC." The Computer-On-a-Stick runs on any PC with an x86 processor, which includes nearly every Windows and Linux PC shipped over the past five years.