PortableApps

[Longarms]

If you've got the space on your SD card (I have a cheap 4 GB card), why not install PortableApps (http://portableapps.com/) on your SD card and use a program such as Card Reader (http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&PartnerREF=&siteid=1&prodID=112451) to access it on any PC?

As well as giving you access to Portable Firefox, Portable Thunderbird, OpenOffice etc on any PC, you can also install RoboForm Portable (http://www.roboform.com/pass2go.html) into PortableApps, thereby allowing you to securely fill passwords and forms when you're away from you're main PC. I find the big advantage of this setup is that when you 'eject' your Palm you leave no trace of what you've been doing using any of these applications on the host PC, which is great for at work or in internet cafes!!!

Another great use for our T|X.

[donx]

Thanks Longarms for your suggestion. I'll be travelling overseas for a month during the summer and this could prove to be very handy every time I pop into an internet cafe.

[phreakonaleash]

PA doens;t have very much software but what they have is good. That's stuff is also the stuff in u3 smart drives, yes?

[edit] i am wrong. thinking of something else :-/

[ASHLEY75]

Shame it is all Windows based.

[MarsGuy]

Shame it is all Windows based.
There are also os x portable apps here:

http://www.freesmug.org/portableapps/

[_Em]

For that matter, almost ALL OS X apps are portable. Chalk that up to not using a registry :)

Of course, you might have to open the app bundles and change where the preferences file is saved.

[The New No. Two]

There is also a portable Firefox setup that is cross-platform (OS X/Win):

http://www.tuaw.com/2005/09/18/cross-platform-firefox-on-a-stick/

[_Em]

I keep a set of portable tools for both Windows and OS X on my USB key. I've also been toying with putting a run-time linux on there with diagnostics & recovery tools built in.

[stevec]

If you're going to do that, why not use one of the new SD cards that doubles as a USB drive? You flip it out of your PDA and plug it straight into the PC - no messing with leads, etc.

[phreakonaleash]

Yeah, but those are still really uncommen. Just carry around your cord and use drive mode.

[stevec]

Available online and not overly expensive. Also, they'll work with Vista (which can't be said, if the Palm website is to be believed, of Drivemode at the moment).

[Gav_Man]

DriveMode works fine on vista, I'm using it at the moment...

In fact the Palm website suggest you use it:

"Solution ID: 43103
Using LifeDrive Manager and File Transfer software under Windows Vista

The LifeDrive Manager application and Tungsten T5 File Transfer application are not compatible with Windows Vista.

Instead, we suggest you use Drive Mode to transfer files between your handheld and your desktop PC. "


DriveMode turns a palm into a regular USB removable drive which vista has no problems with.



Portable apps are really good, I particularly like having a version of Audacity available wherever I go. And there's nothing quite like having your own version of firefox with all your extensions and bookmarks with you as well.

[stevec]

I stand corrected! I'd still try to avoid carrying an extra cable, though.

[Gav_Man]

oh I agree totally, any reduction in the number of cables that has to be carted around in a good thing, I can't help but think though that those USB SD card things look very breakable...

[ricktt3]

I have a 1gb usb flash drive for Portable Apps. In order to use it via Cardreader or CardExport2, you would have to leave your PDA "hooked up" to the computer. Not very convenient, IMO.

[Gav_Man]

true, if only you could use your PIM's and other programs while drive mode or similar was on, there's got to be some way of doing that surely?

[stevec]

A colleague has got one of the Sandisk SD/USB cards (<£20 for 2GB) - it came in a keyfob carrier. The hinge certainly looks fragile but, when it's plugged into his PC (to run PortableApps) it's no worse that the Sony Micro Vault Tiny I use for the same job (and his 2GB card cost less than my 1GB MVT).

The SD/USB is no more fragile than any other SD card when used as an ordinary SD card.

[stevec]

PalmOS5 isn't really multitasking so, unless Pruss or Dimitry can work some of their magic, I doubt we'll be able to use TX/T5 apps whilst hooked up in Drivemode.

[phreakonaleash]

Not to Zombify a thread but...

I can't get anything intsalled on my SD card. I have done three downloads of each and they all hang in the same spot.

44% FireFox, 13 GAIM, 60% ABI word...
Any thoughts?