(Until now, works with Windows XP, soon also with Windows Vista), Free for
personal
use (download)

Forbes magazine article
Review: Mobile Computing Without Laptop
By DAN SCHERAGA 10.03.07, 1:16 PM ET
NEW YORK -

When you have programs and files on one computer and need them on another,
you can
do a lot of copying and pray they work on the second PC. Or you could
connect the
machines via remote desktop software. You could even spring for a laptop.

Now there's another option: An application called MojoPac captures your PC's
files,
programs and settings, and stores them on an iPod or similar gadget.

Plug the device into another Windows XP computer, and your desktop appears,
with all
your programs and files exactly as you left them - and ready for action.

It works, most of the time.

MojoPac, which is made by RingCube Technologies Inc., takes up just 30
megabytes - a
relatively small footprint. It will fit on most flash memory thumb drives,
though
RingCube recommends using gadgets with a hard drive for better performance.

Naturally, any files or programs you load onto MojoPac will take up
additional room.
Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) Office, for instance, gobbles up
about 750
megabytes. That's still small enough to fit on an iPod, though it is up to
the
individual user to decide whether it's worth using up that much space. And
Office
will require a separate activation from Microsoft Corp., even if it is
already
activated on your desktop.

RingCube estimates the software consumes less than half a percent of total
computing
capacity of the host PC. I noticed no degradation of my computer's
performance when
I plugged in MojoPac.

That is, when it worked.

RingCube has a long list of popular games and applications that it says are
compatible with MojoPac. "Second Life" and "Tomb Raider" both ran on my
MojoPac
without a hitch.

However, ordering off RingCube's menu can be problematic. When I tried to
install a
small shareware game on MojoPac, my computer froze. It also crashed when I
tried to
install the game to my desktop while MojoPac ran in the background.

When I turned off MojoPac, the game installed to my desktop in seconds.

As much as the idea of MojoPac enticed me, I discovered that shuttling
between my
work computer and my PC at home, I didn't have much use for it. Everything I
need is
loaded onto both computers.

MojoPac makes the most sense for business travelers who would rather use the
hotel
computer than carry a laptop around. To this end, RingCube recently
introduced an
enterprise version of MojoPac, with an automatic encryption feature that
safeguards
data in case the portable storage device is lost or stolen.

RingCube pointed out another niche market for MojoPac: Families who share a
single
computer. Load MojoPac onto each kid's iPod so each one has their own
desktop, and
keep them from making a mess of yours. When the child unplugs MojoPac, their
mess
goes with them.

Until recently, MojoPac had been available as a download from MojoPac.com
for $49.95
after a free trial. But this week, RingCube debuted a free version of
MojoPac
(without encryption). For now, there are no strings attached, but in the
future
RingCube may use anonymous aggregate data collected from MojoPac to target
promotions to its users.

MojoPac currently works only with Windows XP, but according to the company,
a
version for Windows Vista is coming soon. (Sorry, Mac users, you're out of
luck.)

MojoPac will certainly appeal to a niche audience. But for myself and other
users
who already have as much computing space as they need, it may just be a neat
solution in search of a problem.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be
published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed 


 
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