The Ultimate USB Key

Another fine article from the folks at Pcmag.com. The Ultimate USB Key:

The best things on your USB key are free. The open-source PortableApps Suite is a free 89MB download that installs Firefox, the Thunderbird e-mail client, the Gaim instant messenger, the Sunbird calendar app, and the OpenOffice.org office suite—basically all you need to get work done on the road. If you are using a smaller USB key, a 30MB “Lite” version uses the more compact AbiWord word processor instead of the full OpenOffice.org. A “Base” edition that is less than 1MB includes only the basic menu and a backup utility, so you can add your own portable applications from the PortableApps.com site. Any USB key with 512MB or more can use the full version, and it’s an obvious first choice when you’re outfitting a USB key. From the same site you can add a few dozen other applications, including the superbly capable VLC media player. (Free, www.portableapps.com,