What Is the SanDisk U3 LaunchPad?

By Mark Vallet

A SanDisk U3 smart drive allows a person to transfer applications and data between various computers via a USB drive. The smart drive system lets people work with the same applications regardless of the computer they are using.

Smart Drive and LaunchPad

The U3 LaunchPad works with a U3 smart drive. The U3 smart drive was developed by M-Systems and SanDisk. It is an open platform USB drive that lets a person take not only their data, but applications from computer to computer. The applications are written to work for the smart drive and are easy to use and launch.

What the LaunchPad Does

LaunchPad is what makes the U3 smart drive so easy to use. It looks very similar to the Windows start menu and launches when you insert a smart drive into a USB port. LaunchPad gives you quick access to the documents and applications on the smart drive. It also lets you manage all the applications and documents on the smart drive.

Smart Drive Applications

Applications for the smart drive can be downloaded via the LaunchPad browser or installed from a file. There are a few programs that come pre-installed on the smart drive. Websites dedicated to distributing smart drive programs offer numerous programs in a variety of subject areas.

Smart Drive File Types

The U3 platform uses a couple of file types. .u31 is an xml text file that contains the download path working parameters. A .u3p file is a zip file that contains the files needed to run an application.

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