MojoPac lets you put anyapp on a storage drive

By Sandra Gittlen, Network World
September 25, 2006 12:12 AM ET

. What's this?

MojoPac

Company: RingCube

What is it? Software that can be installed on any storage device, giving users the ability to run any PC application from that storage device. The MojoPac software will let users install Microsoft Office on an iPod, for example, and run the application from the iPod instead of the PC.

Haven't we seen this before? Sort of. Companies like Ceedo and U3 provide platforms that allow for applications to be run from a USB flash drive, but they require applications to be rewritten for those specific devices, RingCube says. In addition, programs such as VMware create virtualization by placing the entire operating system on the device, which tends to slow the actual application, and usually cannot handle multimedia types of applications.

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The MojoPac software seems to take the best ideas of both – it allows users to install any application, then when connected to a PC take advantage of the operating system from the PC side.

Who would use this? Gamers who want to install a game once but then play it on different computers (like at a friend's house). Mobile workers who want to leave their laptop at home when they travel and just take advantage of "dumb terminals" at their destination. Home users who are sick of setting up profiles for sharing one PC can provide each user with a MojoPac device and run each person's applications from that device instead of the PC.

How will the company make money? Software will be sold to consumers directly (through downloads), eventual bundling deals could occur with brand-name storage vendors.

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