In demonstrations at last month's Consumer Electronics Show, prototype versions of Lexar's JumpDrives used Ceedo's software to launch a Google photo viewer, a WinAmp MP3 player and a PowerPoint presentation viewer.

The software, called PowerToGo, lets most existing Windows applications run unmodified from the flash drives, Lexar said. The goal is to let users carry their PC environments, including browser settings and instant-messenger clients, in a tiny thumb drive.

Ceedo will provide its software, at a cost to be negotiated, to other OEMs that want to make the smart drives, said Steffen Hellmold, general manager for the USB flash drive and OEM products unit at Lexar (Fremont, Calif.). The software will be developed as an open standard, and the Lexar products will be compatible with "most consumer and electronic mobile devices," according to a company statement.

The move is a competitive blow to the U3 Alliance, formed in 2004 by USB flash drive makers M-Systems and Sandisk Inc. U3 proponents launched their version of smart USB flash drives last September. At least four thumb drive manufacturers started shipping the U3 drives in October, using at least seven applications.

The U3 Web site lists more than 75 applications available or coming for the drives. However, the U3 approach requires that Windows applications be modified for the thumb drives.

"Unlike some competing solutions that are using proprietary solutions requiring software developers to maintain a separate code base for this platform, our solution will empower customers to use most of their Windows standard appli- cations on the go," said Hellmold of Lexar.

Contact Lexar and Ceedo at www.lexar.com and www.ceedo. com, respectively. -- Rick Merritt