.FLYINGHEAD COMPUTING UNPLUGGED EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
.TITLE Kingston Technology and the meaning of U3
.AUTHOR David Gewirtz
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY This month, we had the opportunity to interview Heather Skinner, an executive at Kingston Technology, the world’s largest independent memory manufacturer. Heather was kind enough to help us understand a fascinating new technology called U3.
This month, we had the opportunity to interview Heather Skinner, an executive at Kingston Technology, the world’s largest independent memory manufacturer. Heather, shown in Figure A, was kind enough to help us understand a fascinating new technology called U3.
.FIGPAIR A This is Heather Skinner of Kingston Technology.
U3 is an application specification that allows applications to launch directly from specially-designed USB flash drives, like the U3 DataTraveler shown in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR B This drive contains programs that will launch once plugged into a PC.
Unlike most Windows programs, which require a complex installation process, U3 drives load their programs without any installation. This allows you to take your specialized tools on the go and use them in nearly any computer without modifying that computer’s operating environment.
Let’s let Heather tell us all about it.
.TEASER Tap here to read the full interview.
.Q David
Please introduce yourself and tell us something about your background and role at Kingston.
.A Heather
I am Heather Skinner and have been with Kingston for more than 14 years. I am currently the Corporate Public Relations and Community Relations manager and have a Project Manager role with the company.
Currently I am responsible for managing and executing corporate communications projects and programs for the company, which includes new product launches, marketing communications programs such as Kingston’s Icons of Photography and all corporate philanthropic initiatives. Some of my accomplishments include achieving coverage in Fortune’s "100 Best Companies To Work For" for four years running, and organizing a $5 million scholarship program for local high schools.
Prior to my current position, I served as the project marketing manager for networking, processor upgrade and memory products here at Kingston. I am also involved with identifying and managing new product areas and markets for Kingston as well as new business development.
.BEGIN_KEEP
.Q David
When we talked earlier, you told me about your time at Yamaha. As a biker, that’s probably even more fun to talk about than U3. Can you say a few things about bikes to keep my inner biker happy for a little while longer? It’s an incredibly beautiful day outside and I’m in the office, not on my bike. Gotta feed the ride somehow!
.A Heather
I have to agree that motorcycles can be a little bit more fun to talk about. My step-father works for Yamaha Corporation in Cypress, CA. I have been riding Yamahas since I was a child. It is a hobby that my husband, kids and I enjoy very much. Nothing beats getting out into the sun, putting on your boots and helmet and riding the track. I have a TTR 125cc. Both my boys (ages 9 and 6) ride as well.
Of course, we ride Yamahas and nothing else. We often go to the office to check out the new inventory, which is where I was the other day. Yamaha is getting ready for their dealer meeting and my boys love to check out the stock.
Having said that, U3 is quite interesting and we are seeing a lot happen in the USB industry.
.END_KEEP
.Q David
My wife and I both ride Honda bikes. But the Yamahas are definitely sweet rides. And you’re right, U3 is very interesting, so let’s get back to that. Kingston is now offering a number of U3 products. Please help us understand what U3 is and why it may be important.
.A Heather
Kingston’s U3 DataTraveler smart drive conveniently runs portable U3 applications using the free pre-loaded U3 software. It is also compatible with software you can download from http://www.U3.com. Users can choose from a growing list of U3-compatible software categories including communication, productivity, file synchronization, games, photo, security, and many more.
.Q David
Do you (Kingston) now find yourself doing U3 software support?
.A Heather
Kingston supports the launchpad and the basics of the software that we put on our drive. Any other software support would go direct to the software vendor. We do get calls about software, but not as much as one would think. U3 has a great site with software downloads and it is very clear about where customers should go on their site for the desired product support.
Kingston fully supports its drive and when we come to market with a product, we want to be able to fully support the entire product. We do extensive testing on our products before they go to market, so when a customer purchases a Kingston product they know that we have dedicated the time and effort necessary to ensure it works properly. If we don’t feel a software program has the correct support or functionality we simply won’t put it on our drive. We want to make certain that the companies that we represent on our drive have the same work ethic as we do at Kingston.
.Q David
Is the U3 technology product opportunity worth the extra support load?
.A Heather
The support is in line with our support requirements for non-U3 USB devices, and has not increased our support needs, requirements, or costs. Therefore, I would say it is worth our time.
.Q David
Where’s the technology that makes up U3? What’s the propellor-head stuff that makes it work?
.A Heather
There are two parts to making U3 work. First, a drive with special controllers to understand certain commands and be able to support two partitions (a read-only for U3 Launch-Pad software, and Removable partition for applications and data to be able to install/write to).
Second is the software. Software has to be coded specifically to run from a removable partition (versus a physical, permanent drive) and not rely on Windows Registry related commands. Simply put, the software needs to be tweaked to communicate with or through the U3 LaunchPad instead of normally going directly through the Windows OS.
.Q David
What sort of hardware changes, over and above what’s in the usual thumb drives, make the U3 capability possible?
.A Heather
Mainly a specially configured controller — one allowing for two partitions on one physical drive and also understanding a couple of proprietary commands pertinent to U3. All other hardware is the same as a non-U3 drive.
.Q David
How do you explain U3 to the consumer so they’re comfortable enough to go into a local store to buy it?
.A Heather
U3 has much more functionality without an increase in cost. Customers can now install applications to the USB drive, and take them wherever necessary and still be able to use them with their personal data. This makes consumers more productive, and gives them the added benefit of having data at their fingertips quickly and easily and all of this without adding cost to an equal performance non-U3 drive.
.Q David
Do you think people will buy multiple U3 products for different apps?
.A Heather
We think that people will eventually purchase multiple U3 drives. As more and more applications are being developed for U3, consumers will use up more capacity, thus the need for multiple drives.
.Q David
What’s your overall U3 strategy?
.A Heather
Kingston tries to stay diversified in its product lineup. As long as our customers continue to use U3, we will continue to sell and evolve our U3 offerings.
.Q David
Is this Windows only?
.A Heather
Currently U3 is supported by Windows only, however there is a Mac component in development right now. We realize that there are a lot of Mac users out there that want to be able to use the functionality of U3. At this point in time, Kingston’s DataTravelers can be used on a Mac, but only as a data transfer device.
.Q David
Can you tell me the most exciting future application for U3?
.A Heather
Applications are being developed everyday. Currently, Kingston has loaded what we believe are the best products with the coolest applications including ACDSee [photo editing], Pass2Go [password management], and Zinio [a magazine reader]. I think that all of these are going to be exciting applications and solutions for different users. It really depends on what the user is trying to accomplish with the drive.
.Q David
Is there a DRM (Digital Rights Management) component to U3 and will this get in the way or help?
.A Heather
DRM is not a component to U3 or the applications on the device at this time.
.Q David
Can the system administrator or computer configuration person add his/her own apps to a U3 drive?
.A Heather
No, system administrators can not add their own applications to the U3 drive. The application must be U3 compliant and go through the certification process by U3.
.Q David
Since we’ve got you here and you’re obviously experts in all things memory, can you please give us a view into what memory will be like in three or five years?
.A Heather
Memory changes so quick, it is hard to give a good view on what it will be like in three to five years. Pricing, demand and new technology change month to month. Right now, we are looking at Fully-Buffered DIMMs for the Workstation and Server market, DDR2 for new Intel and AMD platforms and DDR3 sometime in 2007-2008. The memory market is somewhat like the stock market. It is difficult to foresee what will happen with prices and demand more than a few months out.
.Q David
Anything else you’d like to tell our readers?
.A Heather
Kingston has been manufacturing memory for more than 18 years. We understand the market and put pride in service and support. We fully back our products and want to make sure our customers know that they can rely on Kingston for all of their memory products.
.H1 Stay tuned
Heather will be back with us again in coming months. Memory, as you well know, is what tends to drive the capabilities for all our consumer electronics, from computers to cameras to PDAs to phones. If you can get a good handle on memory, then you have a better ability to predict and understand everything else. Heather and Kingston know more about this topic than virtually anyone else, so we’re thrilled to be able to learn more of the inside story behind digital memory in coming months.
We’ll also have some independent reviews of U3 devices like the DataTraveler in future issues as well, so stay tuned and keep reading!
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on the U3 DataTraveler, visit http://www.kingston.com/flash/dt_u3.a heathersp.
For more information on U3, visit http://www.U3.com.
For more information on Yamaha motorcycles, visit http://www.yamaha-motor.com.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
