Whenever I hit the road for business, I like to bring along all my digital creature comforts. iPod? Check. Noise-canceling headphones for the plane ride? Check. Digital camera? Check.
While I seldom travel without my laptop computer these days, there are times when I just don't feel like lugging it around. That's when an ingenious piece of software embedded on Kingston USB flash drives comes in handy. Called "Migo," the software lets me take my computer desktop "on the go" by syncing it directly onto my Kingston flash drive. Here's how it works.
Wherever I Go, Migo
When buying a flash drive from Kingston, look for one that offers the "Migo Edition." The drive I use is the tiny 1GB Kingston DataTraveler Mini - Migo Edition. An apparent play on the words "Me go," Migo software lets the user store Internet browser favorites, cookies, history etc.; along with email data, settings, and services, right onto the flash drive so they can access them when they plug the drive into a guest computer.
(A word of warning to Mac users, the Migo software will only work on Windows. Since I'm a dual-platform user this wasn't a problem. But for convenience sake I really would have liked to have had the option to run this program on my MacBook as well. I'm sure other Apple users would feel the same way. Hint, hint.)
In contrast to web-based email, my DataTraveler Mini - Migo Edition lets me work on my email correspondence even if I'm not connected to the Internet. Best of all, the Migo software stores any email changes onto the flash drive and then syncs them with the main computer's copy of Outlook Express and/or Mozilla Thunderbird.
When I plug the drive into another computer -- for instance, if I don't have my laptop with me and need to use a public computer in a hotel or WiFi cafe -- the Migo software will spring into action and make my email account and my Firefox internet browser on the new computer appear exactly as they do on my laptop, with files, history, bookmarks etc., intact.
If you're worried about leaving a trail of passwords and personal info on the guest computer, don't be. Migo leaves no trace of data behind once it's unplugged.
To make me feel even more at home on a guest computer, my DataTraveler Mini - Migo Edition will also sync whatever files I have located on my desktop and in "My Documents" folder as well.
Simple Set-Up
Configuring your Migo software so it syncs to your computer is simple thanks to an easy-to-follow Wizard-based set-up. After plugging my Kingston DataTraveler Mini - Migo Edition into a USB port on my laptop, I double click onto a Migo executable icon in a folder in the USB drive. The Wizard then walks me through the steps of creating a Migo profile.
Once your profile is set up, you can choose to include Internet Explorer or Firefox settings, or both. The next step is syncing your email accounts which can be Outlook, Outlook Express, or Thunderbird. If you want to sync all your email account settings -- including Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts etc -- just check the "Take It All" box. You can also pick and choose which email folders you want to sync on your flash drive if you don't want to haul over the whole shebang.
The last step lets you configure files on your desktop and your "My Documents" folder for synchronization. If you only want to sync items created or altered within a specific time frame, you can choose the "I want to limit files and folders..." selection with a drop down arrows to choose time frames for each folder.
Plug and Play
When you're done, all you have do to access your Migo profile on a new computer is plug the Kingston drive into the USB port, and double-click the Migo executable file. Once that's completed, a Migo tab will appear at the top of the desktop of the new computer. Just click on that tab -- which is represented with a thumbnail picture of your main computer's desktop -- and your Migo profile with all your emails, Internet favorites, and desktop folder will appear on the new computer.
Though I don't think I'll ever fully give up bringing my laptop with me, it's nice to know I don't need to have this electronic security blanket with me at all times any more. Instead, I just pop my Kingston DataTraveler Mini - Migo Edition into my pocket and my entire desktop and valuable email and internet settings are with me wherever I go.