IT news: U3 software developer kit.

U3 has announced the availability of its software developer kit (SDK) for companies that want to repackage their applications to run on any USB smart drive. Unlike traditional installed software, which is tied to a single PC, a 'U3 smart' application can be carried on and launched from U3 smart drives to run on any PC. With USB smart drives and U3 smart applications, customers enjoy the flexibility of carrying their personal workspace--applications, computer settings and data--for use on any PC. The U3 SDK can be found at www.u3.com/developers and is available free of charge.

Any Windows XP or Windows 2000 application can be made into a U3 smart application with the U3 SDK. To date, security (encryption of folders, files), anti-virus, anti-phishing, spyware removal, backup, password managers, data and file synchronisation, Internet browsers, email, personal communications (Internet telephony, chat), personal preference utilities, photo organisers, music players, graphics applications, and personal productivity solutions have been repackaged to be U3 smart and are available for download or purchase at U3 Software Central ft://software.u3.com.

The U3 SDK includes the following:

* Application Deployment Guide which provides instructions and examples on how to take applications and repackage them to install on and run from a U3 smart drive

* Device API (DAPI) to provide applications with access to device-level features so they integrate with U3 smart drives

* DAPI Reference Guide presents a detailed description of each function of the U3 device API, including syntax, arguments, return codes, possible error conditions and code examples

* Developer Guide details how to use the U3 SDK to develop and deploy applications

The Device API allows U3 smart applications to communicate with U3 smart drives and take advantage of advanced-device features. The DAPI is a C-based DLL that can be used by all programming languages that support Unicode. The DLL can be implicitly or explicitly loaded.

www.U3.com.