Four Must Have Portable Apps That No USB Drive Should Miss

To define portable application I should say that it is a piece of software which can be executed from a removable storage device (i.e.CD-ROM, USB flash drive, flash card, etc.), and it is mandatory that it can store its configuration information and data on the same containing media.

Thus, their popularity comes from versatility at the moment of carrying and using them on any computer (provided it has the correct operative system configuration) saving a lot of time on program installation and configuration.

So, just double-click and start running
In this occasion I will make a brief description of four applications for different software categories which you can carry on your USB drive.

The Comprehensive Suite - OpenOffice Portable
I put OpenOffice Portable in the first place because it is really a "pocket" office suite for your portable USB device. It includes Writer - a powerful word processor. Calc - a fully functional spreadsheet. Impress - a fast multimedia presentations creator. Draw - an image editor. Base - a databases manager. Math - a mathematical equations creator. All these tools in a 240 MB sized package (the zip file is only 86.4 MB). It includes all features of the original suite and works exactly like the normal OpenOffice, but without installing a single file on the computer where the USB drive is plugged. It also includes some special enhancements to make it work even better from the portable device. Unfortunately, this portable version of OOo 3.0 which has been recently released by PortableApps.com only works under Windows operative system based PC or Wine under Linux/UNIX. You can freely download it from HERE.

The Most Popular Browser Goes to Your USB Drive
Mozilla Firefox also has its portable version, I think most of our readers know what is all about when we talk about Firefox, but for those who do not, I can tell that this is a great browser, with an endless list of really nicely built features such as, tabbed-browsing window, popup-blocking, integrated search engine, enhanced privacy options, continuous automatic updating and much more. Now you can carry your Mozilla Firefox with your configuration including bookmarks and add-ons no matters where you go. One interesting characteristic of this portable edition is that no traces or personal information will be left on the computer it runs. Best of all, it is available for free download from HERE.

Couldn't ask for more… - IrfanView Portable Edition
You will be able to enjoy all the fabulous features of this incredible free portable image viewer which brings a lot of extras, and when a say a lot, I really mean it! There is so much content in this piece of freeware that it is really hard to find where to start the list: IrfanView is basically an image viewer that supports a huge number of formats including whichever format you can imagine and those you can't too, it bring the ability to convert image files on both, individual and batch processing, slideshow, fast directory browsing, it also has an incorporated media player as well as the possibility to apply many filters. Want more? Now you do not even need to install it. Just download from HERE. Unpack and enjoy!

A Media Player That Will Work Everywhere - VLC
VLC Media Player is an open-source and cross-platform media player with a lot of features to offer. It includes support for different audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, WMV, mp3, ogg, etc…) You just can use it for something as simple as playing some media files stored on your removable drive or for watching your favourite DVDs, anyway, satisfaction is guaranteed. Furthermore, besides playing basic media, this versatile media player can play ripped DVDs, stream media, and even fix your files when video and audio are desynchronized. It is really amazing that such a comprehensive and useful software is available for free HERE.

To Sum Up
Now your USB drive will be fully packed with these four awesome pieces of software for you to carry them everywhere and without the need of constant reconfiguration every time you switch computer. These application give you the ability to work in different fields: office issues, Web browsing activities, image viewing, and media playing.