Milpitas, Calif. — Flash-memory manufacturer SanDisk and said VoIP provider Skype’s free PC Internet telephony software will be preloaded onto SanDisk’s U3-enabled Cruzer USB flash drives.
SanDisk will offer Skype on its Cruzer Micro and Titanium lines of USB flash drive. The software will reside in the drive, along with other U3 software applications. Using one of SanDisk’s U3-enabled Cruzer flash drives, consumers can place Skype calls from any PC without leaving files on the host computer. The U3 flash drives stores all Skype contact information, settings and user preferences, allowing for a “portable” Skype experience.
Unlike the recently announced V-Phone from Vonage, however, the SanDisk drives won’t feature earphone jacks, so users will still be required to carry additional calling equipment to place a Skype call over a PC.
SanDisk will promote Skype on the drives packaging and offer one free month of Skype’s voicemail with the purchase of a new drive.
The drives are available immediately through SanDisk’s retail channels and Skype’s online store. The Cruzer Micro line is available from $39.99 to $199.99 for capacities ranging from 512MB to 4GB. The Cruzer Titanium ships in 1GB and 2GB capacities for a suggested $74.99 and $119.99, respectively.
