Portble apps you can run from a USB flash drive

For OS X:

OS_X_portable_apps

For Windows:

PortableApps_dot_com


Pendriveapps.com

From some of the shopping pages of a search engine, an 8-gb flash drive purchased mail-order is as low as $8.00, plus s/h and sales tax. A 16-gb is around $20.00 and a 32-gb is about $50.00, and while 64-gb, 128-gb and 256-gb flash are now available, I personally regard these as cost-prohibitive for this purpose at this time.

Interesting as to what you might be able to do with a few of these portable apps, for example:

1. web browser (several available)
2. VLC video player
3. word processor or office suite
4. e-mail
5. instant messaging client

Uses? Self-explanatory after you read the websites. However, I believe frmthhrt might find something of great value if you could find retired college profs, willing to teach a college class or two which would be recorded to video and then stored on a flash drive with the VLC video player. A lot more would have to be worked out as to taking proctored exams with other volunteers, a non-profit organization of some type to maintain student records and award college degrees, etc. But it would be nice to be able to carry an entire college education, for different majors, with audio lectures, videos, interactive tests on each subject, plus all needed textbooks, in your pocket! And be able to earn your degree working from a netbook or an iPad 2!

Interesting stuff. I currently have Ubuntu with Firefox on a small 2 GB USB drive, and I usually carry my current book project around on it (and backup to an SD card in my netbook). I think I am going to test out the Chrome OS next.
Sometime in the next year I intend to get a Viliv N5 UMPC (ultra mobile PC), which is 6.77"x3.38"x.98" closed (@0.85 pounds), vs. my Acer D260 which is 10.2"x7.3", @ 2.6 pounds (so the N5 is 30% of the size!)... and I will be quite happy to live with the 4.8 inch screen (touchscreen to boot, but the N5 has a usable keyboard...the most important factor for me).