Where to park your gigs: rating the removables

Article Abstract:

A review of three removable media drives, the $399 Iomega Jaz, the $1,399 Pinnacle Micro Apex and the $499 SyQuest SyJet is presented. The Iomega Jaz drive has proprietary Winchester hard-disk cartridges with 1GB. Cartridges inserted take 12 seconds to appear on the screen. The Jaz has a sustained read rate of 2.8 MBps and a sustained write rate of 1.9MBps, and it took 31 seconds to copy a 33MB QuickTime file. The Pinnacle Micro Apex, a 5.25-inch magneto-optical with proprietary double-sided cartridges that store 2.2GB per side, mounts cartridges automatically in 17 seconds. Sustained average read rate for the device was 1.7MBps with an average sustained write rate of 832 KBps. The QuickTime file took 66 seconds to copy, and Apex captured and played video without frame dropping at 500KBps and 1.6MBps respectively. The SyQquest SyJet takes 15 seconds to mount and 10 seconds to eject its 3.5-inch cartridge. Sustained average read rate was 2.7 MBps, sustained write rate was 1.9 MBps, and copying of the QuickTime disk took 28 seconds.

Drum Memories, IOM, Hardware multiproduct review, IOMEGA Corp. (Roy, Utah), SyQuest Technology Inc., SYQT, Iomega Jaz (Removable-media drive), Pinnacle Micro Inc., Pinnacle Micro Apex (Magneto-optical disk drive), SyQuest Technology SyJet (Removable-media drive)

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Removable media sprints ahead

Article Abstract:

Removable-media drives are a portable means of providing backup. These products range from inexpensive to high throughput and are made possible by emerging technologies that allow for increased speed and capacity at competitive prices. The all-purpose speed provided by magnetic media make it the preferred choice among multimedia developers. The magneto-optical market is being enhanced by Light Intensity Modulation Direct OverWrite (DOW). DOW media are not interchangeable and feature spindle rates of 3,600 rpm. DOW drive mechanisms are simpler than hard drives and may eventually be less expensive than standard MO drives. MO drives provide data longevity of more than 30 years by not allowing head crashes or magnetic fields to affect the medium. Standard 5.25-inch cartridges cost less than 5 cents per megabyte and are the cheapest removable media available. Although phase-change dual technology is proclaimed to have a performance advantage over MO technology, it has not gained significant market acceptance.

Buyers Guide, Hardware buyers' guide, CD-recordable drive, CD-R drives, CD-RW drives, Optical disk drive, DVD drive, DVD drives

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Nomai 750.c

Article Abstract:

Nomai's Nomai 750.c is a decent removable drive that will have a hard time unseating the market leaders, Iomega's Jaz and SyQuest's SyJet. The 750.c's 3.5-in 750MB disks are backward compatible with Nomai's 540MB disks and SyQeust's 135MB and 270MB disks. For the PC, the 750.c comes in parallel or SCSI and internal or external configurations. An external Mac SCSI version lists for $300. The 750.c suffers from skimpy paper documentation, while the technical support at www.nomai.com is riddled with errors and typos. The device itself lacks user friendliness. The single DB-25 connector requires putting the drive at the end of a SCSI chain. SCSI identification must be 1 or 5. The drive is quiet, but heat build-up may degrade long-term performance. The 750.c lacks a power switch and requires an external DC converter.

Hardware single product review, Nomai USA Inc., Nomai 750.c (Removable-media drive)

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