MaximumPC 2004 10

Reviews

Iomega REV 35GB/90GB USB 2.0

External Drive

! noVel approach to remoVaBle storage that

fails to impress

Though the industry has largely abandoned the Zip drive and its ilk, Iomega

enters the scene with its all-new small-capacity REV drive, which uses

35GB removable hard drive cartridges. Unfortunately, while the REV drive

offers a compelling alternative to tape drives (not that many people use

them anymore), it faces much tougher competition from the recent spate of

external hard drives.

To its credit, the REV drive is a clever idea. Instead of using a remov-

able tape cartridge like the older Zip drives, the REV uses a removable

miniature 35GB magnetic hard drive. The reason you see the number

“90GB” in the drive’s title is that it’s allegedly possible to fit 90GB on one

disk at the highest level of compression (2.6x). However, during testing

we were unable to back up a 73GB partition with compression set to

“high.” Your mileage may vary.

The main issues we have with the REV is its software is buggy and

it is extremely expensive. The product—which includes a single 35GB

drive—retails for $400, and a single 35GB replacement drive costs $60.

Compare this with a 300GB Maxtor One Touch, which costs $330. You’ll

see that by the time you have 300GB worth of REV disks you’ve coughed

up more than $800.

The REV drive is compelling if you don’t want to put all your eggs in one bas-

ket. You can hold images of your main drive on one disk, MP3s on another, and

so on. Aiding this effort is a software bundle that includes Norton Ghost for drive

imaging and a backup utility that lets you encrypt files and write-protect impor-

tant data. We experienced a bit of weirdness during testing though, as Norton

treated the REV drive like it was a CD/DVD. Once we wrote an image to it we

couldn’t write anything else to the drive nor delete any files. It even asked us to

“insert another CD-R” when the drive filled up. That’s just sloppy. We also

couldn’t get drive compression to

work at all, and were bummed

that you need to install the

Iomega software on a PC to use

the drive.

In the end, the REV drive

is a slick concept that is held

back by its exorbitant price and

limited benefits over traditional

magnetic storage options.

—JOSH NOREM

Transcend StoreJet 20GB

.ot eXactly a rocket But it fits in your pocket

The 20GB Apple iPod pictured here is a slick MP3 player that—oh wait—

this isn’t an iPod! The StoreJet sure fooled us upon first inspection. Same

ivory-colored plastic shell, same chrome siding, same clean design. And

because it’s a USB 2.0 drive, it even includes an all-white USB cable that

mimics the white earbuds included with the iPod. All in all, you could pose

with it and no one would know the difference—until they asked to have a

listen and discovered you had a USB cable in your ear.

The StoreJet looks like a solid white brick, with the exception of a

mini-USB port on its top and a red LED on the bottom that lets you know

the drive is connected and receiving power. It’s bus-powered, and

worked on each and every USB port and hub in the Lab without any

drama to speak of.

The internal 20GB Toshiba hard drive uses a single platter that rotates

at a lowly 4,200rpm, but the payoff is a drive that’s dead quiet. Because

of its slow rotational speed, it’s not a stellar performer, but in these types

of drives, performance takes a backseat to compatibility and portability.

Plus, seeing as no company makes a 7,200rpm 1.8-inch hard drive, this is

as good as it gets. Data transfer rates averaged about 10MB per second,

which is decent, but a lot slower than larger 7,200rpm external drives.

Transcend, the drive’s manufacturer, includes a limited version of a

backup utility named ExBoot that is practically worthless for a drive this

size. Who has a batch of files they need to back up routinely that is less

than 20GB? Nobody at Maximum PC , that’s for sure. ExBoot’s initial backup

routine wizard also proved maddeningly confusing. Its limited capabilities

only allow you to back up entire volumes instead of performing incremen-

tal backups or backups of

certain folders.

Our advice: Ditch the soft-

ware and use the StoreJet as

a sexy, portable hard drive.

For such simple functions, it’s

hard to fault. If you need even

more storage (we certainly

do), it’s also available in a

40GB version.

—JOSH NOREM

Very quiet, great bundle, and small removable

drives offer decent speed.

IOMEGA

I.O.U.

An expensive proposition, and the bundled ver-

sion of Norton is old and wonky.

$400, ($60 for additional disks),

http://www.iomega.com

MA XIMUMPCVERDICT 5

Attractive shell, decent capacity, and bus-powered.

IPOD

IZOD

Slow rotational speed and unnecessary software.

$170, http://www.transcendusa.com

MA XIMUMPCVERDICT 8

Iomega’s new REV

drive is clever because

it allows you to back up data onto miniature removable storage.

Unfortunately, it’ll put your bank account in the red quick.

11”

4”

3.7”

2.75”

 MA XIMUMPC OCTOBER 2004

The StoreJet

comes with a rugged

carrying case that includes holes for the USB port and power

LED, so the drive can be sheathed at all times.