IOMEGA REV REMOVABLE HARD DRIVE

Iomega is eager to do the same to the backup tape drive as DVD did to VHS or CD to the music cassette – turn it digital. The concept is simple. Take a hard drive that holds 35GB and is slightly larger than a Game Boy cartridge, remove the heads by placing them in the machine so it can be thrown around the office, and then imply this is the next big portable and removable storage solution. Luckily for Iomega, the small unit works. Connection is made through a USB 2.0 cable and the spindle speed is 7200rpm – meaning data transfer is fast and efficient, especially if you consider that many laptops only come with a 5400rpm drive. The diskettes cost £45 (inc. VAT) each and support the Windows UDF standard, allowing you to drag-and-drop files on to them.

However, the drag-and-drop functionality, as well as the large hard drive-based format, provides its fair share of problems – mainly that it won’t work across platforms. Iomega says a Mac version will be released with Firewire sup port in September, but you won’t be able to share diskettes between the two. Because Iomega’s chasing the backup sector, the software in the box is geared towards the PC market. Iomega’s own solution, Automatic Backup Pro, and a specialised version of Symantec’s Norton Ghost, designed specifically for the REV drive, are included in the box. Both packages are more than enough to provide backup support for the beginner or expert.

Those looking for longevity will be pleased to know the technology has been roadmapped for up to 500GB on one disk. Iomega plans to double the size of the disk capacityevery 18 months.

At £280 (inc. VAT), the initial outlay is certainly more expensive than buying a 250GB portable hard drive. However, it’s clear that Iomega is pitching this as a tape replacement for those looking to save the data and then perhaps store it off-site. Getting companies to move away from the safety of the tape drive will be a hard task, but this is a good solid product that might just get them to go digital.

RATING: 7

PRICE: £238/£280 (EX/INC. VAT)
REQUIREMENTS: USB 2.0 , WINDOWS XP
CONTACT: ONLINE ONLY WWW.IOMEGA.COM/UK