Easy-to-use Zip Drive

Iomega's new USB 250 MB ZIP drive is sleek, weighs 9 ounces (225 gm), is easy to carry and is fully plug 'n' play. The drive is ideal for professionals like architects, graphics designers, accountants or reporters on the move. It can also be used to backup your crucial data. Power is drawn from the USB port, eliminating the need for a power cable. The drive is also backwards compatible with older 100 MB ZIP disks. 

We tested it on a PC with Win 2K Professional. Installation was as simple as plugging it in. The OS automatically detected the drive, listing it as a separate drive under Windows Explorer. However, in Win 98 we had to use the driver CD before the drive showed up, but the procedure was fast and simple. In case of problems, you can use the well-illustrated setup pamphlet. 

In performance the drive was close to its rated speed of 0.9 MB/sec and we were able to achieve 0.8 MB/sec read and 0.64 MB/sec write speeds. While these speeds are not comparable to IDE drives, they are more than sufficient for portable storage. A complete format of a disk takes roughly 13 min and a quick format can be completed in just 16 sec. 

Drivers are provided for Win 9x/Me/NT/2K and Linux. Also included are two CDs of Iomegaware and Quik Sync 2 (30-day trial version) as well as MusicMatch JukeBox and MGI PhotoSuite software. One 250 MB disk, a pouch to carry the drive and 5 designer labels are also provided to help you get started. 

The bottom line: A very good product for mobile professionals who need high-capacity storage.

Anuj Jain at PCQ Labs