Review: No floppy drive? Get on the Bus

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By Michael S. Lasky

(IDG) -- Buy a notebook computer today, and chances are pretty good that it will come without an integrated floppy drive. In fact, even some new desktop PCs have shed their legacy 3.5-inch drive. So what do you do if you want to move data from one PC to another, but neither has a drive that handles removable media?

The simple answer: You get on the bus -- the Universal Serial Bus, that is. Two different approaches employ USB. The key-size Q drive by Agate Technologies plugs into a USB port and uses nonvolatile flash memory (which retains content when power is turned off) to safely store and transport your valuable data. The $70 16MB Q stores up to ten times more information than a standard 3.5-inch floppy disk (also available: 32MB and 64MB versions for $130 and $200, respectively).

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After a first-time installation that involved adding drivers for Windows -- Windows 98, Millennium, and 2000 are supported -- I found that the Q drive worked flawlessly. The shipping model I used read and wrote data as quickly as a hard drive, and it let me play video smoothly.

The $40 Zio from Microtech International is a USB-based memory card reader that replaces a PC Card reader. Different models handle CompactFlash, SmartMedia, or Multimedia memory cards. As with the Q drive, memory cards inserted in the matchbook-size Zio's drives transfer data quickly, and their contents show up on your PC as the next logical drive letter. But unlike with the Q drive, you can insert memory cards of different sizes -- from 4MB to 1GB -- in the Zio, much like inserting a floppy.

One quirk: Initial installation of the drivers on the shipping unit I tested entailed rebooting the computer -- something you aren't supposed to have to do with USB devices. But after I completed that step, my PC instantly recognized the Zio, making subsequent data moves a snap.

Buying Information

Q
PRO: Quick, easy, removable storage contained in a key-size USB flash memory device.
CON: Could be easily lost, expensive.
VALUE: Very convenient.
List price: 16MB $70; 32MB $130; 64MB $200
Agate Technologies

Zio
PRO: Inexpensive; models accommodate various flash memory cards.
CON: Installation hassles you don't expect with USB.
VALUE: Good for reading data from flash memory devices in a pinch.
List price: $40
Microtech International

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November 19, 1999
USB breaks speed barriers
October 19, 1999

AMD Gets Hyper
(PCWorld.com)
AMD Announces Components for High-End PCs
(PCWorld.com)
IBM Boosts PocketPC Storage
(PCWorld.com)
Iomega Ships USB Zip Drive Sans Power Cable
(PCWorld.com)
USB's Fast and Easy--No Bones About It
(PCWorld.com)
IBM Packs 1GB Into Stamp-Size Drive
(PCWorld.com)
DVD-RAM Drive Capacity Leaps
(PCWorld.com)
Apple's iBook: Flashy, Powerful, Inexpensive
(Computerworld)

Agate Technologies
Microtech International

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