Word files, digital media, presentations, and spreadsheets can put a major dent in your hard disk space, but Iomega’s Zip 750MB USB 2.0 drive should fit your office or personal needs just fine. The device is compatible with USB 1.1, but it will run at a slower speed.
While many have predicted the demise of Zip technology — opting for CD-Rs and CD-RWs (and now DVDs) — die-hard Zip users will appreciate the expanded capacity and faster USB 2.0 (7.5MB/sec transfer rate, according to Iomega). The 750MB disk has a greater storage capacity than a CD-R or CD-RW, but more impressive is the software that comes with the device, particularly Active Disk, which lets you launch and run applications from the Zip disk. And Iomega Sync is perfect for mobile users who need to transfer and synchronize files between multiple PCs.
Iomega says the Zip 750MB drive is backward compatible with 100MB (read-only) and 250MB (read and write) disks, but when we tried to read our older 100MB disks we discovered that the drive wasn’t always able to do so. On one occasion our test PC simply crashed. For the most part, however, the drive worked well and setup was intuitive, quick, and painless. If you’re on the fence about choosing Zip technology vs. the less expensive CD media, Iomega’s software package and the drive’s greater capacity might win you over. But if you have loads of information on 100MB Zips, you might want to consider other options. (www.iomega.com; $179.95/drive; $12.49/disk when purchased in an 8-pack)
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If you’re looking for a PC for your office or home, the eMachines T2085 is one to consider. It features a 1.67 GHz AMD Athlon processor, 256MB of RAM, a massive 80GB hard drive, a CD-RW, DVD drive, and a floppy disk drive. The PC ships with Windows XP Home Edition and is equipped to handle heavy office productivity or multimedia tasks (www.emachines.com; $649.99).
To see how AMD Athlon processor works, log on towww.emachines.com.