REV 35GB/90GB storage

has announced its first product based on its RRD technology, the new Iomega REV 35GB/90GB (native/compressed) system is expected to be launched in March of 2004, while working prototypes of Iomega REV drives are expected next week during Comdex Las Vegas 2003: "With price and performance advantages over traditional tape backup systems, the soon-to-be released Iomega REV system is designed for state-of-the-art backup and high capacity portable storage for small and medium-sized businesses and enterprise workgroups."

Iomega REV disks will have a 35GB native capacity, and will hold 90GB compressed using the bundled Iomega Automatic Backup Pro software. Iomega says that that compared to traditional tape systems, Iomega REV drives and disks are
faster, more durable, easier to maintain and are expected to be priced below $400, much more inexpensive than popular tape alternatives, including
DDS, DAT-72, VXA, AIT-1, DLT and DLT VS80. Iomega REV disks, expected to cost approximately $49 each, are smaller than a deck of playing cards, more durable than tape, and have an expected native maximum transfer rate of 22MB/sec, according to the company.




Based on average data rates, Iomega says the drive will provide up to 3x performance gains over DDS tape backups and easier file restoral because the Iomega REV drive is a random-access storage device, which will allow users to copy or restore individual files in seconds. The Iomega REV drives will also
include a unique "Boot and Run" feature that provides home and business
users with prompt disaster recovery.



The Iomega REV drive is expected to debut in March of 2004 in USB 2.0
external and ATAPI internal configurations. Iomega REV autoloaders, which
will support multiple disks per drive unit, as well as external bus-powered
FireWire and internal SCSI and SATA models, are currently in the design
stage for planned introduction in the second half of 2004. Iomega says that "major OEMs" are currently testing RRD technology evaluation units for potential OEM products in the second half of 2004. Final pricing for the REV drive will be announced at product launch.

by MacNN Staff