Iomega’s latest no-fuss backup solution moves with the times.
The ZIP drive was one of the big industry success stories of the ’90s. Iomega’s consumer-level backup product became the de facto standard for storing
I and transporting large files before CD burners came along. Many PCs shipped with internal ZIP drives; as a result, they enjoyed cult status in graphic design circles and were frequently used for backing up hard disks. The lOOMB (later 250MB and 750MB) capacity served its purpose until relatively recently, when hard disks became cheaper and files became bigger. The JAZ format made a fleeting appearance, but failed to recapture the market like the ZIP.
Iomega released the most recent update to the line in 2004, called REV, with revamped capacities more suited to current storage demands. REV disks are primarily designed for backup, yet they are equally useful for moving large amounts of data around and will be extremely handy for multimedia content creators, including video editors and graphic designers. USB 2.0 ($699) and ATAPI ($679) versions were launched first, with SCSI ($849) and FireWire ($699) following later in the year, and now a Serial ATA model. The bundled software supports Windows XP, 2000 and Server 2003, but only the external version adds Mac OS X compatibility.
The 3.5in internal drive employs the Serial ATA interface, meaning you’ll need a current-generation motherboard and processor to drive the hardware. Each disk is designed to hold 35GB of uncompressed data, with a claimed 2.6:1 compression ratio at the highest setting equating to a 90GB storage capacity. REV disks retail for $99, equating to a backup cost of $1.10 per gigabyte.
The device ships with Iomega REV System Software, Iomega Automatic Backup Pro for scheduling backups (which includes AES-based encryption), Iomega Boot and Run software designed for disaster recovery, and a REV-compatible version of Norton Ghost. APC Labs measured a blisteringly fast sustained transfer rate of 23.4MB/S. Given that most users back up data in their downtime, this figure will be of greater interest to those people using the disks for transporting information from A to B. An Autoloader can be added for $3,999.
At $649, the Iomega REV isn’t cheap, but it’s more convenient than DVDs and good value compared with other industrial-level storage devices, like tape.

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