Iomega® Jaz® offers increased notebook capacity without compromising mobility
There is little doubt that the development of the notebook computer has been a major advancement in the move to a mobile office. However, with today's large program and file sizes, the hard drives of earlier notebooks have often limited the type and amount of information their owners can carry with them.
Radio announcer and Internet evangelist, Alex Zaharov-Reutt, has overcome this issue by extending the capacity of his notebook's hard drive with the attachment of an Iomega® Jaz® 2GB drive to his computer.
"While I couldn't live without the flexibility of my notebook, the fact that it can't be upgraded is somewhat limiting - if I need more space, my only option is to buy a newer, bigger machine," he said. "My notebook only has a two gigabyte hard drive, which fills up extremely quickly, and without the additional capacity from the Jaz® 2GB, I would have had to upgrade it long ago."
Alex uses his Iomega Jaz® 2GB drive in essentially the same way as his notebook's hard drive, transferring files across to the Jaz disks, and bringing them back selectively as required. In addition, by storing a range of programs on the Jaz® 2GB and running them directly from disk, Alex is able to avoid cluttering the hard drive on his machine.
"Jaz® 2GB has enabled me to extend the life of my notebook by giving me the extra capacity I need to handle all the multimedia, Internet and image files I use on a daily basis," said Alex. "I use the notebook as my primary computer, so it makes sense for me to be able to keep all the information and programs I use on a medium which is as portable as my notebook."
For Alex, who regularly travels to computer and Internet conferences and exhibitions around the world, the portability of his Jaz drive is one of its biggest advantages. Having a highly mobile storage option enables him to prepare for any contingency by carrying his entire suite of programs and his computer backups with him on his travels.
"Although I use many more programs than most people, I find them all extremely useful and don't like having to ration them just because I am travelling," said Alex. "With extra 2GB Jaz® disks, I can not only carry all my information, but also any additional programs I might need. This means I don't have to stop updating my web site or listening to MP3 files just because I am away from home.
"The addition of the Jaz has made very little difference to my baggage requirements. I have a notebook carrybag, and the Jaz® just slides right in. It's such a small addition, that it doesn't really add any weight, so I can literally add 2GB or more to my notebook without really noticing the difference."
"A few years ago, a two gigabyte hard drive was huge, and now I can carry that amount of information on a disk which fits into my pocket - the convenience is amazing," said Alex. "By the same token, with multimedia and Internet files getting bigger all the time, it is almost impossible to get by without that extra space.
"I had thought of a few other storage options, but none of them really met my requirements. For instance, while rewritable CDs might work out cheaper per megabyte, they are definitely slower to read and write, and are not portable enough that I would be happy carrying one around the world with me. Even with portability factor aside, there is still the issue of speed - a rewritable CD is quite slow, whereas the Jaz is as fast as my hard drive.
"One of the biggest advantages of the Jaz 2GB drive is its speed. It is at least as fast as the hard drive on my notebook and is the most efficient method I have ever used to backup large files. I generally have large volumes of emails, particularly because I subscribe to a lot of information services, and can have up to 100MB of information in my email system. With the Jaz 2GB drive, it is extremely quick just to copy the entire file across to disk, and because it only takes a few minutes, I don't have a problem with backing up more often.
"I actually have backups of my last two or three machines on one of my 2GB Jaz disks, which makes it easy to refer back to any of them if I need to. Things like my emails are all very important to me and I have actually had instances where the program crashed, and I was scared I had lost them from my hard drive. Luckily I they were backed up on my Jaz disk, and that really saved me - all I had to do was reinstall the program and import those files.
"I also have a backup of my Web site, which is only around 10MB, but I have several different versions saved, just to be sure. At one point my entire web site file was corrupted and I had to go back to the last backup I had made on my Jaz disk. I now also keep a backup of the entire program in which it was created, because if I have problems with the actual program, it is quicker to reinstall it from the Jaz®. It also means I don't have to carry the CD for the program around with me."
Another important aspect of the Jaz® solution for frequent travellers like Alex is its durability and versatility. The drive has accompanied him on several return trips to the United States packed in with his normal luggage, and has never had any problems. In addition, it has simplified the process of adapting to international power outlets.
"One thing I really appreciate about the Jaz® 2GB drive is the 110 - 240 volt power supply which is similar to those commonly featured on notebook computers," said Alex. "Even in places like the US, the Jaz® 2GB's universal power supply meant I only needed an Australian to US adaptor for the wall socket plug - not a bulky and heavy 240 - 110 volt power converter which I have had to use with other devices. Who wants to carry around that kind of extra baggage?"
While his notebook and Jaz® drive are generally relied on for business purposes, Alex also carries both his music collection and digital photos with him as MP3 files on his Jaz disk when he travels.
"I have created my own collection of MP3 music files so I can have my entire music collection with me wherever I am," said Alex. "This may sound like a simple thing, but to be able to carry all your music without worrying about losing or scratching CDs is a huge bonus. Also, because the files require so much space, I wouldn't be able to take them with me without the additional capacity of the Jaz® disk.
"As for playing the MP3 files, because of the speed of the Jaz, there is no detectable difference between their quality on the notebook or through the Jaz drive. This in itself is quite amazing, as other removable media are notoriously slower than hard drives."
"With my collection of digital photographs, I now store them onto 2GB Jaz® disks. I now have thousands of digital photos, and as with ordinary photos you need to store them somewhere! Jaz® disks mean easy storage and fast retrieval. When I am actually out taking the photos, I use Iomega's new 40MB Clik! disks to store the images and then move them directly to my Jaz drive when I am at my computer again."
Alex's computing background means he not only offers technical advice to listeners on his weekly radio program, he is also frequently called in by friends to fix their computer problems.
"A lot of my friends think of me as a technological guru, so I am often asked to perform miracles when their computers are crashing all over the place," he said. "In these instances I use a Jaz® traveller which enables me to plug the drive directly into someone else's computer and use it as I would on my notebook. This means that I can quickly and easily transfer all their documents, emails and bookmarks over to the Jaz® drive, reformat their hard drive and reinstall all the programs and data they need.
"Usually I have all the Jaz® drivers and other information with me, but I was recently in a situation where I didn't have them. All I had to do was download the drivers from Iomega's Web site which only took a few minutes, and we were ready to go."
The Jaz® 2GB's backward compatibility also enables Alex to use his drive to read and write the Jaz 1GB disks which belong to his friends. This enables them to share and store large quantities of information, without any compatibility or other issues.
"While I can still share information with friends who are using 1GB Jaz® drives, the Jaz® 2GB has the definite advantage of speed and additional capacity. Particularly where big files are concerned, Jaz® 2GB is really the best option - tapes and CDs are too slow, and backup up your files onto hundreds of floppies is just too much of a nightmare."
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