MicroCenter is off the beaten track for me.
They have the most extensive flash memory line up I have seen to date.
They carry SanDisk (including SNDK Ultra), Lexar Media, Simple Tech and Iomega
CompactFlash and SmartMedia cards. I was surprised to see Iomega stocked.
Yes, Iomega. You know, the Zip disc guys who made "Clik!" to compete with
CompactFlash. Seems like they threw in the towel and decided to expand their line up.
I noticed that Iomega's revenues peaked in Q4 of 1998 with total product revenues of over
a half billion dollars. Fast forward to 2001. Third quarter 2001 revenue of $182.1 million
was almost flat compared to second quarter 2001 revenue of $184.1 million. That is still double
SanDisk's revenues for like quarters, but I don't see Iomega's product sales rebounding
with the same vigor as SNDK over the next few years.
I have still never seen IBM's microdrive ever at retail and don't imagine it will
ever pan out to be a mass market item like most of us feared it may. According
to the manual that came with the Casio QV4000 I recently bought for my uncle there
are several precautions that need to be taken with microdrive. They are as follows...
*Note that the microdrive becomes hot during normal use. Take care when removing it from the camera.
*Take care to avoid strong pressure on the label side of the Microdrive when it is removed from the camera. Strong pressure can damage internal components and cause malfunction.
*Never turn off camera power or subject the camera to impact while the operation/card access lamp is flashing. Doing so can cause malfunction of the Microdrive.
*The Microdrive is a very high precision device. Dropping the camera can result in malfunction of the Microdrive, even thought the camera is undamaged. Take extra care when handling the camera while the Microdrive is installed.
*The Microdrive has very large storage capacity. Because of this, certain operations can take a relatively long time to perform.
*The Microdrive may not operate properly in areas where barometric pressure is low. Because of this, you should avoid using it at high altitudes.
*A Microdrive consumes much more electrical power than a CompactFlash card. Depending on how a Microdrive is used, it can greatly reduce battery life. When using alkaline batteries, certain operating conditions and certain battery brands can result in batteries going dead right after you install new ones. Whenever using a Microdrive, we recomment that you use rechargeable nickel metal hydride batteries or lithium batteries to power the camera.
*When battery power is low, the amount of time required between shots may become longer. This longer inteval is designed to protect the Microdrive.
*Casio does not provide any servicing or maintenance support for the Microdrive.
*Note that Casio assumes no responsibility for any data loss you may suffer while using the Microdrive.
*The camera supports use of both a CompactFlash card and the Microdrive. Note, however, that ejecting a Microdrive from the camera is relatively more difficult than ejecting a CompactFlash card.
Crikey, that reads worse than the investment risks in the SanDisk annual report!!!
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