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Non-Tech : The New Iomega '2000' Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Gottfried who wrote (3312)	11/4/1999 1:36:00 PM
From: Mel Boreham	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5023

Gottfried, Glad you liked the news items. I also have used the new "ignore" feature and it makes things a lot nicer. Not closing my eyes to negative news, just have had it with ceaseless negative spin on anything that Iomega does. They have made a lot of mistakes over the past couple of years but are still making money but have to cut out the parts that continue to drag them down at earnings time. Will be looking for some good news in about 10 days during COMDEX. I see that Lipo will be going to the show and will be posting photos of any new stuff that is on display there. I do hope that they have the Agfa digital camera (s) as part of their booth. Still think that a Zip based camera would be a real winner at this time with 30 million drives out there. PC Card Clik! should also have some good play at the show. I'm wondering if the NEC USB Clik! drive will be part of their "new products" display. There is also a possibility that they might come up with another Zip-CDRW type of rebranded product from Phillips. I would also hope that there would be at least one or two models of MP3 players announced and displayed at COMDEX. Would also like to see some announcements of additional OEMs in the photography marketplace (other than the new Lexmark printer that has a Zip drive installed and the IBM branded Zip 250). Who knows, maybe we will see a working model of the Sega Dreamcast with Zip drive at least in mockup... But is looks like this combo will only be released to sell in Japan next Feb. and may not be sold in the US for some time in the future. See the following repost: Subject: Zip Dreamcast Q&A Date: 11/4/99 12:13 PM Author: souheilnasr Number: of 28547 The following is a good and objective Q&A session regarding the potential of a ZIP/Dreamcast add on. The ZIP/Dreamcast peripheral is scheduled for release in Japan on 2/15/2000 at an estimated price of $100-$150. Very reasonably priced for its potential. If the Japanese launch proves to be a success, it stands to reason that a North American and European launches will soon follow. Here is the Link: dailyradar.com <<Dreamcast Zip Drive -- Just the Facts Daily Radar takes an in-depth look at Sega's newest Dreamcast add-on Sega of Japan forever blurred the line between the Sega Dreamcast and PCs at the Tokyo Game Show this fall. During a press conference in September, the company announced plans to release a zip drive for its newest system and since then, speculation and controversy have washed over this peripheral. Here's what everyone should know about this device. Does this zip drive have a name? Everybody has been calling the unit the Dreamcast Zip Drive. This is not, of course, an official title. What are the basic specs for this machine? The zip drive will be a 100MB ATAPI Drive. Sega plans to sell private label Dreamcast Zip 100MB disks for the unit. What does the Zip drive look like? And how does it fit into the Sega Dreamcast? The drive is roughly the same size (albeit a touch shorter vertically) and shape as the Dreamcast console. It's colored off-white, plugs into the Dreamcast's modem port, and rests under the console. Once the drive is plugged in, it will then be possible to reattach and use the system's 56KB modem. The drive carries a slot for zip disks, as well as a USB connector for unidentified add-ons, which could possibly include digital cameras and printers. So there'll be lots more cables? The Sega zip drive will also take advantage of a power pass-thru cable, meaning the device won't need its own electric supply. How fast will this Zip drive be? No one has really gotten a chance to put the machine through its paces. For the time being, this question must go unanswered, but the USB connection is faster than older serial models. Is Sega making this peripheral? Sega and hardware manufacturer Iomega will be producing this drive in a joint venture. What can this Zip drive do? Simply put, the drive will expand the Dreamcast's storage capabilities immensely. The drive's manufacturer, Iomega, has said the device will be designed "to dramatically increase the capabilities of not only game playing, but Web-based activities such as content saving of e-mail and Web searches." More recently, a Sega insider stated the unit's potential will move more and more toward gaming applications. With the Zip drive, users will be able to store endless game data, characters, e-mail notes, favorite Web sites, as well as downloaded photos, movies, and sound files (possibly in the form of MP3s). It might also be possible for people to create their own, low-end Web site and upload it from the Zip drive. A Sega insider has speculated that data, including public domain games, levels, and characters would be supplied for the Zip drive through various channels such as retail outlets and Internet sources. That sounds pretty good. Is there a downside? Yes. The storage and flexibility of a PC may well come with a heavy price. Iomega has said the drive will allow players to download game updates from the World Wide Web. Updates are great, but if it's possible to download updates, it will also be possible to download patches to fix bugs in Dreamcast games. Even though Sega maintains standards for releasing games on the Dreamcast, there's still a very real fear that the zip drive might herald hour-long patch download sessions. So when will this Zip drive be released? Sega plans to release this device in Japan on Feb. 15. The American release date, if there is going to be an American release date, is undetermined. Does that mean the Zip drive may not be released in the United States? That remains to be seen. When asked about the Zip drive, Peter Moore, Sega of America's senior vice-president of marketing, said, "It's still scheduled to launch on February the 15th in Japan as part of their peripheral lineup. We, as a company here, with a different marketplace and mentality toward the Internet, are still looking at how the Zip drive enhances the Dreamcast gameplay. Obviously, it gives greater storage capability for e-mail, should you choose to use your Dreamcast as an e-mail device. But we're still weighing up the pros and cons and [are] ready to make a business decision as to whether we will offer the zip drive to U.S. consumers." How much will this unit cost? A price has yet to be determined. Sega refused to comment on unfinished hardware. Daily Radar speculates the device will be seen as a revenue generator via software rather than the unit itself. As such, it might clock in at $100-$150 American dollars. Got a Question? Send email to sega@dailyradar.com ¸ 1999 Imagine Media. All Rights Reserved.>> Could this be one of the products that IOM and SEGA will showcase at COMDEX??? Good investing to all.