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Non-Tech : Iomega Thread without Iomega -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rocky Reid who wrote (7722)	2/25/1999 9:04:00 AM
From: Cogito	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10072

All - Just to give some perspective on the new Memory Stick from Sony. Currently, the Memory Stick is available in either a 4 or 8 MB size, but Sony plans to have a 16MB module available by April, and a 32MB module this summer. The 4MB module costs around 20 bucks. 8MB goes for about $30. Some people have said that Clik!'s 40MB is inadequate for useful storage of music. Sony wants you to pay to download music that you will be able to listen to only if it still resides on the same Memory Stick you first downloaded to. Hmmm. But don't worry, because you can use the ATRAC3 compression to reduce the size of the music files. ATRAC3 is basically the same compression used in the Sony MiniDisc system. (Rocky has said that it sounds terrible, but I think the latest versions of ATRAC are fine.) Sony MiniDisc capacity is about 74 minutes of music on a 128MB disc. So how many minutes of music will I get on my $30 8MB Memory Stick? OK. I'm not being fair. Sony doesn't expect anyone to use the current Memory Sticks for music. Here's a quotation from their initial Memory Stick press release: "Sony plans to release Memory Sticks with larger capacities in the future. These models can be used for record/playback of multimedia data such as music. Therefore, the company said it would install copy-protection functions in them." You have to figure that even the 32MB Memory Stick would be too small to be useful for ATRAC files. It would hold less than 20 minutes of music. So the Memory Stick models for music aren't even on the horizon as real products. - Allen

To: Rocky Reid who wrote (7722)	2/25/1999 11:05:00 PM
From: Wdiamond	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10072

>>Sony is slick, that's for sure. << You got that right, Rockies!! Let me tell you how slick they are. In the PC Magazine I picked up today ( March 9, 1999 issue) There is a two page ad for the HIFUD. Pages 164-165. And guess what? You can't buy one yet. I called again today. Wow is that slick marketing. Advertise product but don't sell it. That should really help their stocks bottom line. Slick. But there is more. In the same issue of PC Mag there is a test on floppy disk drives. Guess who got Editors Choice ? The Iomega ZIP. They also tested the Caleb UHD144, the SuperDisk and the HIFUD. Here are some quotes. "On our tests, the UHD144's performance was a distant second to the Iomega Zip Drive and only a little better than the Imation SuperDisk" "...the Iomega Zip Drive, which earns our Editor's Choice for its performance and ubiquity." Know what ubiquity means Rockies ? It means the dang things is everywhere. " And with the largest installed base of all these drives (16 million users), it's the unit of choice..." " As the tests show, it offers the best performance in the group..." So where is the HIFUD in this group? Here is where. " In addition, you need to install a driver from a floppy disk..." That must be what they mean by "BACKWARDS COMPATABILITY". I saved the best for last Rockies. Here is the dessert. "Alas, we can't say anything about performance, because the test unit was defective, and Sony was unable to provide a replacement in time for review." HAR HAR HAR See how slick Sony was. Send them a defective unit, and don't overnight them a new one 'cause the others don't work either. What an embarrassment! You sure are right Rockies. Sony is slick !! WD