Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2001/09/03/iomega_peerless/

Iomega Peerless

Data storage

By PC Advisor

Posted in Personal Tech, 3rd September 2001 13:59 GMT

Review Backing up data should be second nature to any computer user. Given the stability of PCs and the software we run on them, it's a wonder that anyone fails to protect their files by keeping copies. One reason why people fail to back up their data is the lack of media that can cope with the large amount of data they need to store. Iomega thinks it has the answer in the shape of the Peerless drive.

The model we tested came with a 10GB drive, but you can add more drives with capacities of up to 20GB. The Peerless is bundled with Iomega's QuickSync, which manages the backup process automatically. It can also function as a portable drive to which files can be copied individually.

Iomega even suggests putting a bootable operating system and software on to its Peerless drive, so people can effectively carry a personalised PC in their pocket. The Iomega Peerless is big in size as well as capacity. A docking cradle - ours was USB, but there will also be a faster 1394 version - holds the drive unit, which measures 90x130mm. This means it's not exactly shirt-pocket size, but it needs to be this large in order to provide plenty of antishock protection for the hard drive inside.

Our main gripe about Peerless doesn't concern its effectiveness as a data storage solution - in our tests it worked fine - but its price. It comes with a 10GB drive as standard, but if you want more you'd better start saving as additional drives will cost £159 for 10GB and £199 for 20GB.

Iomega plans to interest manufacturers of videos, in-car music systems and other data-hungry hardware in Peerless, with a long-term view to making it a universal storage solution. We aren't sure that will work - it never happened with Zip - but as a high-capacity PC back-up option the Iomega Peerless is a fine choice for the well heeled. ®

Info

Price: £340.00
Contact: 020 7365 9527
Website: www.iomega.co.uk

Specs

Connection: USB backup device
OS: Windows 98/Me/2000
Additional drives: £135 (10GB), £169 (20GB)

Scoring

Build quality: 9
Features: 8
Performance: 8

All details correct at time of publication.

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