Iomega® Floppy Plus 7-in-1 Card Reader USB-Powered External Drive

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.iomega.com/about/prreleases/2004/floppy-7-in-1.html' target='_blank'>http://www.iomega.com/about/prreleases/2004/floppy-7-in-1.html</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/det_32971_915d.jpg" /> <br />"Simple and easy to use, the Iomega Floppy Plus 7-in-1 Card Reader is the perfect choice for floppy users who take digital pictures using flash media. With the convenient front load slots and Adobe® Photoshop® Album SE software included, photos and files can easily be transferred to different types of digital media. Plus, this new portable multi-format drive is now powered directly from your computer so you can use it anywhere! Just plug the drive directly into your USB* port and you're ready to go — no power cord required."<br /><br />Ok, seems like a good idea to me: we need to access floppy disks now and then (thankfully it's very rare for me), so why not include a 3.5" disk reader as part of a memory card reader. Oh, wait. <b><i>OFF THE CHARTS SUCK FACTOR ALERT:</i></b> it's a USB 1.1 device. Ok, Iomega screws up a good idea yet again. :roll: You wouldn't need USB 2.0 speeds to read data off a floppy, but you would need it for the memory cards. So close Iomega, yet so far...

[Gary Sheynkman]

not only that but who uses floppies anymore....what can you fit on one?

[sundown]

I think the floppy idea is kind of neat because every once in a while I come acrossed one and might need it. You know, I really liked me old Zip drive back when it was practical. I'd kind of like to see Iomega make a come back with new technology but a USB 1.1 is a poor offering.

[Gordo]

I purchased a Mitsumi 1.44Mb Floppy & 7in1 Drive internal reader for my Shuttle. It saves space and provides all of the flexibility I need. All of that for just $40 CDN. Now I just need to install it.

http://www.oemexpress.com/Itemdesc.asp?CartId={485E7ACE-DF1A-488F-9C07-0E40344A442E}&ic=FDDMIT%2DD63119&Tp=

[James Fee]

OFF THE CHARTS SUCK FACTOR ALERT
Funny, I thought the same thing even before I read it. You'd think they would have ZIP disk support and not floppy, but who am I to question IOMEGA!

[David Prahl]

OFF THE CHARTS SUCK FACTOR ALERT

:lol:
Now some company we've never heard of will sell this with 2.0 for half the price. So goes the life of Iomega.

[foldedspace]

I suppose if you had 1gb cards, 1.1 might be a problem. But my USB flash drives are 1.1, and it's never bothered me.

:?:

[Suhit Gupta]

That is just plain silly to not do USB 2. BTW, the last time I used a floppy was over two years ago, when I was making a recovery disk for a server. But I just don't see this one being useful, even for recovery disks anymore because it is connected over USB and not over the Floppy controller.

Suhit

[Phoenix]

I don't get Iomega. I lost interest in their products quite some time ago. I think their products became tired and poor years ago and I've stayed away from them since then. I think of them as the "Real" of the storage industry.

[Kevin & Beth Remhof]

not only that but who uses floppies anymore....what can you fit on one?

I still use floppies to back up Microsoft Money.

I tried to pick up some new floppies the other day. All I could find were 50+ packs of generic disks. Boy, times have changed.

&lt;rant>
I love MS Money but the floppy backup bugs me. It seems to randomly need 2 disks. Plus, I never know if those disks are good. I found out a disk I'd been backing up to for a year was bad when I built a new PC. Blech.
&lt;/rant>

[Crocuta]

Iomega used to lead the pack in innovation of storage technology, but they fell behind years ago and have never come close to getting it back. This is a great example of another totally uninspired Iomega product that seems to have been designed with no understanding at all of users' needs. I don't know who's running that company, but they need someone else in charge... perhaps someone who actually uses computers.

[James Fee]

Iomega used to lead the pack in innovation of storage technology
Yea back when they made Bernoulli drives (http://www.obsoletecomputermuseum.org/app_iigs/bdrivef.jpg)!

[Kevin & Beth Remhof]

Iomega used to lead the pack in innovation of storage technology
Yea back when they made Bernoulli drives (http://www.obsoletecomputermuseum.org/app_iigs/bdrivef.jpg)!

Dude, I forgot all about those! Those were sweet. We had a bunch back when I worked in for a circuit board company. We then switched to Zip drives and SyQuest EZ drives. We liked the SyQuests better because they had a hard disk in them instead of the Zip "floppy".

[Jason Dunn]

Actually, I think the Iomega of today is a much smarter company that it was at year ago - they actually have a good range of products now, although most of them are "me too" products rather than anything truly innovative. Still, better than a year ago when they had basically nothing to offer. :roll:

[James Fee]

We liked the SyQuests better because they had a hard disk in them instead of the Zip "floppy".
Yea, I was big SyQuest fan. I have many disks, but no drive. I need to get on eBay and see if I can find one that supports the 44/88 disks. My thesis might be thrown out if I can't get it off the disks.
Actually, I think the Iomega of today is a much smarter company that it was at year ago
Proven by the USB 1.1 support with this product, right? ;)

[Jason Dunn]

Proven by the USB 1.1 support with this product, right? ;)

I said "much smarter", not "as smart as they should be". :lol:

[James Fee]

I said "much smarter", not "as smart as they should be". :lol:
Ah, I got you. When you are as dumb as they where, even releasing a floppy drive in 2004 is an improvement?

[Andy Manea]

Anybody remember the "click drives"? 256 MB the size of a CF card but thinner and for less than 20$ if I remember it right.
When I first got my PPC I finally thought those were a good idea, but iomega had already taken them off the market (since no one wanted to buy them). I even wrote them an email and explained to them what a good use these drives would find in combination with pocket pcs, but, of course, their answer was polite but unexcited. Too bad. I did not really expect them to reintroduce the same drives just because of my email, but it would have been cool if it had made someone in this company THINK for a while :?

[James Fee]

Where they not 40 mb? I had one and I'm sure it was 40, but it was so long ago, I can only assume they got them bigger. I think they renamed it miniZip or something like that before the end.

[Jason Dunn]

Ah, I got you. When you are as dumb as they where, even releasing a floppy drive in 2004 is an improvement?

No, you misunderstand me - I think this looks like a good product, OTHER than the fact that it's USB 1.1. That's what makes it stupid, not the fact that they included a floppy drive. It's an all in one reader that looks well designed, and they included a floppy reader as "just another memory format" which I think makes quite a bit of sense. If this was USB 2.0, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. I don't deal with floppy disks very often any more, but if I'm going to keep a memory card reader attached to my system, why NOT have it include a floppy drive? But until they make this USB 2.0, it's not appealing to me.

[Jason Dunn]

Where they not 40 mb? I had one and I'm sure it was 40, but it was so long ago, I can only assume they got them bigger. I think they renamed it miniZip or something like that before the end.

Yup, 40 MB. AFAIK, they never had a 256 MB version.

[James Fee]

No, you misunderstand me - I think this looks like a good product, OTHER than the fact that it's USB 1.1.
You think so? I don't see any improvement over previous 6 in 1 devices.
I don't deal with floppy disks very often any more, but if I'm going to keep a memory card reader attached to my system, why NOT have it include a floppy drive?
I guess since I can't remember the last time I used one. My Mac hasn't had a floppy for years, my windows workstation at home doesn't have one, and my work laptop from Dell never had one either. But that is me, most windows computers DO have floppy drives in them so this is redundant and really not needed. I just look at it as a feature you are paying for in size and cost that you'll never really need.

[James Fee]

Yup, 40 MB. AFAIK, they never had a 256 MB version.And here it is in all its glory!
http://members.cox.net/jamesf1/media/iomegaclick.jpg

[Jason Dunn]

You think so? I don't see any improvement over previous 6 in 1 devices.

There's one: it accepts floppies. :D

But that is me, most windows computers DO have floppy drives in them so this is redundant and really not needed.

None of mine do. :D I keep a USB floppy drive around for the odd times that I run into one, and this would allow me to get rid of that drive.

Look, I'm not saying that this is the right device for you, but please stop trying to convince me that a USB memory card reader with an integrated floppy is a bad idea for everyone. I think it's a good idea, and when they release a USB 2.0 version, I'll buy one. But I'll buy it with my own money, so don't sweat it. ;-)

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

What is.. a floppy disk? Can eat one or not? :P

[klinux]

I suppose if you had 1gb cards, 1.1 might be a problem. But my USB flash drives are 1.1, and it's never bothered me.

:?:

Once you have used fast IO ports i.e. Firewire or USB2, you won't want to go back!

[James Fee]

Look, I'm not saying that this is the right device for you, but please stop trying to convince me that a USB memory card reader with an integrated floppy is a bad idea for everyone. I think it's a good idea, and when they release a USB 2.0 version, I'll buy one. But I'll buy it with my own money, so don't sweat it. ;-)
Nah, you miss my point. Its not whether or not its good for me or good for you, its where the heck does Iomega get their ideas from.

In the course of the last 4 years, where have we all said floppies are going? Away of course. Then here comes Iomega and a floppy device. I don't have a problem with the device per say, it just freaks me out that a company could release something like this.
Almost uneasy. :drinking:

I guess I'm just out of touch with floppies as I mentioned in my other post. If people still need the use of them, then maybe this is a great device. I never said you shouldn't buy one, I just can't imagine a senario where you'd need one, until...
There's one: it accepts floppies.
My thinking until your above post was...


Every PC has a floppy
Iomega's reader costs more and is larger than other 6 in 1 devices
WTF are they thinking?


I now see you have a need for one, but you have to understand my thinking here with floppies, I just didn't see any use for them. I guess the marketplace will decide if Iomega is on to something or they are :drinking:

[Jason Dunn]

Who knew such a simple thing could generate such much discussion? :lol:

A final closing thought: floppy disks have become like Smartmedia or Memory Stick formats in my world. Rare, not often seen, but I want to have the ability to read/write to them if the need arises. Nothing more, nothing less. 8)

[Suhit Gupta]

A final closing thought: floppy disks have become like Smartmedia or Memory Stick formats in my world. Rare, not often seen, but I want to have the ability to read/write to them if the need arises. Nothing more, nothing less. 8)
I didn't realize that this topic was closed for discussion ;-), but after reading all of the posts in this thread, I am so tempted to call Iomega up and just ask them who they were targeting when they though up this device.

Suhit

[Suhit Gupta]

Hmm, in response to my own question, I guess may be realizing that floppies are on their way out and people may want to back up their data to one CF card, or some such? But still, why wouldn't they do USB2? I am at a loss. :?

Suhit

[Steve]

it's clear that usb 2.0 should have been there instead of 1, but I am blown away by the lack of people using floppy drives. I love mine.

I back up data on floppy disks nearly every day... There must be some of you who do too? Sometimes it's just not worth it to use anything else.

[James Fee]

I back up data on floppy disks nearly every day... There must be some of you who do too? Sometimes it's just not worth it to use anything else.
Yea, I'm begining to see that. Bumped into my Dad tonight and talked to him about it. He mentioned that my Mom backs up Quicken to floppies so it just proves I only know things inside my little world. ;)

[Crocuta]

it's clear that usb 2.0 should have been there instead of 1, but I am blown away by the lack of people using floppy drives. I love mine.

I back up data on floppy disks nearly every day... There must be some of you who do too? Sometimes it's just not worth it to use anything else.

Yeah, I used to back up my data to floppies, but then I got tired of losing my data whenever I actually needed to restore it. I do have a floppy drive in my desktop, just 'cause it came with it, and I don't have one in my laptop, 'cause I had a choice.

And I don't miss them at all. Since moving back to the US about a year ago, I've had exactly one instance where I needed a floppy drive. A student's email account was down and so she brought me an assignment on a floppy. I tried to give it back to her and she just tossed it in the garbage. Apparently it was the only time she'd ever used a floppy.

There's just not much that I need to backup these days that is small enough to fit on a floppy. Starting next year, I'm going to strongly encourage &lt;sounds of arms twisting> all of my students to invest in a nice little 128 MB flask key. That will be of much more use to them than anything having to do with floppies.

[Crocuta]

I was thinking about my original post in this thread and what Jason and cageyjames were saying, and it occurs to me that I'm thinking more along the lines of cj. It's not that there's anything terrible about this device in particular, it's just that this is so par for the course for Iomega lately that it deserves comment.

Everyone else already has 6-in-1 readers out, so now Iomega decides to do one. So they're a few years behind the market as usual. Since that's not exactly innovative in itself, they decide they have to improve on the idea. So what do they do? What's their big innovation? They add support for a 20-year old technology (introduced by IBM in 1984). And do they even use the current standard in USB so the modern storage devices can work to their potential? No, in keeping with their design philosophy, they use USB 1.1 just to make sure that they're completely behind everyone else in the market. They should change their corporate motto to 'Too little, Too late'.

Now I'm not saying that the item might not be of some use to someone. I'm sure they'll sell a few. I'm saying that, if this is what they're spending their time developing as a new product, then this is a dying company.

[Andy Manea]

If I can pick, my next laptop won't come with a floppy drive. I used mine maybe 4 times in the last 3 years, since a) most of the things I need to pass on to others or take with me are way bigger than a lousy MB, and b) I can't stand the speed and the noise.
But there are - for sure - a lot of people out there who still use them, I don't know too many, but would like to be able to access their data should they give me a floppy, which is why that iomega device is not such a bad idea. Many computers around here are being sold without the floppy drive, so you would need an external drive, I mean, think about it, you can buy external floppy drives in electronics stores, which means there is a need for it.
Too bad the super disk (was that the name?) never really took off. It just came after the CD-R, a little too late.
- - -
P.S.: Sorry about the click disk confusion - I somehow remembered 256 MB, which of course would have been a lot in such a small package back in the day.