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At first blush, Iomega's new Zip 750 drive--which can pack about 718MB of data onto a single durable, rewritable disk--might seem superfluous. After all, most current PCs have a CD-RW drive that can store 700MB of data on a write-once CD-Recordable or 530MB on a CD-Rewritable.

But while most folks like speedy, reliable CD-R media, they're less enamored with the slower and more error-prone CD-RW discs. Plus, both types of discs tend to be a bit fragile. That's where Iomega's new Zip comes in.

Both light and portable, this $180 external drive uses high-speed USB 2.0. In addition to accepting the durable 750MB disks, it can write to 250MB disks, and it can read 100MB disks.

You also receive a full complement of useful Iomega software, including Automatic Backup (to let you back up changed files on the fly) and Iomega Sync (for synchronizing files among PCs).

If the Zip 750 is as reliable as Iomega claims, it could give optical drives a run for their money (at least until rewritable DVD drives reach the mainstream). The drive's biggest drawback is the cost of its media. A CD-R costs about 50 cents, and a CD-RW about $1.25; but a 750 disk runs $13.

Unfortunately, Iomega isn't nurturing its new baby very well. The company doesn't bundle or even sell a USB 2.0 PCI upgrade card, so I used Adaptec's spiffy $70 USB 2.0 Upgrade Kit (with a four-port hub). Basic cards sell for less than $30, but it's still a hassle. Iomega also did not include a 750MB disk in the box.

My shipping model was a snap to use, though the drive was noisy. When spinning up, it emitted an annoying whine; and when accessing data, it sounded like a dentist's drill.

I can't, however, gripe about the Zip 750's performance. In my informal speed tests, backups moved at about 4MB per second--fast enough to blow by my 8X/4X/32X internal CD-RW drive on most tasks.

The Zip 750 is a competent, sturdy alternative to CD-RW for transferring files or doing data backups. And current Zip users will find its backward compatibility compelling.

SUMMARY

Iomega Zip 750 (USB 2.0) Solid performance and backward compatibility, but media is pricey. Street price: $180

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