bem@a.cs.okstate.edu (Blayne Mayfield) (02/25/89)
I recently received some literature from Insite Peripherals describing their new I325 FLOPTICAL(r) drive. By using optical tracking on special 3-1/2 inch floppy disks they can store about 20Mbytes on one disk. I saw a short article about these drives in some magazine earlier, and they speculated that the disks would initially cost about $8 apiece. It a letter accompanying the literature, Insite claims that they will begin delivering these drives to OEM customers in May/June, 1989 (beta testing is scheduled to end in March, 1989). They go on to say that they will not be selling the product to dealers or end-users, but they expect it to be available to the retail or end-user market in summer, 1989. Has anyone else heard anything more about these? It seems like it would be a great little add-on for the Amiga. Blayne Mayfield "If I see one more mandrel image, I'll go ape!"
pnelson@antares.UUCP (Phil Nelson) (02/26/89)
In article <4425@okstate.UUCP> bem@a.cs.okstate.edu (Blayne Mayfield) writes: >I recently received some literature from Insite Peripherals describing their >new I325 FLOPTICAL(r) drive. By using optical tracking on special 3-1/2 inch >floppy disks they can store about 20Mbytes on one disk. I saw a short article >about these drives in some magazine earlier, and they speculated that the >disks would initially cost about $8 apiece. >Has anyone else heard anything more about these? It seems like it would be >a great little add-on for the Amiga. > I read about this drive most recently in the March 1989 issue of that well-known high-tech electronics magazine, Popular Science. :-) I recommend this issue to those who enjoy a dose of "future shock" now and then. :-} Anyway, if this drive can be made at a reasonable price, and is reliable, it seems to me perfect for the problem of how to distribute "Dragon's Lair" size programs. I imagine there are many program concepts (and not all games) that remain concepts because they would be too badly cramped by an 880K distribution medium. I hope Commodore considers making a drive like this standard in upcoming machines, as well as an add-on to the existing models. The sooner the better, I think. > >Blayne Mayfield > >"If I see one more mandrel image, I'll go ape!" -- Phil Nelson at (but not speaking for) OnTyme:NSC.P/Nelson Tymnet, McDonnell Douglas Network Systems Company Voice:408-922-7508 UUCP:{pyramid|ames}oliveb!tymix!pnelson LRV:Component Station "ding ding..." -Santa Clara County Transit Company trolley car (AKA "LRV")
simon@cheshire (Thor Simon) (02/28/89)
I saw a 5 1/4 in 10 meg drive using standard DS/QD 5 1/4 disks at last year's New York AmiExpo. Apparently you have to keep the disks _ULTRA_ clean in plastic baggies or the like and I was told by another bystander that on an IBM he'd used a similar drive, and found that the only way to preserve the data was to run an air cleaner while changing disks... Also it was HUGE, about the size of an A500.