IBM's 340 MB
microdrive

The IBM microdrive adds plenty of storage space to your PC Companion

IBM's microdrive slips into a PC Companion's CompactFlash slot and adds up to 340 MB of file storage space

BY THOMAS PELTZER, D.D.S.

In my career as a Dental Surgeon quick access to information is vital. I'm constantly reading and sending e-mail, checking information on medications, and calling in prescriptions to pharmacies. As a diversion, I test software. Because of all of this, I need to be able to transfer programs and information back and forth between computers, and take megabytes worth of files with me wherever I go.

I take the HP Jornada 680 Handheld PC Pro with me wherever I go. To augment it's limited internal memory I have a 128 MB CompactFlash Card and a newer Compact card from IBM ­ the microdrive.

A tiny 340 MB hard drive

IBM's microdrive looks and functions like a standard CompactFlash card. It's about the same size as a CF Card, but just a little thicker. It slips into the Type II CompactFlash+ slot found on the Jornada 680, all of the newer H/PC Pros and Palm-size PCs, and many notebook PCs. Like a CompactFlash Card it adds file storage space (170 MB and 340 MB microdrives are available). On the outside it's just like a CompactFlash Card, but on the inside it's quite different.

The photo of the microdrive next to the U.S. Quarter (next page) gives you an idea of its size. It also shows you the microdrive's insides. A standard CompactFlash Card is a solid-state device made up of a number of computer chips. The IBM microdrive is actually a miniature rotating-disk hard drive. It's a very small version of the hard drive found in your desktop computer.

The microdrive draws the power it needs from the H/PC or whatever computer it's in. Power usage seemed minimal on my Jornada 680, but others have reported it a problem. Even though it's a rotating-disk drive, microdrive was very quick and quiet compare to a standard CF Card. One of the things I used it for was to transfer information back and forth between my Jornada 680 and my laptop PC. The laptop had a standard PC Card slot, about 4-times bigger than a CF slot. I slipped microdrive into a CF-to-PC Card adapter, and slipped that into the notebook's PC Card slot. It worked without any problems.

Taking whatever I want or need with me 
wherever I go

Microdrive lets me take the reference information I need with me, without worrying about running out of file storage space. I didn't think twice about downloading a 7 MB dictionary program. And I now keep a medical drug reference program with me wherever I go. It lists thousands of medications along with drug interactions and other information that physicians must know before they prescribe medications. Patients occasionally call me when I'm out of the office, and having this program with me wherever I am makes calling in prescriptions quick, easy and accurate. I can keep multiple copies of backup files right on the microdrive for ready access in case of emergencies.

I also like to test and play around with Windows CE programs. The large storage capacity of the microdrive lets me download whatever new program strikes my fancy. Because I install these programs on the microdrive, I have plenty of internal RAM memory to run programs. I have quite a collection of programs loaded on the microdrive, with room to spare. My daughter particularly appreciates the collection of games stored on microdrive.

Many uses for extra storage space

There are a lot of things you can do with extra file storage space. I download information from the Internet and save it on the microdrive. Then, during frequent small breaks in my normally busy routine, I'll open up Pocket Internet Explorer and catch up on my Web browsing ­ offline.

Travelers use programs such as Pocket Streets to find their way around unfamiliar cities. The map files used by programs like Pocket Streets can be very large. The IBM microdrive is an ideal place to store these memory hogs.

Many mobile professionals need to access company databases while out of the office. Sales, order, inventory and other information can take up a lot of storage space. The speed, cost effectiveness and inherent quality of the microdrive make it the ideal solution for this purpose.

The 340 MB microdrive is the highest-capacity storage device that is currently available for a PC Companion. But higher-capacity drives are in development, and they'll be here sooner than later. With them will come larger, more feature-rich software applications and rapidly expanding capabilities in the world of mobile computing.