IO-DATA announces iVDR-20, the first iVDR storage device
It´s been 25 months since we first mentioned iVDR (Information Versatile Disk for Removable usage) standard designed for 2.5"/1.8" hard drives for use in PCs and other electronics. The last mention sounded at CES 2003, so we started thinking we would never see iVDR alive. But today IO-DATA announced the first iVDR cartridge and the first reader, so perhaps, this initiative will become popular in the future.
If you remember, iVDR specs were jointly developed by Sanyo Electric, Canon, Fujitsu, Hitachi Manufacturing, Phoenix Technologies, Pioneer, Sharp, Victor Company of Japan, FCI and Mitsumi. They define connector design, unified interface, file system, etc. According to the specs, drives have 50-pin plug with over 10,000 connect/disconnect cycles guaranteed.
Electrical specs, instruction set, etc. meet ATA Standard + AV Expansion + Secure Expansion. iVDR drive´s nominal shock is 900G, and the file system is this simple — File system for iVDR. During recent years iVDR obtained some new media form-factors: iVDR Secure, iVDR Secure Mini and iVDR Secure Micro.
IO-DATA´s iVDR-20 removable drive announced today is bundled with a USB2-iVDR/20 USB2.0 adapter. This iVDR Mini storage has 20GB capacity, bases on 1.8" 4,200rpm Serial ATA HDD with 2MB buffer. I don´t know about the File system for iVDR, but the novelty is partitioned, according to FAT32. Sized 80x67x10mm, iVDR-20 weighs about 70g.
As for USB2-iVDR/20, the adapter works under Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP, Mac OS 9.x, Mac OS X 10.1-10.3.1. Sized 95x135x21.5mm, it weighs 120g.
I´ll just add that in Japan 20GB iVDR-20 will cost about ¥25200 ($240), while USB2-iVDR/20 adapter will cost ¥35700 ($340). Well, for now it seems cheaper to buy an external USB drive. Still, if iVDR evolves to a usual SOHO multimedia center attribute, perhaps, its price will be more acceptable. But at the moment, this seems exotic...
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