ROY, UTAH -Iomega will continue to push outside its traditional hardware/blank media product base with the introduction of its LifeWorks Software products and new online data backup services.
The LifeWorks line, shipping early in the first quarter of 2001, will introduce Iomega’s Active Disk technology designed to make software installation simpler and seamless for novice PC owners and to save hard drive space.
The software applications reside entirely on a Zip disk instead of being stored on a hard drive, said Craig Rathburn, Iomega’s software general manager, and the primary benefit Active Disk delivers is eliminating the cumbersome installation process that many newcomers find intimidating.
Active Disk technology also allows the application to be cloned. For example, if a consumer wants to send a photo album to another person, the application is included, allowing the person to see the photos without the software being installed on their PC, Rathburn said.
Iomega plans to ship between five and 10 titles during the product’s first 18 months. The first title released will be the LifeWorks Photo Album. Each will sell with a $29.99 suggested retail price.
Iomega has no plans to develop its own applications and will partner with third-party software developers. The company would not say what applications will be released, but Rathburn hinted that imaging, music and productivity types would dominate. Games also hold a great deal of potential, he added.
Iomega has partnered with online data storage firm SkyDesk to deliver online storage space to the SOHO market.
With each purchase of Iomega’s Quik Sync 2 software the consumer will receive 100MB of free space from SkyDesk. This can be accessed through any computer device with Internet capabilities, essentially giving consumers access to their data and eliminating the need to carry storage disks or have the data on their hard drive.
The data stored online is automatically kept up to date. Whenever a consumer saves data to any drive on their computer, it is also downloaded to the SkyDesk website. Additional storage space can be purchased from SkyDesk, said Brent Young, the company’s business development manager. Quick Sync 2 is on sale for $19.95.
