The REV 70 ships in two editions, for home and server use. The desktop edition is packaged with EMC Retrospect Express 7.5, while the server edition comes with BrightStor ARCserve Backup r11.5 Standard. Retrospect is an easy to use archival application suitable for users in SOHO environments, while the ARCServe backup software is a much more powerful offering with an extended feature set. Both programs support scheduled backups and multiple backup sets. Retrospect allows users to rotate media, which allows for better data security and offsite transport. ARCServe expands on this with professional options, including support for tape drives and multi-cartridge loaders.

REV 70 GB Details

The device makes relatively little if any noise once the cartridge has been loaded. It mounts the disk as an ordinary system device with a drive letter. Cartridge life is rated for 2,000 insertion and removal cycles, while the drive is rated for 15,000 cycles. Iomega states that the projected shelf life of the cartridges is over 30 years.

Unlike tape drives, which suffer from long load and seek times when writing or retrieving data, REV disks provide random disk access speeds akin to conventional hard drives. Unfortunately, the REV 70 GB drives only offer support for reading/writing first generation 35 GB disks, and the 35 GB drives are entirely incompatible with the newer, high capacity cartridges. The drive is not powered through the USB connection; users must attach the included power supply. The footprint is small so the unit doesn't take up much space; its physical dimensions are 6.2" x 4.4" x 1.3", and the disks are about 3" x 3" x 0.4".