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Thursday, November 14, 1996 Iomega was up $3/8 Wednesday, closing at $23 3/8 (+1.63%). TODAY'S RECAP: Hey, somebody give the Iomega board a nudge and wake it up! It was an absolutely sleepy day in our World Famous IOM Folder Wednesday. It seems that, for the first time in recorded history, our contributors decided to give their tired keyboards a rest. Perhaps we're all waiting for the action that will surely come next Monday, when the long-awaited Comdex trade show opens in Las Vegas. We expect every computer-related company on the face of the Earth to be there, dressed to the nines and strutting its stuff. In one newsworthy event, Iomega filed its 10Q report for the third quarter of this year yesterday. Unfortunately, that report is far too long to be included here. However, in a series of posts, the first one dated 96-11-13 20:50:51 EST, ~CyberVster~ kindly offers the whole deal, boilerplate language and all, for those hardy Iomegans who would like to retrieve it from our America Online message boards. It's in IOM folder #145. INDEX: Use the Search or Find feature of your word processor to locate the article number (Find: 1++, 3++, etc.) -- or use AOL's Edit>>Find in Top Window Feature. If Find in Top Window is dimmed, just click on some text, anything, in the IOM Today window and try again.
1++Tester tjc continues the discussion of Global Positioning
Systems. And now, the Best of the Board...Started 3 am ET 11/13/96.
1++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: Re:Putz from Smabot Date: 96-11-13 08:17:45 EST From: Tester tjc
<<From Jontara Why do you think that a $10 nHand disk would be a better choice than a $1 mini-CD-ROM?>>
Because it is 1.recordable and you want to prerecord a trip or record a position for future use. 2. Used in the zip drive to download the info over a PC 3. Hopefully it will be smaller than a mini cd drive which to my knowledge cant fit on a portable device. 4. beats the heck out of the present distribution media, proprietary ROM which is thrown away when outdated (at $100 to $250)
<<Is there any need in a GPS receiver to actually store something on the disk?>>
Sure there is. Any trip position or route you want to take again. Most pilots dont own their own plane but use rental or club planes, the medial is transportable with n.disk. Most boaters have areas to avoid (too shallow etc) or where they want to be (Favorite fishing spot, anchorage, harbor entrance etc. Present models store this in RAM and if your battery or back up battery die, ooops, hope you wrote the long and lat down to reenter and hope that place you fish is remembered.
<<If not, the application just doesn't make sense. People, Zip/Jaz/nHand are NOT practical as distribution media, unless media costs come WAY down.>>
Present distribution media is expensive ROM chips. The information is government owned. If a rewritable media is available someone is going to offer it on a downloadable format eventually
<<Sorry to sound like a broken record, but this keeps coming up. And I know that somebody will come along and say "but we never said that it was a distribution media". Well, there's your post right above. That's why I keep talking about unsuitability as a distribution media, because people keep wanting to make it so.>>
I agree that Zip is not a distribution media to the PC world, however the handheld world is different. I bought Symantics ACT! for my Psion on a ROM insert card. I would rather have purchased it on a $5-$10 n.hand disk. My cost would have probably been reduced. Thanks for the thought provoking Post. 2++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: AMIBIOS support for LS-120 Date: 96-11-13 15:11:54 EST From: Ranek
note: I called Mark Huffman at AMI and he indicated this announcement today compared to the BIOS announcement regarding Iomega which was made a month or so ago. Also, since these are technology enhancements for developers, don't expect much in the marketplace from this till next quarter sometime. He also said these BIOS enhancements were being "forced" on them due to the evolution of technology and the needs of end users. disclaimer: These are my interpretation of what Mr. Huffman said. Not exact quotes.
Ranek
<< American Megatrends Provides the Foundation for New Floppy Standard American Megatrends, Inc. (AMI) announced that its AMIBIOS 97 now provides complete support for LS-120 diskette technology, an 120 MB ATAPI compliant removable media solution setting the pace to replace the standard 1.44 MB Floppy drive.
"By providing support for the LS-120 platform, AMI continues to implement new features quickly and provide its customers access to cutting edge technology," AMI software Sales Manager Mark Huffman said. "LS-120 technology offers unique advantages for the replacement of standard 1.44 MB floppy drives by creating larger storage capabilities, but still maintaining backward compatibility."Since the LS-120 drive has backward-compatibility with existing floppy diskettes, AMIBIOS 97 provides support for both legacy floppy standards and the LS-120 platform simultaneously. The AMIBIOS 97 core provides complete support for several media types including the Toshiba and NEC 3-Mode floppy formats. The LS-120 support is completely functional under both Windows 95 (OEM System Release 2) and Windows NT 4.0.
A single LS-120 diskette has the ability to store the same capacity of 80+ standard high-density 1.44 MB floppy disks. Since LS-120 technology offers the versatility of read/write backward compatibility, it allows system integrators to incorporate LS-120 technology into current systems without giving up legacy support for 1.44MB media. AMIBIOS 97 LS-120 support provides several distinct advantages, including the ability to back up large amounts of data to a single diskette, large software application distribution, and complete OS boot capability from the floppy drive. "This is a very positive advancement, enabling widespread adoption of LS-120 technology," said Ray Meifert, director, PC Markets Segment, Imation. "AMI's announcement is a clear step toward standardization of the LS-120 platform. The availability of AMIBIOS 97 supporting LS-120 technology enables the integration of bootable LS-120 drives into the new systems of virtually any PC maker -- at a time when customer demand for the solution is building."
Imation, the new information and imaging company recently spun-off from 3M, co-developed LS-120 diskette technology along with Matsushita-Kotobuki Electronics Industries, Ltd. (MKE), Compaq Computer Corporation, and OR Technology. BIOS, an acronym for Basic Input Output System, is the first link between hardware and software in coordinating the startup configuration of computers. A computer's BIOS automatically configures the computer's hard drives, disk drives, processors, chipsets, memory, and boot-up of the operating system.
In over half the computers in the world with AMIBIOS, American Megatrends, Inc. has an 11 year track record of producing leading technologies for leading companies. The Atlanta-based company also produces a variety of software and hardware solutions including utility software, keyboard controllers, PCMCIA software, motherboards, and RAID controllers. AMI can be reached at 800/828-9264 or 770/246-8600 and on the World Wide Web at http://www.megatrends.com.
CONTACT: AMI Software Mark Huffman, Sales Manager, 770/246-8600, 800/828-9264 FAX 770/246-8790 email: MarkH@American.Megatrends.Com 3++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: HYPEMENOT Date: 96-11-13 15:56:39 EST From: Weaselboy2
Hypemenot,
I do not intend on getting into a p***ing match with you about this, but I feel as if I should respond to your response to my posts. To be honest with you, Im a little shocked that my seemingly innocent post drew your attention like it did, but I suppose people around here have been flamed for far worse.
First of all, I appreciate your approach around here. You are correct in your past assertions that this "community" in general gets too exuberant about the most insignificant things and sorely needs someone to bring them back to earth-to reality as it were. Frankly, I wish people would cut MF Ben a little more slack, as it seems to me that hes just after the facts (like me). (Although on the other hand, I wish he would in turn just try to demonstrate a little more sense of humor and not respond to ANYTHING Cynicalguy says). On to the meat of this post
I would be the first to admit that the n.hand is vaporware (although even you would have to admit that when Iomega makes an announcement about something, it generally comes to pass). I thought that I was pretty clear that my speculation regarding the n.hand was 100% daydreaming (the one thing Im truly good at). THREE times in the post I capitalized "COULD" and finished the paragraph off with: "Of course, if they dont do it right then Im just dreamin". My point was that if Iomega properly developed the product and executed their strategy, it could be a revolutionary product and if they didnt, it would most likely be a disaster for them. Im still trying to figure out why this has so much to do with my post on Tim Hill.
I think that the reason there has been endless speculation about the n.hand is because no one really knows exactly what the product will be able to do or what other types of appliances it will be able to "interface" with. In other words, its mysterious at this point and begs for speculation. My post represented what I would like it to be.
<<And of course, these are only some of the uncertainties Internal to IO. With a year (or more) before this device is a reality in the marketplace, there is additionally a set of questions regarding EXTERNAL developments, that no one can answer with confidence. Like where will flash memory prices be a year from now (I read last week on this board about an important breakthrough by Sandisk that will materially its cost )? What will be the response of some of the powerhouse players in the flash memory business (again I believe I read here last week that these included Intel and TI)? What about the possibility of a competing miniature storage device surfacing during the coming year? >>
You asked many important questions maybe we could focus on them instead of my daydreaming (at least I didnt try to predict what the stock price would be at the end of the week-do I get any credit for that?).
Mark Hardie (picture me scratching my head)
P.S. Sorry it took so long to respond. I log all the posts every workday A.M., read throughout the workday and then respond (when necessary) whenever not too busy. 4++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: Re:n.hand and GPS Date: 96-11-13 22:02:44 EST From: PKeeler
Vaporware disclaimer:
I refer to n.hand as the technology used for the application in this post. N.hand is vaporware in the definition used by this board. Some other vaporware or non-vaporware product could fill this need...
>>> Subj: Re:n.hand and GPS Date: 96-11-12 23:25:34 EST From: JonTara
<<From: Tester tjc
With the more expensive units the consumer can purchase the map for an area in rom chips and PC media to transfer to the unit. n.hand technology would be a perfect fit for ease of use and cost reduction. In a handheld it would be perfect for the sale of mapping.>>
Why do you think that a $10 nHand disk would be a better choice than a $1 mini-CD-ROM?
Is there any need in a GPS receiver to actually store something on the disk? >>>
Yes. When information changes between the start and end of a journey the ability to update information is critical.
>>> If not, the application just doesn't make sense. People, Zip/Jaz/nHand are NOT practical as distribution media, unless media costs come WAY down.
Sorry to sound like a broken record, but this keeps coming up. And I know that somebody will come along and say "but we never said that it was a distribution media". Well, there's your post right above. That's why I keep talking about unsuitability as a distribution media, because people keep wanting to make it so. <<<
A Zip becomes a distribution media when I download stuff to it from the internet or AOL. But I digress... ;)
There is all kinds of information that truckers must carry and document while they are on the road. A log must be kept of all safety stops and breaks. A recorder could write this information to an n.hand disk. Hazardous Materials data sheets and other shipping data could be carried on the truck on an n.hand disk then downloaded onto a destination shipping clerks computer. Overnight the trucker could download the next days travel map from the central office with the LATEST weather and traffic pattern data. Trucker could send and receive email, maybe through a satellite or other wireless link. Using a wireless internet link, Real Audio, and re-writable media (to stream the data) a trucker could listen to his favorite radio station anywhere on the continent.
All this requires re-writable media. A CD-ROM could be given to the trucker at the beginning of the journey with traffic data; but a re-writable medium and an internet connection means up to the minute traffic data can be stored and accessed. See the difference?
Not saying this couldn't be a flash memory product (or a full sized Zip drive). However, do you want to give a trucker several $200 flash cards or several $10 n.hand disks? Not trying to put down truckers ;) Its the environment that's harsh...
PKeeler Patrick Keeler
P.S. Speaking of hazardous materials, the need for information immediately on the spot is very important. Do you know how many sheets of paper you would have to carry to have information on every shipped chemical? If you could download this data to a palm computer with re-writable storage it would be invaluable to Haz Mat Response Teams. For this application reliability would outweigh cost of course. 5++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: One Very Little Data Point Date: 96-11-13 23:16:54 EST From: JMcguI
I was in a Computer City in Portland last weekend and asked a salesman how sales were for PC's with internal Zips. He said they carry the one HP and it wasn't too popular because internals defeated the purpose many have for owning a Zip drive (ie. moving from one PC to another). Is this data point meaningful or is most of the world simply looking for a built in medium that can store a heck of a lot more than 1.44 MBytes.
He also noted his surprise that Iomega had not purchased more end caps. They had about 3 to 4 feet of shelf space without any other presence. Does this local manager need a store tour from the Computer City Brass? 6++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: Re: Weaselboy2 Date: 96-11-14 00:14:34 EST From: HYPEMENOT
Mark,
In the message I posted last night, it was not my intention to flame or ridicule you, and I want to apologize to you for any discomfort I may have caused.
By way of explanation, (especially since, from your response, I failed to make this clear in my original post), this is why I wrote my message. Just as you (and others) had gotten your fill with the repeated messages about Tim Hill, causing you to write your plea to end the discussion of this matter, I had arrived at the same frame of mind about the seemingly endless stream of (largely) speculative posts re the n.Hand.
It struck me (and probably only me) as incredibly ironic that you had put this message on the board virtually begging for a halt to the discussion of one matter (which really had become overdone), and then immediately followed it with your own post about a subject that was every bit as much overdone. Thats all I had in mind, nothing more. And believe me, if yours had been only the 10th or 20th (or even only the 30th) post speculating about the possible uses of the n.Hand, I wouldnt have even thought about responding.
One other thing. Before others misinterpret what I have just said to mean that I believe that the two items I have referred to are of equal significance, that is not at all the case. While I argued in several posts that the Hill stock sale is significant and should not be lightly dismissed, there is no question that the n.Hand is a development that, POTENTIALLY, could have far reaching impact for IO. My post last night was not intended to deny that possibility, but rather to underscore that most of the messages about possible applications were and are, at the least, highly PREMATURE, given how little is known about the details of the product and the long period of time involved before it will actually be commercially available.
HYPEMENOT
P.S. Perhaps I am wrong in my use of the term VAPORWARE. In my experience, this term is not limited to ONLY describing products that are unlikely to make it to the real marketplace, but is also properly used to describe widely publicized products that are in an EARLY stage of development, and are therefore, not likely to be commercially produced for an EXTENDED period of time. It is with this definition in mind that I suggested, had an announcement comparable to the n.Hand been made by an IO competitor, it would have been roundly described as vaporware on this board. If I am in error in using the term this way, I would appreciate being given the correct definition. 7++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: IOM (Zip) in France Date: 96-11-14 00:27:34 EST From: JJKozub
Finally IOM is advertising in grand style in France. Latest issue of L'Express (7-13 Nov., International Edition) carries full page of the famous Zip ad in a feature section on cyberspace (computers, CDRom, Internet). Very few internet users in France (total of 300,000 internet subscribers of which only 180 000 are individual subscribers). Only 14% of households are reported to have PC's (Mac's included), compared with 29.5% in Germany, 18.6% in UK and 35% in US (I doubt that US figures are up to date). BTW IOM ad is only drive maker.
End Report. Posts covered through 3 am ET 11/14/96. _______________________________
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