Some very unusual technogeek toys are handy
By MIKE BERMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
December 25, 2002

It's rare that I come across anything that deserves to be labeled "unique." But, while going through my mountain of technogeek-related toys, I recently came across several gadgets that are truly one of a kind.

The first is small, versatile and comes in a pouch.

The Kangaru MediaX-change ($279.95 to $359.95 depending on storage capacity) from Interactive Media Corp. is one of the most versatile geek toys I've seen in a long time.

Basically, it's a portable hard drive that can read many of today's memory cards without being hooked up to a computer. You just pop the compact flash, memory stick or other card out of your camera, PDA or other device, slip it into the slot on the MediaX-change and store the data on the unit's hard drive.

Later, back at home or in the office, you can attach it to the USB port of your computer and transfer the data or read it directly off the portable drive.

As I said, it's truly unique!

Among its other features are:

• It can read data from compact flash, smart media, SSD, IBM Microdrive and Sony Memory Stick cards.
• Its rechargeable battery lasts about two hours between charges.
• It boasts a download speed (from card to drive) of 3.84 megabytes per second.
• Transfer speed from the unit's hard drive to your PC is 40 to 60 megabytes per minute.
• It weighs only half a pound.
• It comes with a three-year limited warranty.

If I were to fault the MediaX-change on anything, it would be that the USB interface is based on the USB 1.1 standard, so its transfer rate is a bit slower than if it adapted USB 2.0 technology. But, truthfully, the average computer user won't know the difference.

While we're on the topic of portability the folks at WiebeTech have developed a couple of devices to make any technonerd's life easier.

The Super Drive Dock ($159.95) is a small external interface that will connect any 3.5-inch hard drive to the FireWire port on your computer. What makes this unique is its size, which is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, making it truly portable.

Its other features include:

• Support for hard drives of up to 250 gigabytes.
• Transfer speeds of up to 34 megabytes per second.
• Bus or AC powered.
• Includes MacDrive 5 cross-platform compatibility software.

The second item from WiebeTech is the MicroGB+ portable hard drive ($199.95 to $349.95 depending on capacity).

Although there are other units of this type out there - Evergreen's HotDrive and Que portable drives come to mind - this is the most versatile of the lot.

This is the only portable drive I've seen that gives you the choice of 20, 30, 40 and 60 gigabyte capacities or the ability to install your own drive into a user-configurable unit.

More information on these and other products from Interactive Media or Wiebetech can be found at www.Interactivemediacorp.com and www.wiebetech.com.

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