Exabyte Corporation has announced an agreement with Fujitsu Limited, a leading provider of customer-focused IT and communications solutions for the global marketplace, to offer internal VXA-2 Packet Tape Drives for its PRIMERGY line of Intel architecture (IA) servers.

PRIMERGY servers are available globally and provide solution platforms for data centers, Internet access, Web hosting, application performance and high availability computing.

“The new VXA-2 Packet Tape Drive offers a cost-effective solution for PRIMERGY server customers looking for the most reliable tape product on the market,” stated Jitsuo Masuda, General Manager, IA Server Division of Fujitsu Limited. “As Fujitsu continues to offer more powerful servers at affordable prices it’s important that we remain focused on the varied and changing requirements of our customers. This advanced tape drive based upon packet technology supports Ultra 2 low-voltage differential (LVD) SCSI connections and provides convenience and ease of use features. VXA-2 Packet technology enables us to deliver the best capacity, reliability, durability and price-performance in its class to our customers.”

“Fujitsu’s selection of VXA-2 Packet Tape Drives for its PRIMERGY server line demonstrates the rapidly growing acceptance of VXA-2 technology as the storage solution best suited to meet the demanding data backup and retrieval needs of enterprise and SME customers,” commented Jalin Anderson, Vice President and Managing Director of Exabyte Asia Pacific. “Fujitsu is an industry leader in the manufacturing and marketing of high performance computer storage systems and multimedia products, and we will benefit greatly from this relationship.”
“This agreement represents an exciting opportunity for Exabyte to dramatically increase its sales volume in Japan and Asia Pacific as a whole,” said Tom Ward, president and CEO of Exabyte. “Fujitsu is a dominant player in the Japan and Asia Pacific markets, particularly in the business-class server segment, and we are excited to have VXA-2 Tape Drives offered on the PRIMERGY server line.”

Fujitsu is the latest major OEM to endorse VXA-2 as the data backup, restore and archiving technology with the best performance, capacity, data integrity, automation support and price in its class. VXA-2 dramatically increases the capacity and performance available to tape users and provides an excellent migration path from DDS Tape Technology and other outdated backup technologies at similar pricing for drives and media. The VXA-2 drive can record up to 160 GB to a single cartridge at a data transfer rate of up to 12 MB/second–which is 4x the capacity and 2x the speed of DDS-4 and 2x the capacity and 2x the speed of DAT-72. VXA-2 also delivers full read and write compatibility with VXA-1, protecting the investment of users who have already chosen VXA technology.

Available with solid-state or rotating hard drives, GX Magnum is powered by 1 GHz Via processor and features 512 MB DRAM, 10.4 in. display, and touchscreen. It is offered with local and wide area wireless options and provides soft shut-down button and LCD on/off switch. Computer is designed for public safety, EMS, mining, farming, marine, and construction industries and other environments requiring necessity to read computer screen in direct sunlight.

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AMHERST, NH - Glacier Computer, a leading designer, developer, and supplier of rugged industrial PC-compatible devices, introduces the GX Magnum, a sunlight-readable version of its 10″ GX-1000 series of rugged computers. The GX Magnum is specifically designed for several industries, including: public safety, EMS, mining, farming, marine, and construction, as well as other environments requiring durability and the necessity to read a computer screen in direct sunlight.

The GX Magnum features a unique, high-contrast/low-power display that allows for readability in direct sunlight. The GX Magnum boasts a low-heat, highly-efficient 1 GHz Via processor, 512 MB DRAM, solid-state or rotating hard drives, and both local and wide area wireless options.

Each unit has a 10.4″ high contrast display, touchscreen, soft shut-down button, and a special LCD on/off switch for nighttime safety in police vehicles. The GX 10″ Magnum unit rounds out the product line, currently consisting of 12″ and 15″ versions. Glacier also offers a rugged tablet and laptop for portable harsh environment challenges.

“The GX Magnum possesses the computing power, ruggedness, and the ability to use the display in all lighting conditions that many industries demand,” states John Geary, Vice President of Sales.

About Glacier Computer

Glacier Computer designs and develops versatile, rugged industrial computer systems for harsh environments in a variety of markets, including LTL crossdock, distribution, warehousing, manufacturing and more. With its in-depth knowledge and experience in the industrial computing arena, Glacier takes pride in its ability to provide quality products and exceptional customer service to meet customers’ needs.

These shapes offer potential for increasing precision and reducing vibration and noise.

John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Shapes different from the traditional ones have been proposed for face worm gears and for conical and cylindrical worms that mesh with them. The proposed shapes are based on the concept of generating a face worm gear surface by use of a tilted head cutter instead of by the traditional use of a hob. (As used here, “head cutter” is also meant to signify, alternatively, a head grinding tool.) The gear-surface-generation equipment would be similar to that used for generation of spiral bevel and hypoid gears. In comparison with the corresponding traditional hob, a tilted head cutter according to the proposal would be larger, could be fabricated with greater precision, and would enable the generation of gear surfaces with greater precision and greater productivity.

A face worm gear would be generated (see figure) by use of a tilted head cutter, the blades or grinding surfaces of which would have straight-line profiles. The tilt of the head cutter would prevent interference with teeth adjacent to the groove being cut or ground.

A worm to mesh with the face worm gear would be generated by use of a tilted head cutter mounted on the cradle of a generating machine. The blades or grinding surfaces of the head cutter would have a parabolic profile and would deviate from the straight-line profiles of the head cutter for the face worm gear. The shortest distance between the worm and the cradle would follow a parabolic function during the cycle of meshing in the generating process to provide a parabolic function of transmission errors to the gear drive.

The small mismatch between the profiles of the face-worm-gear and worm head cutters would make it possible to localize the bearing contact in the worm gear drive. The parabolic function of transmission errors could absorb discontinuous linear functions of transmission errors caused by errors of alignment; this could afford a significant benefit, in that such errors are main sources of noise and vibration in gear drives.

The main advantage of using tilted head cutters is that cutting speeds are independent of the shape-generation processes, making it possible to choose cutting speeds that are optimum with respect to requirements to minimize temperatures and deformations during fabrication and improve the quality of finished parts.

The profile of the cutting or grinding surface and the machine-tool settings for the position and orientation of a head cutter would be derived from the theoretical shape generated by a hob. The derivation would be effected by use of an algorithm that takes account of the tilted-head-cutter geometry and enforces the requirements for meshing and non-interference.

A tooth-contact-analysis computer program has been developed for simulation of meshing and contact of the proposed worms and face worm gears. In a test case, the program showed that, as desired, the function of transmission errors would be a parabolic function of low magnitude, the contact would be localized, and the path of contact would be longitudinal in the sense that it would lie along the gear-tooth surfaces. The program also showed that the bearing contact region would be free of areas of severe contact stresses and that the contact ratio would be larger than 3 (signifying that at any given instant, there would be at least 3 pairs of teeth in contact).

This work was done by Faydor L. Litvin, Alessandro Nava, Qi Fan, and Alfonso Fuentes of the University of Illinois for Glenn Research Center.

Linear Tape Open Ultrium technology dominated shipments of small form factor half-inch cartridge tape drives in 2004, totaling more than 50 percent market share in the category for the first time, according to the latest findings from Gartner Inc.

LTO accounted for 55.1 percent of unit shipments and 75.9 percent of revenue for the segment, said Gartner. SuperDLT shipments declined on a year-to-year basis for the first time with just 16.3 percent market share. Shipments of standard DLT products also declined and represented 28.3 percent unit share, but just 9.4 percent of revenue.

Fara Yale, research vice president at Gartner, presented the market overview at last month’s Gartner Planet Storage conference. According to the Gartner research, the overall tape drive market declined in unit shipments, but dollar volume for the year increased to $2.31 billion. Hewlett Packard was the overall tape drive market share leader with 36 percent of the 1.884 million units shipped in 2004. HP gained that position on the strength of its dominant position in 4mm DAT drives with a 58 percent market share and as the top producer of LTO drives.

Among the highlights and prospects for each tape drive market segment:

HP is the clear market leader over Certance/Quantum and Sony. DDS-4 was the dominant DAT technology with a 55.8 percent market share, while DAT72 accounted for 28.5 percent of drives shipped. Overall, shipment of DAT drives dropped more than 10 percent from 2003. Still, the DAT market should continue to lead the industry in unit shipments and the DDS roadmap has been extended with HP committing to three more generations of DAT technology. The next product class–DAT160–is expected to be available late this year, according to Gartner.

8mm Helical Scan

The 8mm market was flat in 2004, with Sony’s Advanced Intelligent Tape technology still the leading format by more than a 2:1 margin over Exabyte’s VXA and Mammoth combined. Mammoth is projected to reach end of life this year while VXA-3 is due out later this year with a capacity of 160 GB and a data rate of 12 MB/sec. VXA-4 is planned for 2007 and will double the capacity and performance of VXA-3.

Sony has bolstered the low-end of its AIT product offerings with new Turbo drives that are positioned as a more reliable and higher performance alternative for customers to migrate from DDS technology. Sony’s roadmap for AIT projects AIT-5 and AIT-6 planned for 2006 and 2008 respectively, each doubling the capacity and performance of the previous generation. The current AIT-4 technology provides a native capacity of 200 GB and a transfer rate of 24 MB/sec.

Small Form Factor Half-Inch Cartridge Drives

Both drive shipments and factory revenues increased over the previous year, on the strength of LTO technology, which accounted for 55 percent of unit shipments and more than 75 percent of revenue for this segment. Overall SFF half-inch cartridge drives represented almost half of all tape drive revenues. Sony’s SuperAIT helical scan half-inch technology has yet to make a break-through against LTO and SDLT with fewer than 1000 drives shipped in 2004.

Quantum held the largest single vendor market share with 45 percent of units shipped, consisting of both SDLT and DLT drives. Quantum has the broadest product offerings in the segment with the value-oriented DLT VS products positioned against AIT and 4mm DAT in SMB environments, the SDLT products, which go head-to-head against LTO, and now LTO-2 and LTO-3 drives as a result of its acquisition of Certance.

According to Gartner, this segment will start to diverge, as Quantum’s roadmap for SDLT optimizes capacity over performance with a focus on value-added features, such as its DLTice WORM functionality. The LTO roadmap is now specified out to a sixth generation with a native capacity of 3.2 terabytes per cartridge and a data rate of 540 MB/sec.

High End Half-Inch Cartridge

This segment posted the highest unit shipment (up 15.4 percent) and revenue gains (an increase of 13.2 percent) of any tape technology in 2004. Storage Technology Corp. was the market leader in both units and revenue with a 58 percent share of drive shipments and 56 percent of revenue, compared to 39 percent and 40 percent respectively for IBM.

According to Gartner, StorageTek’s replacement for the T9940 tape drive is due out later this year, while the company has yet to make decision about a next-generation successor to the 9840C drive. On the IBM side, company’s 3592J1A is the first in a new three-generation roadmap for IBM’s enterprise tape technology, offering higher capacity and performance than the StorageTek 9940 Series drives.

Making the Right Choice

With the variety of tape formats and technologies available and buyers often facing a daunting range of options, Gartner also offered a set of criteria for selecting the right tape technology and tape drive vendor.

In evaluating the tape drive vendor, Gartner suggests first of all verifying that the vendor is financially viable and determining how the vendor and the technology stack up on a market share basis: winning, losing or standing still? Also, is your current vendor/technology meeting your needs, or should a change be considered?

Three factors are driving the need for more sophisticated backup solutions within the SMB (small to medium-size business) market: the rapid growth of mission-critical digital content throughout all segments of business; the focus on disaster recovery strategies; and the increased burden of government regulated data retention. To address these factors, enterprise-level companies are incorporating LTO (Linear Tape Open) tape drives into their storage frameworks. This popular backup solution helps them access advanced features, higher capacities and better performance. Unfortunately, these drives were too expensive for most SMBs.

With the introduction of affordable half-height LTO2 tape drives, however, SMBs can for the first time incorporate LTO tape drives into their back-up plans. When compared with the alternatives available today, half-height LTO2 tape technology clearly stands out by offering SMBs great value, high performance and a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

SMB requirements have evolved rapidly over the past few years. The Internet has created the need for digital data access, server uptime, data protection and, when required, data recovery. The spread of viruses and worms as well as stricter data retention regulations have increased the sensitivity to data loss. The most common protection against data loss and resulting downtime is backing up servers and their data.

Compact, half-height LTO2 tape drives were developed as a direct response to the growing SMB need for faster, better, affordable data backup and recovery. The drive’s lower power consumption saves energy costs. Its open format ensures compatibility. And its full interoperability, as designated by LTO Consortium specifications, protects SMB’s technology investments by delineating an upgrade path for those who have already invested in LTO1 technology and by guaranteeing compatibility with LTO3 and future LTO generations.

The LTO Open Specifications

The LTO open specifications, announced in November 1997 by Seagate, Hewlett-Packard and IBM, addresses a set of common tape storage needs demanded in the marketplace. Recently, Tandberg Data became the fourth manufacturer offering LTO tape drives.

Prior to LTO, the market was dominated by single-source, proprietary technologies that posed serious concerns for the large system and server OEMs selling them. The foremost concerns were product allocation and competitive pricing because each vendor could control product distribution.

The LTO open specification, with multi-vendor support and products, eliminates these concerns. It is formulated to foster competition among suppliers for pricing, availability, quality, service and even development. The open specification also includes interchange capabilities between all LTO-licensed manufacturers, thereby ensuring that OEMs and end-users have a choice of tape drive and cartridge suppliers from which to buy. No manufacturer is allowed to use the LTO symbol or advertise LTO compliance without meeting the test and interchange specifications put forth by the consortium and tested by a consortium-specified third party testing facility.

Furthermore, the LTO roadmap includes six generations that extend many years into the future to guarantee investment protection and a long life for the LTO products that companies purchase.

The Benefits of Half-Height LTO2 Drives

In the face of exploding data growth and increasingly complex data management issues, some SMBs look to NAS (network attach storage) and SAN (storage area network) products to consolidate their data storage. Consolidating information, while very cost effective, opens the potential for disaster if this centralized repository of business-critical information is compromised by mechanical/electrical failure, viruses or even human error.

Fortunately, data consolidation also lends itself extremely well to centralized backup (e.g., a high performance tape drive or even an autoloader or small tape library. Furthermore, such backup typically includes removable media that can be safely stored offsite. This not only adds another layer of data protection, it also helps SMBs conform to government and industry regulations mandating data protection.

Half-height LTO2 tape drives deliver these capabilities at an affordable price, enabling SMBs to implement a true data protection strategy. They also outperform many larger tape drives by offering greater capacity, faster transfer rates and superior performance.

Half-height LTO2 data cartridges provide 20 percent more capacity than more expensive SDLT data cartridges and 250 percent more capacity than many DLT tape drives. This higher capacity delivers a clear cost benefit, especially for SMBs who archive large amounts of data. In addition, half-height LTO2 tape drives are a full 50 percent faster than SDLT drives and 300 percent faster than DLT VS drives–a critical performance advantage for SMBs engaged in 24/7 business environments with extremely limited backup windows.

The drives also offer enterprise-level features and benefits typical of higher priced LTO devices to further ensure reliability, performance and longevity. Features include automatic speed matching, in-line hardware data compression, media management, thermal sensors, tape threading, fast-seek algorithms, high-speed search and rewind and low power consumption. In addition, these compact drives fit into any standard half-height bay and can be mounted directly into existing and new servers from any major manufacturer.

Should You Consider a Half-Height Tape Drive?

Currently only three companies manufacture half-height tape drives: Tandberg Data, Quan-tum and Hewlett-Packard. Although all offer interchangeable parts and media, each has its own unique feature sets. Therefore, before making the purchase decision, you should ask yourself key questions such as:

How much storage capacity do you need–daily, weekly and monthly?

This will help you select drive size/technology or autoloader since the price ranges can overlap. It also helps determining media supply and that can effect technology selection on cost and storage space.

How big is my “backup window” and what speed do I need?

There is a big difference in technologies as well as drives with-in a technology when it relates to throughput. In the case of LTO, the different Generations, the different form factors and the different manufacturers result in different performance. It’s important to test the drives as well because implementation differences by manufacturers may give different practical results relative to published specifications.

Is the solution scalable?

Both the ability to read/use older cartridges and plans for future products will vary by each technology. Select a scalable tape drive technology with a published roadmap and a clear upgrade path to higher capacity drives in the future.

Where will the tape drive be located?

When it comes to external tape drives, the form factors can vary quite a bit. And if you are mounting inside a server, the mounting provisions can differ significantly from manufacturer to manufacturer. In addition be sure the size is quoted consistently with respect to bezels, connectors, etc.

Can you afford downtime?

MTBF is one specification that can give you an indication. More importantly, what is the reputation of the technology, the specific type of drive and/or the manufacturer? What diagnostics are provided for in field analysis? If it is an autoloader, how are diagnostics and service handled? These differences can be costly in terms of uptime and in terms of service costs. Warranty is only part of the picture. Implementation procedures are also important.

Are there environmental issues to be considered?

Small, hot computer rooms and racks, dirty and dusty surroundings and other environmental issues can cause overheating and debris-related media failures. Understanding the design can help you assess its fit in your environment. How does it handle tape? What is the cooling mechanism? How does the airflow? What is the power requirement? Not only are these critical to your environment, but also the media longevity and reliability can be strongly influenced by the environment created by the drive for the tape media.

Dell Computer Corporation, the world’s leading direct computer systems company, Monday announced it is first to offer the new Iomega Zip 250 drive as an integrated option on its Dimension and OptiPlex desktop PCs and Dell Precision WorkStations. The Iomega Zip 250 MB drive offers the highest capacity of any removable storage product in the super-floppy category. Dell began offering integrated Zip 100 MB drives with its PCs in 1997. Today, Zip drives are ordered with more than 40 percent of Dimension desktop PCs for home and small business customers. “Dell customers continue to demand the latest relevant technology the market can offer,” said Carl Everett, senior vice president of Dell’s Personal Systems Group. “By integrating Zip 250 drives, we are helping customers expand the use of their computers to projects such as creating digital photo albums, saving audio off the Internet or transferring boxes of paperwork to a single computer disk.” The new Zip 250 MB drive can also read and write to Zip 100 MB disks, ensuring that the current customers who use the new Zip 250 drives still have the ability to share information with others who use 100 MB. In addition, the Zip 250 MB drive and disks provide 170 times more capacity than a standard high-density 3.5-inch floppy disk and write up to 52 times faster, allowing customers a single-step back-up capability. “Zip drives and disks are the preferred super-floppy choice for millions of consumers and businesses alike,” said David Henry, vice president and general manager, Zip/Jaz product, Iomega. “We’re pleased to be working with Dell as the first PC company to offer our latest Zip 250 technology as a built-in choice for their customers.” The Dell-installed Zip 100 MB and 250 MB drives are covered by Dell’s limited three-year system warranty. More information on the Iomega Zip 250 MB drive and Dell PCs can be found on the Internet at www.dell.com. Iomega Corporation (NYSE:IOM) manufactures and markets the award-winning Zip Jaz and Clik drives and disks that help people to organize, manage, create, exchange and share their important information. Used in homes, businesses, government, education, and by creative professionals everywhere, Iomega storage solutions are the enabling technologies preferred by millions. The company can be reached at 800/MY-STUFF (800/697-8833) or on the Web at www.iomega.com. Ranked No. 78 among the Fortune 500 companies and No. 363 in the Fortune Global 500, Dell Computer Corporation is the world’s leading direct computer systems company, based on revenues of $18.2 billion for the past four quarters. Dell designs, manufactures and customizes products and services to customer requirements and offers an extensive selection of software and peripherals.

A US Justice Department proposal to secretly enter its citizens’ homes and disable security features on their computers has driven tens of thousands of Americans to request privacy protection from Canadian privacy firm Zero-Knowledge Systems, the company announced Tuesday.

“This has created a huge wave of concern among computer users in the US,” said Austin Hill, president of Zero-Knowledge Systems. “We’ve received emails, telephone messages and thousands of Freedom beta signups from people looking to secure their privacy. It’s ironic that a Canadian company is being flooded by requests to protect American citizens from their own government.”

Zero-Knowledge is currently beta-testing its much-anticipated Freedom technology, which provides total privacy for Web, email, newsgroup and chatroom activities by encrypting data and rerouting it through independently-operated servers scattered throughout the world. Heralded by many privacy advocates as the only fully trustworthy privacy solution, Freedom will be available commercially in fourth quarter 1999.

According to published reports, the Justice Department will seek authorization through the Cyberspace Electronic Security Act for FBI and local police to covertly enter private homes and disable computer encryption programs. The law would dramatically increase police powers by allowing agents to tamper with personal computers in order to surreptitiously monitor personal communications.

“It’s disappointing that US consumers must look to other countries for protection from a government they feel is overstepping its investigative authority,” said David Sobel, general counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, DC. “The United States should be in the forefront of privacy technology, not trying to circumvent it.”

Headquartered in Montreal, Zero-Knowledge benefits from Canada’s support for the development of strong privacy solutions, in contrast with the US Government’s stringent controls on encryption and privacy technologies.

Suited for acquisition of sensitive data in secure establishments, Series GSR provides all-digital recording, flexible signal interfacing, and removable media. Rack-mounted, 256 Mbit/s units are capable of simultaneously acquiring multiple streams of data from ground, airborne, and satellite telemetry sources. Data retrieval may be via real-time reconstruction of original signal sources or by direct high-speed transfer of digital data to user’s computing platform.

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Ideal for Acquisition of Sensitive Data in Secure Establishments

Heim Data Systems, Inc., a leading supplier of data acquisition equipment, introduces the new GSR Series with removable drives for high security missions involving the acquisition of sensitive data. Ideal for ground-based telemetry, satellite down link, multi-channel analog and bus recording, the easy- to- use GSR Series features all digital recording, high data integrity, flexible signal interfacing and removable media. Common applications for the GSR include recording satellite down link data and range telemetry.

The GSR Series is an economical, rack-mounting, 256 Mbit/s digital recorder capable of simultaneously acquiring multiple streams of data from ground, airborne and satellite telemetry sources. Once the data is acquired, it is recorded to a storage media system for later retrieval and analysis. Data retrieval may be via real time reconstruction of the original signal sources or by direct high-speed transfer of digital data to the user’s computing platform over popular buses.

Heim’s new GSR Series deploys the record media in an easily removable plug-in carrier. The carrier mates with a commercially available receiver in the GSR which allows physical removal of sensitive data at the completion of a secure mission, leaving the GSR free of non-volatile signal data memory. In addition to safe storage, the removable drives also allow multiple secure and non-secure missions to be run on the same GSR by dedicating separate record media carriers to each mission. The installation of compatible drive receivers in the user’s analysis computer also provides a simple and secure means of rapid upload or download of large volumes of mission data to and from the GSR by the physical transfer of drive carriers.

The carriers can be fitted with hard disk drives or solid state flash drives in a variety of sizes, currently up to 300 GB. The drives can be written with IRIG106 Chapter 10 format compatible data, if required.

An integrated PC is a popular option for GSRs, providing enhanced file manipulation and data distribution possibilities. When this option is fitted, the PC hard drive is also mounted in a removable carrier to preserve the security of the GSR platform.

About Heim Data Systems

Heim Data Systems, Inc., a leading supplier of data acquisition equipment, distributes and supports a wide range of industrial, mobile, portable, airborne and laboratory data acquisition systems. These systems provide high quality, off-the-shelf solutions for stand-alone and computer integrated operation, suitable for flight test, range telemetry and general industrial data acquisition.

The company has supplied data acquisition systems to the US Navy, Air Force and Army for test range and operational applications. Heim Data Systems, Inc. has also equipped the automotive and aerospace industries, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors.

More than 3 million tons of electronic waste–computers, televisions, fax machines, stereos, camcorders, cellular phones, VCRs, and more–are laid to rest in landfills each year, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Consumers are creating a huge electronic junkyard, which could pose a serious health and environmental hazard.

Electronic products contain hazardous materials that pose risks if deposited in landfills or incinerated. Some products, such as computer screens and TV sets contain 4 to 8 pounds of lead, a heavy metal that is toxic to humans. Other everyday products also contain toxic materials, such as cadmium, mercury, nickel, zinc, and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), all of which have been known to enter the waste stream and could end up in our drinking water.

If your spring cleaning will include discarding old electronics, consider these options for their safe disposal.

RECYCLING RESOURCES

Major computer manufacturers and sellers have begun collecting old PCs and printers in an effort to promote more recycling o computers. Here are a few companies that do this, along with Web sites for more information:

DELL: America’s largest computer maker provides online programs to recycle, trade-in, auction, or donate used PCs and related equipment. Company representatives come to your home and pick up any brand of used tech–computer, keyboard, mouse, monitor, or printer, as well as batteries from notebook computers–for the gee of $7.50 per 50 pounds.
HEWLETT-PACKARD: The company’s Planet Partners program accepts any manufacturer’s electronic equipment, which is picked up for a fee and recycled.
CANON: This company collects used printer-ink cartridges for recycling or disposal through its Clean Earth Campaign.
EPSON: The printer manufacturer offers a recycling program that lets consumers order an online recycling packet, instructing them on shipping their computers to the company for recovery.

Although the program costs a flat fee of $10 (to defray shipping and recycling costs), consumers who participate get a $5 electronic coupon that can redeemed at Epson’s online store.

IBM: The computer-making giant offers a service that charges about $30 to recycle or refurbish any manufacturer’s PCs, which are then donated to charity.
BEST BUY: The electronics super-store company organizes special collection weekends, during which consumers can drop off unwanted computers, monitors, TVs, VCRs, and cell phones at specified stores. A handling fee is charged for items, such as monitors, which contain a cathode ray tube (CRT).

MAKE A DONATION

Nonprofit organizations are eager recipients of old computers, which they refurbish and use, or recycle and sell to support the organization. Here are examples of some of the organizations that would treasure your computer trash.

COMPUTERS4KIDs: This Charlottesville, Virginia, organization reconditions old computers for use by at-risk children. Upon completion of a basic computer class, students earn a computer system for their homes.
THE NATIONAL CRISTINA FOUNDATION: This clearinghouse matches donations to local nonprofits–keeping items in the donor’s community–to train disabled people and economically disadvantaged people.
GOODWILL INDUSTRIES: Goodwill sells computer equipment in more than 75 organizations nationwide and offers computer-related job training.
LOCAL PROGRAMS: There are hundreds. To find one near you, search through the National Recycling Coalition–Electronics Recycling Initiative,
OTHER OPTIONS

There are other altruistic ways to dispose of your tech-trash. Here are some more options to consider.

HOLD A FUNDRAISER. Collect used cartridges for printers, copiers, or faxes and sell to companies, such as Image Craft, to raise funds for a nonprofit organization–and keep these nonbiodegradable items out of landfills. Patrick Moriarty, principal of Minerva-Deland School in Fairport, New York, says the $600 per year his school receives from collecting cartridges is “easy money that’s used to support student activities.”

TAKE ITEMS TO A COLLECTION AGENCY. Many of the EPA-permitted waste-handling facilities, either private or government sponsored, accept and process hazardous waste products. Access local facilities through a database maintained by Electronic Industries Alliance on their Web site at vcww.eiae.org.

One note of caution: No matter how you get rid of your computer, be aware that all your personal data can remain even after files on the hard drive have been deleted. Identity thieves have salvaged this personal information from discarded hard drives, so consider getting a software program such as DriveScrubber, which destroys data but still enables the hard drive to be used. Go to www.drivescrubber.com for more information about the program, as well as a free 30-day trial version of the software.

COLOR IT GREEN

“Green tech”–environmentally friendly technology–has been slow in coming to market, but look for these products and procedures when making new purchases:

LCD monitors and fiat-screen televisions contain no lead and require lower power consumption. They also last longer and run cooler, saving energy dollars.

Hardware design is changing to allow easier upgrading or recycling. Apple uses an access door for components and modular design in its Power Mac. IBM has reduced the variety of screws, bolts, plastics, and glues in its products. Dell has eliminated screws and instituted a “snap assembly.”

Rechargeable batteries available for certain products eliminate frequent disposal of dead batteries.

Recycled resin used for constructing major plastic parts in new PCs helps reduce the millions of pounds of plastics discarded in landfills.

Need to bolster your computer skills? Video Professor, based in Denver, Colorado, offers lessons that stream directly from their Web site–no CDs, no packaging, no manuals, nothing to throw away or even recycle.

Plextor Announces 10X CD-RW Drive

Plextor Corp. has announced the availability of the PlexWriter 12/10/32A CD-R/RW drive. The internal drive features 12X write, 10X rewrite, and 32X max read speeds. The 10X rewrite speed allows users to write an entire CD-RW disc in seven minutes. The PlexWriter 12/10/32A is also the first Plextor CD-R/RW drive to feature “BURN Proof” technology, which helps to prevent buffer underruns while writing to a disc. The drive includes a data buffer capacity of 2MB, and is available in a half-height internal 5.25-inch ATAPI interface. The drive also ships with the Plextor Manager 2000 software suite, which includes Music Video Producer 2000, DiscDupe 2000, AudioFS, and CD-ResQ. Plextor’s PlexWriter 12/10/32A is available at an estimated retail price of $349.00.

CD CyClone Unveils CDRevo CD-RW Drive

CD CyClone Duplication, LLC has announced its new external CD-RW drive, the CDRevo. The CDRevo is available in FireWire and USB versions. The FireWire drive features 12X write, 4X rewrite, and 32X max read speeds, while the USB drive features 4X write, 4X rewrite, and 32X max read speeds. CD CyClone’s CD-RW kit comes bundled with CD mastering software, cables, CD-R and CD-RW media, and other accessories. The 12×4x32 FireWire CD-RW drive is available at an estimated retail price of $395, while the 4×4x32 USB CD-RW drive is available at an MSRP of $295.

Trace Digital Now Shipping 12X PowerWriter Systems

Trace Digital LLC is now shipping its new PowerWriter PC-W and Pro II Series 12X automated duplicators. The PowerWriter PC-W system is a 2-drive CD-R duplicator, while the PowerWriter Pro II is available in an 8-drive configuration (model 812), as well as a 12-drive configuration (model 1212). The PowerWriter PC-W has a 50-disc input capacity hopper, while the PowerWriter Pro II has a 300-disc input spindle. The devices incorporate Trace Digital’s autoloader and disc picker mechanisms.

Pinnacle Micro Unveils FireWire and USB CD-RW Drives

Pinnacle Micro, Inc. has announced its new CD-R/RW drives that are compatible with FireWire (IEEE 1394) and Universal Serial Bus (USB)interfaces. Pinnacle’s RW4432F external FireWire drive features 4X write, 4X rewrite, and 32X max read speeds. The RW448U external USB drive features 4X write, 4X rewrite, and 8X read speeds. Both drives are shipped as complete systems, including interface cables, CD premastering software, and blank discs.

QPS Now Including FireWire Card with 8×4x32 FireWire CD-RW Drive

QPS, Inc. has announced that it is shipping its 8×4x32 Que! Fire CD-RW drives with a FireWire (IEEE 1394) controller card for all PC and Macintosh desktop computers. The FireWire controller card makes three hot-swappable FireWire ports available. The drive features 8X write, 4X rewrite, and 32X max read speeds, and includes 2MB of buffer RAM. The unit comes with CD mastering software, CD-RW media, a FireWire cable, a protective carrying bag, and other accessories. The QPS Que! Fire drive with FireWire controller card is available at an estimated retail price of $479.

LaCie Announces the Dupli-123 Duplicator

LaCie, Ltd. has announced the availability of its new Dupli-123 CD duplicator. The duplicator is equipped with one CD-ROM drive and three CD-R drives that feature 8X write and 20X max read speeds. The Dupli-123 includes the same interface as the Dupli-121, with the addition of an error-reducing smart controller, which automatically detects and recognizes the type of CD inserted. Duplication can be started without the need for recording software, and progress is indicated by three LEDs on the front of the unit. A test mode is also available to check the integrity of the master CD before duplication begins. The duplicator can operate connected to a computer, or standalone in Autonomous mode. The unit ships with the LaCie Recording Utilities CD package, which includes Adaptec’s Easy CD Creator and Toast. LaCie’s Dupli-123 is available at an estimated street price of $3,899.

Ricoh Introduces 10X CD-RW Discs & Drives

Ricoh DMS-C has announced the technological development of “Ricoh CD-RW 74-minute 10X media.” The new disc supports speeds of 4X to 10X to conform with the Orange Book Part III, Volume 2, Ver. 1.0 CD-RW standard. Ricoh has also announced that it has developed a drive that can record CD-RW at 10X. Both the drives and media feature high-speed packet-writing capabilities, allowing direct writing/rewriting of CD-RW media in constant angular velocity (CAV) mode, as well as writing CD-R media in constant linear velocity (CLV) mode. The 10X CD-RW media will be available at an estimated retail price of $4 per disc.