UniStor Corp, whose products are marketed in the UK by Highland Electronics Ltd, Burgess Hill, Sussex has announced its new EasyStor Portable Data Module for personal computers. The battery-powered data modules provide up to three hours of operation on a single charge and range from 40Mb to 180Mb capacity. The design enables connection to any standard parallel port and is said to be operational within minutes. EasyStor transports data between MS-DOS personal computers in different locations, and the company claims that it is an inexpensive way of increasing the storage capacity of notebook or desktop system. The modules attach directly to any standard parallel port via a parallel to intelligent disk extended interface. An optional parallel port multiplexer cable is available for connection of a printer or other parallel devices. The EasyStor measures 3.4 by 1.3 by 6.9 and it weighs under 1 lb. The module uses Areal Technology Inc 2.5 disk drives with rugged, high-impact glass disks as well as lower power consumption and reduced heat dissipation. The rechargeable Nickel-Cadmium battery subsystem operates up to three hours and the module transfers to sleep mode when attached to a notebook computer. Device driver software configures the computer to recognise EasyStor as an additional on-line data storage device so that users need only configure their system once. The modules come in 40Mb, 60Mb, 80Mb, 120Mb and 180Mb capacities at $600, $700, $800, $1,000 and $1,200 respectively.
