OnStream Echo FireWire FW30 - Hardware Review - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, April, 2001 by Mark Binder

* Requirements: Mac OS 8.6, 16MB RAM, 32MB hard disk space, FireWire port, CD-ROM * List Price: $499 * Manufacturer: Onstream, 800-759-4621, www.onstream.com

HOW DO YOU BACK UP YOUR MACINTOSH? There's no floppy drive on any of the current models, and the included DVD drive won't burn a CD. That means Apple users need to find other solutions.

The OnStream Echo FireWire FW30 is the first FireWire tape backup available to Mac users. Packaged in a sleek burnished-aluminum case, the Echo FW30 comes bundled with Dantz Retrospect Desktop Backup software (a $150 value).

Installation takes minutes, and drive smoothly and 30 gigabytes of compressed information. Incremental or full backups can be scheduled as frequently (or infrequently) as you like. Set the Retrospect software to run in the background, load a tape into the drive, and relax. The Echo's ADR (Advanced Digital Recording) technology, developed by Philips Electronics, helps keep the machine quiet and offers superior reliability to DAT tapes.

On the downside, the drive doesn't come with a backup tape. These are available for $45 each, or in three-packs for $120. Tapes pop out of the Echo with the push of a button, but putting them in feels a bit soggy--you have to push hard, and it feels like something may break.

The main problem with the Echo is inherent in any tape backup: it's not as fast as you'd like. OnStream claims the Echo backs up at 2MB per second, but backing up 2.3 gigs of a 10-gigabyte hard drive took 30 minutes. Incremental backups of only those files that have changed since the last backup take significantly less time.

Still, the OnStream Echo has a place in this world of CD-R and --RW. All your data fits on a single tape, reducing office clutter, and tapes are easily recognized as backups. Mac users with large-scale backup needs should give this a look.

RATINGS

HOME OFFICE COMPUTING rates products on a scale of 1 to 10--with few 9's or 10's--based on value, performance, innovation [medals go to rare standouts in these areas], ease of use, and suitability for home offices. The A and B symbols indicate pros and cons.

Rating: 7

A Pretty fast, for a tape backup

B No tapes supplied