Compact Drive PD70X Sucessor, MD80

[ipin]

Was at Eastgear today and saw a new Compact Drive unit in the window display.
Model MD80! Price not known, but I saw the specs on their computer. The transfer
rate is the same as the PD70X @ 16Mb/s! It uses a 1.8" HDD and is WAY lighter & smaller
in size then the PD70X. It runs on a removable batt, the specs stated that it can
transfer 32Gb of data on a full charge! :bigeyes:

Was told that it uses the same batt as the newer grey Nokia handphone batt! :think:

Just checked the Eastgear website, and it is not even shown! No indication when the
official release date yet, but when I sugested the March IT show, they said that it should
be out by then! Maybe with freebies or cheaper too! I should be getting one then!

 

[ipin]

Oh! Another thing, It plays MP3s too!

Guess we would be seeing the several PD70Xs in the B&S section soon! :bsmilie:

 

[genuinebuyerplease]

ipin....1 very important Qs...

Have they got a price? You asked?

 

[ipin]

Was at Eastgear today and saw a new Compact Drive unit in the window display.
Model MD80! Price not known, but I saw the specs on their computer. The transfer
rate is the same as the PD70X @ 16Mb/s! It uses a 1.8" HDD and is WAY lighter & smaller
in size then the PD70X.

Nope they dun know the price yet. :cry:

Anyhow, am VERY interested in the PD70X, was actually waiting for Compact Drive to release a smaller version. Now FINALLY they have, but would wait till the IT show in March to get my hands on one.

Asked if they would be there, they (Eastgear) said they would.

 

[genuinebuyerplease]

Hi ipin,

Thanks for your reply.

I am also shopping for one but can't justify $299 personally for a 40GB. :bigeyes:

Gulp...

 

[ipin]

Guess we have to wait for the release. No indication of the arrival date though. Hope soon!

Eastgear's stock hasn't arrived yet. So far, they only have an empty display unit and 2 boxes for the MD-80 in their shop front display!

 

[Pepper]

Hyperdrive Mini is the cousin of MD80

US pricing...

20GB: US$199
40GB: US$239
60GB: US$269

 

[ipin]

Hyperdrive Mini is the cousin of MD80

US pricing...

20GB: US$199
40GB: US$239
60GB: US$269

More info & pics could be found here :

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1023&message=16196637
http://www.pbase.com/sanho/hyperdrive

Was informed that they come with silicone skins too! Similar to those of the iPod! :lovegrin:

 

[hanz170]

Wah nice leh... got skins somemore. Sleek and small... easier to slip into vest. Good find :thumbsup:

 

[Witness]

it even looks like an ipod mini

 

[Dunnomuch]

i think there are some points we should consider first. a 1.8" HDD is going to cost more per GB, and the nokia battery is still a form of proprietary battery, so if you run out of juice in the field you're pretty much screwed. with a PD70X if you run out of batteries you can use alkaline AAs which are commonly available.

I went to eastgear and saw the mockup of the MD80. it's smaller, but not much smaller, and frankly the same slot in my camera bag would have to be reserved whether i carry a PD70X or MD80, so i would still go for a PD70X at this time. if the price was very close, it might sway me a little, but i doubt it will debut at the same price.

the MD80 looks like it has a plug for the SD card slot that you have to remove to insert the card. i prefer the flip door design of the PD70X. Just an observation.

it would make a lot of sense though for shooters who don't do a lot of heavy work and file transferring in the field. if i had a small camera and a small bag, the MD80 makes perfect sense. on the other hand, if i'm carrying a huge bag or large backpack, then the small weight and size advantage the MD80 has is almost negligible??

 

[ipin]

True, I agree. But a 1.8" HDD would weigh less, factoring the total weight differences of 1 Nokia batt vs. 4 AA batts, weight of the MD-80 vs. the PD-70x. I reckon the weight differences would be very substancial.

Anyway, did anyone visit the EG webby recently? Looks like they have another model! ;p
Transfer rate same as the PD-70x! :bigeyes:

NEXTO CF ND-2500 PORTABLE STORAGE DEVICE (5400rpm 8MB)

Anyone know it's batt life and approx weight? :dunno:

 

[jawtab]

I've always secretly wanted an ipod but now if it can both play mp3s and store my photos while on the road then I'm all over that. I was going to buy a new high capacity SD card but this sounds like a much better option.