Back for round two, this hot new Zip® drive is not just for Mac users. The recommendation for PC users is the USB 2.0 750MB Zip drive for its ability to move data at a speed of up to 480mbps as compared to the FireWire® version, which tops out at 400mbps, not to mention the money saved in hardware. Be on the lookout for Firewire to make an appearance with an 800mbps leap sometime in the future.

USB 2.0 750MB Zip drives retails for $180, while a disk goes for $14.95 singly or $12.49 in packs of eight. Its FireWire counter-part will sell for $200.

This drive is backwards compatible with the old USB 1.1, which moves data at the sluggish rate of 12mbps. That’s great news if you haven’t quite made the switch to 2.0 yet but plan to in the future. Unfortunately, running the drive on USB 1.1 will not exploit the optimum performance that this piece of hardware is capable of.

One cool feature of either Zip 750 drive is the ability to read original 100MB Zip disks, as well as next-generation 250MB disks.

The software bundle included with the drive also has some impressive features. The Automatic Backup software allows users to back up any file or folder to Zip disks or other destinations and schedule backups at their whim.

The bundle also comes with Sync Software which operates much in the same way PDA software works. It allows users to sync file changes from their hard drive to a Zip disk, which can come in handy for users who often need files from work at home.

Another software feature that stands out possesses the ability to secure important files more easily than typical floppies or recordable CDs and DVDs. Password-protection is available for write or read-and-write access; all the user must do is right click on the disk icon in My Computer and choose Protect and select a protection level. The next time the disk is used a password prompt will appear.

Installation of the software is simple and self-explanatory, but just in case, Iomega includes an in-depth user manual on the CD which explains system requirements, how to use the drive, and basic troubleshooting. Free technical support is also included for one year, at which point users can opt to purchase more support.

All system requirements for PC or Macintosh® users can be found at the Iomega web site. (http://www.iomega.com)