Iomega debuts ScreenPlay Director hubs, v.Clone software
updated 12:10 pm EST, Tue January 5, 2010
v.Clone creates bootable PC image
Iomega has unveiled several new products, the focus being on the the ScreenPlay Director HD ($250) and the ScreenPlay TV Link Director ($130). Both units allow streaming 1080p video to a TV, in formats including AVCHD, DivX, H.264, WMV and MKV; CinemaNow and YouTube videos are also supported, along with DVD images. Photos can be streamed from Flickr, and some other options include Shoutcast radio, RSS feeds and podcasts. The Director HD differs only in including a 1TB hard drive, but is now up for pre-order.
Taking advantage of sibling company VMware, Iomega has also announced v.Clone, a new utility for its portable eGo and Prestige hard drives. The software creates a complete VMware image of a PC, allowing users to launch its programs and data from any other compatible Windows system, so long as an Iomega drive is connected. All settings are retained, and once a drive is reconnected to the original PC, any changes are synced incrementally.
Beyond running from an external hard drive, the main limitation of v.Clone is that it does not create a true image which can be used to restore a PC after a crash. The software should become available later this month.
