Travel Technology - Does anyone have experience with CF Microdrives?

I'm thinking about buying a 4GB CF microdrive for my Ipaq, but I'm wondering about the power consumption even with the newer improved models out.

I know the older ones can suck batteries dry in a short period of time, but I'm not sure about the newer ones.

Is there a reason you want to go for a microdrive. I guess you can find some places that are liquidating them for really cheap. I haven't used them personally, but to me it makes sense that solid-state memory would be inherently more robust than a mini harddrive. Did you think about going for a 4 gig CF1 card?

Don't get the microdrive for your iPaq. While they work VERY well with digital cameras, but they don't work well with PDAs due to the power drain.

They suck power like a hoover and they are sloooow compared to flash based cards. Stay away.

I bought a 1g IBM microdrive a couple of years ago for a CF-based digital camera when 32mb cards were standard. It doesn't load into the slide show mode in the CF slot in my HDTV, another reason to stay away. Higher capacity CF cards are the way to go now and what I would do now, before the eventual replacement of CF by SD.

Microdrives are extremely sensitve to being dropped. I have gone through a couple this way. IBM was good at replacing them under warrenty but the photos were gone.

I would go for CF cards, lower power, and I have heard of people who have washed them in the washer and they have survived, don't try this at home and your mileage may vary.

Another vote for CF card instead of microdrives. Used to use the microdrives and while I never had problems with them, I rather use a CF card as the power drain was quite noticeable on PDA's. Recommend spending the extra money on a high capacity CF card. My 2 cents.

I've owned 2 of these several years ago. Photojournalists HATED these. Wayyyy too sensitive. If you drop them, you're totally toast. With the costs of compact flash cards dropping faster than the administration's approval rating, there's simply no good reason to buy this technology. It's obsolete to boot.

I bought one, had it replaced by IBM. The other one failed (neither was dropped) and I had it replaced. Sold it new, in a unopened box on eBay. Was never so happy to dump a product as I was the microdrive product. :D




Don't get the microdrive for your iPaq. While they work VERY well with digital cameras, but they don't work well with PDAs due to the power drain.

Thanks for the replies. All the responses confirmed my suspicions about power draw. I was considering one due to the price delta between 4GB Microdrives and CF.

..before the eventual replacement of CF by SD.

Not gonna happen. Any capacity gains by SD are usually doubled by CF