The Caleb Technology UHD144 (Ultra High Density) was a floptical

Floptical

Floptical refers to a type of disk drive that combines magnetic and optical technologies to store large amounts of data on media similar to 3½-inch floppy disks. The name is a portmanteau of the words 'floppy' and 'optical'...

-based 144 MB floppy disk

Floppy disk

A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...

 system introduced in early 1998, marketed as the it drive. Like other floptical

Floptical

Floptical refers to a type of disk drive that combines magnetic and optical technologies to store large amounts of data on media similar to 3½-inch floppy disks. The name is a portmanteau of the words 'floppy' and 'optical'...

-like systems, the UHD144 could read and write standard 720KB and 1.44MB 3½-inch disks as well. Its main advantage was the low cost of the media, which averaged about $5 shortly after introduction — in wider production prices would have fallen.

The UHD144 had little chance in the marketplace, being squeezed by the Iomega ZIP and Imation LS-120 for floppy-like large-storage needs, and the rapid introduction of the writable CD-ROM

CD-ROM

A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....

 shortly after its introduction. The company went bankrupt in early 2002.