Iomega 16x10x40x External CD-RW

We're finally starting to see a few USB 2 peripherals reaching the shops, and one of the first is this new CD-RW drive from Iomega.

USB 2 provides much faster data-transfer speeds, with a maximum of 480Mbits/s compared to the relatively sedate 12Mbits/s managed by a standard USB interface.

This means peripherals such as scanners, webcams and CD-RW drives can work much faster and more efficiently, while still maintaining the simplicity that makes USB so useful. The problem with these new USB 2 devices is that few PCs are equipped with the necessary port.

To get around this, Iomega has bundled a USB 2 card with its new 16x10x40 External CD-RW drive. The device is an Adaptec USB 2 Connect card with two ports, so you can connect other peripherals to it alongside the Iomega drive.

The previous version of this drive was designed for a normal USB 1 interface and only provided 4x4x6 performance levels (that's 4x for write, 4x rewrite and 6x for read). Moving to USB 2 provides a big increase in performance to 16x for writing, 10x for rewrite and 40x for read. This means that you can write (or 'burn') a one-hour audio CD in under five minutes.

In addition to the updated hardware, Iomega has included a new piece of software called HotBurn. This provides a simple drag-and-drop interface that makes it very easy to create your own CDs, and also allows you to save files to CD from within other applications.

There are cheaper CD-RW drives available, but the 16x10x40x External CD-RW works well and includes a good software bundle. And, with the USB 2 card included, it provides a useful upgrade that will allow you to add other USB 2 peripherals in the future.

Features:

• 16x10x40x (write/rewrite/read) speed
• Bundled USB 2 PCI card
• HotBurn CD-burning software
• QuickSync backup software
• Buffer under-run prevention

Minimum requirements: Windows 98 SE; USB port and spare PCI slot for USB 2 card.

Contact: Iomega 020 7216 0003
www.iomega.com

See also:

LaCie StudioDrive CD-RW

A removeable media drive for both Macintosh and PC owners.  21 May 2002

Plextor PlexWriter S88TU

Plextor's first portable CD-RW drive is ideal to share between desktop PCs in different locations.  17 May 2002

Iomega Predator 24x

A fast drive with USB.  08 May 2002

Teac CD-W28PU

Speed, portability and compatibility.  19 Apr 2002

Plextor 24/10/40U (USB 2.0)

An extremely fast, solidly built external CD writer.  02 Apr 2002

Iomega Predator

A good external CD writer, if a little expensive.  28 Jun 2001

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