14 DAY TRIAL // With laptops focusing on portability and compactness, they sometimes fail to actually include an optical drive of their own, this being the basis for the external ODD market, a market which Samsung and Logitech have now both addressed.
Logitech has reportedly come up with the LDR-PME8U2V, a DVD writer which measures 136.5 (W) 143 (D) 19.2 (H) mm.
The product has a weight of 300 grams and has a top panel made of scratch-resistant aluminum, making it more than enduring enough to be carried around on rips of any length.
In terms of performance, the USB-connected optical disk unit can handle a variety of formats, both of the CD and DVD variety.
For those interested in the specifics, CD-R/-RW are written at 24x, DVD-R/+R DL and DVD-RW at 6x, DVD-RAM at 5x and DVD-R/+R/+RW at 8x.
This product is bundled with the Roxio Creator XJ burning software and will start selling next week, in black and red color options priced at $116.
Samsung's own optical disk drive is the SE-S084F, also designed with USB connectivity and measuring 137 x 146 x 170 mm, its weight being of 200 grams.
The WriteMaster technology allows scribing onto disks to be done quickly and even allows multitasking, not just on powerful PCs but even on lower-end ones. The writing process is made smooth by the Tilt Actuator Compensation.
As for speeds, the writing process is accomplished at 24x for CD-R/-RW, 8x for DVD-R/DVD+R and DVD+RW, 5x for DVD-RAM and 6x for DVD-R/+R DL, DVD-RW.
Samsung's electronic is, of course, aimed at mini PCs besides just notebooks and, to meet the tastes of a wider range of customers, will be available in five colors.
The Samsung SE-S084F has a price tag revolving around the $60 mark, although Amazon seems to have already listed it for $53.51.
