Optical media specialist Imation has just announced two new optical media duplicators that allow the user clone a CD or a DVD medium at the cost of a single click. Both the Imation CD Duplicator and Imation CD/DVD Duplicator do not even need PC connectivity, additional cables or software.

The two duplication devices are targeting at both small and large businesses, as well as SOHO (Small Office / Home Office) environments. The cloning devices are portable, stand-alone disc-to-disc systems that are able to exactly duplicate masters of marketing and promotional materials, backups or system images, and (let's face it) music, video, or other multimedia content.

The Imation CD/DVD Duplicator can work with normal, 12 cm discs, as well as with miniature, 8 cm optical media. It can write data at 16X speeds for DVD+/-R/RW and at 52X for CD-RW media. The units can work continuously for long periods of time, as they never heat up; a LCD display gives the user all the necessary information about the number of copies and the elapsed time, for instance.

"Building on Imation's leadership in optical storage, these two new disc duplicators deliver an easy way for office users to duplicate CDs and DVDs no matter where they are," said Keith Schwartz, director, North America Commercial Division of Imation Corp. "We're extending our optical media accessories beyond publishing to also include duplication, a need our customers have been demanding from a source they can trust."

Both the Imation CD Duplicator and Imation CD/DVD Duplicator units can fit on a desk, but they also can be moved to different locations with ease. The CD Duplicator unit can copy a master 700MB CD to CD-R media at up to 52X speeds in about two and a half minutes (faster than executing copies using a PC). Duplication of CD discs to CD-RW media can be executed at maximum 32X speeds. DVDs can be burnt at a maximum speed of 16X, which translates in 11 minutes of waiting time between discs.

The units are available for retail on the North American market at an estimative retail price of $279.99 for the Imation CD Duplicator, and $329.99 for the DVD-enabled version.