14 DAY TRIAL // Though notebooks usually have their own optical drives, there are certain ultrathin laptops or netbooks that lack such a component, or could do with a better one, so Apricorn designed the EZ Writer II, a glossy black DVD writer with USB connectivity, a thickness of 0.84 inches and a weight of only 11.7 oz.
The official press release of the company describes this device as “all-inclusive solution for burning and playing DVDs and CDs.”
Mostly, the new external optical drive is meant to be used with notebooks and netbooks, as it is optimized for portability and, more importantly, can operate and communicate with the host system on just the power provided by a single USB port.
The EZ Writer II measures just 0.84 inches and weighs 11.7 oz, even while it has 2MB of buffer and can write DVD-RW/+RW at 6x, CD-R/-RW at 24x and DVD-R/+R (DL) at 8x.
Also, the Dual layer recording engine allows for the recording of up to 8.5 GB of data per DVD, which is double the 4.7 GB of single-layer DVDs and the equivalent of over 12 CDs.
Furthermore, the product is bundled with the BurnAware CD/DVD burning software and should be a fine asset not to just travelers but also filmmakers and photographers, while in the field.
"With the growing popularity of sub-miniature notebooks which ship without integrated optical drives, combined with the increased functionality of slim-line DVDs, demand for portable DVD drives is growing," said Mike McCandless, Apricorn's VP of Sales and Marketing.
"With EZ Writer II's state-of-the-art design, low power circuit and a convenient integrated cable, it is really just a better mousetrap," he added.
The Apricorn EZ Writer II is backed by a one-year warranty and is already available for purchase from US and Canada resellers, at $54, with a $25 mail-in rebate.