Sony Electronics has expanded its desktop storage portfolio with the introduction of two portable CD-RW and DVD-ROM Combo drives that the company says offer “feature-intensive applications for Macintosh and Windows platforms.”
Available with both PC Card and USB 2.0 interfaces, as well as Mac and PC software suites, both combo drives support a 20X maximum write speed and are equipped with Sony’s Power-Burn technology designed to prevent buffer under-run and writing errors due to mechanical shocks, according to Toshi Naito, vice president of data storage for Sony Electronics’ Core Technology Solutions Company.
The drives come with some Mac compatible software for the classic operating system. The Sony Portable CD-RW and DVD-ROM Combo drive comes with the PCMIA Card (CRX85A/A1) and will be available next month. The USB 2.0 version (CRX85U/A2) will also be available in the U.S. in December for an estimated price of US$329. Also note that the CRX85A/A1 model will include Windows only software, while the CRX85U/A2 model will include both Macintosh and Windows software.
To take advantage of the USB 2.0 version, you’ll need a USB PCI card from a third party such as Keyspan, Orange Micro or Adaptec.