LaCie is showing off a new 4x4x24x PocketDrive CD-RW at this week’s Macworld Expo in San Francisco. The palm-size device is six by six inches and is the first CD-RW to include both USB and FireWire connectors, according to LaCie.
The PocketDrive automatically detects the system interface and configures the connection, so the drives mount as soon as they are connected. It has two IEEE 1394 ports so that the drive can be daisy-chained with other FireWire devices such as the LaCie PocketDrive hard disk. With its U&I interface, the device can easily be shared between users or between a desktop and a laptop, Mac or PC, said Guillaume Mazieres, LaCie vice president of marketing and sales.
The LaCie PocketDrive writes and rewrites at 4X speed, enabling users to burn a full 650 MB CD-R or CD-RW disc in less than 20 minutes, he added. The drive will also read all industry standard CDs at 24X speed.
With a manufacturer suggested retail price of US$399, the LaCie 4x4x24x PocketDrive can be bought through the usual channels, as well as at Apple’s online store (store.apple.com). The drive is bundled with cables, a universal A/C adapter, three CD-R discs, one CD-RW disc and the LaCie Recording Utilities. The latter includes Adaptec Toast 4.1.1 for Mac users.