Effective immediately, LaCie announced an end user price of only $299 — after $30 rebate — on the firmis high-performance 16x10x40x CD-RW drive that features”BURN-Proof” (Buffer Under RuN) technology. Equipped with LaCieis unique U&I interface, the new drives are the first true 16X CD-RW drives to offer both Universal Serial Bus (USB) and FireWire (IEEE 1394) support. Also available with SCSI-3 connectivity, the LaCie 16x10x40x drive provides unprecedented versatility and reliability for power user applications such as digital audio extraction, audio ripping, creating multimedia files and low-cost file sharing.
The LaCie 16x10x40x drive writes to CD-Rs at 140 MB per minute (16X) and rewrites CD-RWs at 87.5 MB per minute (10X). By replacing older constant linear velocity (CLV) technology with more advanced constant angular velocity (CAV) technology, the new drive also delivers 40x playback and fast 130ms data access.
The Burn-Proof technology included with the drive automatically adjusts the computeris speed and the data throughput based on the discis capability and recording conditions. This ensures a continuous data stream and eliminates buffer underrun errors that can occur in fast-write modes. The advanced BURN-Proof technology also allows users to burn CDs in the background while working on other applications.
Offering unrivalled connectivity, the drives can be used with USB and FireWire-equipped computers. The LaCie drive automatically detects the system interface and configures the connection. Both interfaces offer hot-plug capability so users donit have to shut down or reboot the computer. The drive mounts automatically as soon as it is connected.
Including three 80 minute CD-R disks, the 16x10x40x CD-RW drive is available for US$299. You can find more information at the LaCie Web site.