TEAC today announces the immediate availability of a truly portable, battery-operated CD-RW drive, including either a USB or a PCMCIA interface. The portable CD-RW drive is designed with the mobile user in mind, bringing them added portability and a way to create custom CDs on the road. Weighing just over one pound, the drive is approximately the same size as most portable audio CD players. For added flexibility, the TEAC CD-RW can be powered from an integrated rechargeable battery pack that can both power the drive and recharge itself while plugged into the AC Adapter. The PCMCIA version can also draw its power through its interface cable while recharging itself.

TEAC's new portable CD-RW drive both writes and rewrites at 600KB per second (4X) with the USB unit reading at a 900KB per second (6X) data transfer rate and 3,600KBps (24X) maximum for the PCMCIA version. The 110ms average access time and 2MB data buffer make this new CD-RW an extremely efficient and reliable device for creating, copying and backing up CDs. The drive allows users to create up to 700MB of data and the equivalent of 80 minutes of audio onto popular CD-R media for permanent storage or onto reusable CD-RW media for personal back up.

The portable CD-RW drive includes everything needed for easy connection and use, including blank CD-RW and CD-R media, an AC adapter and an interface cable. Both versions ship with Roxio's Easy CD Creator 5 for Windows, allowing users to select from four specific tasks and related applications: create custom audio CDs with MusicCD Project, make data discs with DataCD Project, drag and drop to CD with Direct CD and copy from one CD to another with CD Copier. The USB version also comes with Roxio's Toast software for creating custom data and audio CDs on the Macintosh.

The drives are available as a complete Windows 98/Me/2000 Professional (and Macintosh for USB version) compatible kit at an MSRP of $329.00. Like all of TEAC's Data Storage Products, the 4x4x6 USB and 4x4x24 PCMCIA (model # CD-W24PE) can be found at participating retailers throughout the country and is available to resellers and VARs through the company's network of authorized distributors.