Imation today announced full support for the Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system and Windows Media Audio (WMA) in its new Imation RipGO! mini CD-R burner and digital audio player.

Building on the momentum of Internet and digital media activity, Windows XP includes many improvements that increase productivity and provide both business and home users with an easy-to-use and exciting PC experience.

Designed to fit in the palm of your hand, Imation RipGO! is the smallest device available today for both recording compressed music on CDs and high-performance playback of digital music in MP3 and WMA formats. Its sleek, battery-powered USB CD-R drive uses mini (80mm) CD-R discs to store and play up to 185MB of digital information -- enough capacity for six hours of CD-quality music with WMA or three hours playback with MP3.

``Imation continues to respond to customer demands for digital storage solutions that offer advanced productivity, compatibility and portability,'' said Steve Carter, vice president and general manager, Imation's Personal Storage Solutions Business. ``Working with Microsoft and incorporating Windows XP compatibility into Imation RipGO! extends the personal computing experience by acting as the integration point for devices - delivering enhanced reliability, security and performance.''

Microsoft Windows XP delivers an all-in-one experience for creating, capturing, and playing digital music on computers and portable music players, such as Imation RipGO!. Featuring built-in capabilities to transfer WMA and MP3 files to devices, Windows XP enables users to easily create audio CDs with Windows Media Player for Windows XP. WMA is the most advanced audio compression technology available today, and is designed to take advantage of innovative new features and improvements that are only available as a part of the Windows XP operating system.

``Windows XP opens up tremendous new digital music experiences, both on the PC and on devices, such as Imation RipGO!,'' said Dave Fester, general manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft. ``With Windows XP and RipGO!, you can take hours of high-quality music with you wherever you go.''

Leveraging Windows XP dramatically improves the computing experience for home and business users with revolutionary stability, reliability and holistic digital experiences. With Windows XP, consumers can create, play and interact using digital media, home networking, instant messaging, voice and video to do things they have never done before with a PC. Mobile business users can work smarter and faster, employing productivity and connectivity features ranging from remote access to multilingual communication to meet the demands of any size company.

Imation RipGO! mini CD-R burner and digital audio player will be available October 25th at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $399.99 (actual pricing may vary). The mini CD-R burner and digital audio player works with Imation's widely available and easy-to-use mini (80mm) CD-R media, available in five cool neon colors, at an estimated street price of $9.99.