"...Sony Electronics today announced the first portable CD-R/RW drive that can also perform as a stand-alone CD player. The CRX10U-A2 is the first member of Sony's new Digital Relay family of computer peripheral products with integrated AV functionality.

It is a stylish, portable, battery-operated CD-R/RW drive, incorporating a USB interface for plug-and-play connectivity. When attached to a computer, the CRX10U-A2 enables users to perform common CD-R/RW drive recording tasks as backing up their system, recording digital images and creating original music CDs. When detached from the computer, the drive functions as a CD player that can also playback CDs with MP3 files, allowing up to 11 hours of music to be stored on a single CD. Detached playback can be controlled by a wired remote that features standard playback and volume controls, a battery life indicator, and an LCD display for viewing MP3 music titles in ID3 tag format, or CD Text information if encoded on the disc. The Digital Relay (CRX10U-A2) drive will be widely available in April for an estimated selling price of $399

Key Features:
- Universal Serial Bus (USB) Connection: Offers fast and easy connectivity and setup on MacintoshÒ and WindowsÒ-based systems.
- 4X Maximum CD-R/RW Recording and 6X maximum CD-ROM Reading
- Integrated Hardware MP3 Decoding: Decodes and plays MP3 files encoded from 128Kb/sec. and up to 320Kb/sec.
- AC or Battery Powered: Allows for up to two hours record time at 4X speed, up to two and a half hours playback of CD audio, and up to two hours playback of CD-ROM or MP3 on a rechargeable InfoLithium battery.
- Wired Remote Control with LCD Display: Gives quick access to the playback controls and displays playing track information for audio CD or ID3 tag information for MP3.
- Earphones: Bundled with compact earphones..."