It is always nice to see new ideas springing up in the optical storage industry and the new LiteOn EZ-DUB concept is one of these innovative ideas that makes burning easier, more fun and faster. We did not investigate the writing quality and reading performance of this drive, since this work has already been done in a previous test review, the new SHW-1635SU left us with a good impression. As LiteOn states: "It is as easy as 1, 2, 3. The simple "Back-Up" plan". It is a simple external burner with two buttons on the top of the case that makes all the difference.

The SHW-1635S is the first drive that was selected by LiteOn to be released with the EZ-DUB functionality, and we hope to see more drives come out with these capabilities as well. The drive's features will cover the needs of any user, since it can burn DVD+R and DVD-R discs at 16x, CD media at 48x, DVD+R DL media at 8x, and DVD-R DL discs at 4x (!).

EZ-DUB is very easy to work with, and the software included in the retail package uses many wizards to guide you through the burning process. It really is as simple as 1, 2, 3, and only three clicks are needed to burn a disc. On the other hand, without the EZ-DUB software, the drive will act like an external burner. If you don't care about voiding the warranty, you can even change the SHW-1635S drive with another one, especially as newer, faster drives become available.

We should also mention here that the SHW-1635S is not the only EZ-DUB drive. LiteOn recently released the SOHW-1673S burner with the EZ-DUB features. The LiteOn SHW 1635SU EZ-DUB drive is priced at approximately €125.00.