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Review: LaCie Pocket CD-RW 8424

The new portable FireWire/USB drive is compatible with iTunes, Toast Titanium and is a winner for PowerBook users.

LaCie has released one of the best CD-RW burners with their new Pocket CD-RW 8424 U&I. Surrounded by a shock resistant bumper for reliable data protection, this drive is made for traveling.


The new portable FireWire/USB drive is compatible with iTunes, Toast Titanium and is a winner for PowerBook users.

LaCie has released one of the best CD-RW burners with their new Pocket CD-RW 8424 U&I. Surrounded by a shock resistant bumper for reliable data protection, this drive is made for traveling.

Features:

  • IEEE1394 (FireWire) and USB interfaces
  • 8x write, 4x re-write, 24x read (FireWire)
  • 4x write, 4x re-write, 6x read (USB)
  • Hot pluggable for Mac & Windows
  • Ultra-portable, shock-absorbent design with a cable groove
  • self-powered 1394 bus

lacie_pocket_cdrw
click for a larger image

The cool design makes it stand out. It is the perfect compliment to the PowerBook G4, iBook or Pismo. The LaCie Pocket CD-RW comes with a power adapter, two FireWire cables (one six-foot, one one-foot) and a six-foot USB cable. LaCie includes their Recording Utilities software (Toast for Macintosh, Easy CD Creator for Windows) and a user guide.

System requirements:

  • Mac OS 8.6 or later
  • 12 MB of RAM (24MB recommended)
  • Minimum 100 MB free hard disk space
  • QuickTime 4.0 or later
  • Recordable CDs or DVDs

The instructions were a little confusing and a call to the support team at LaCie was necessary. I was quite surprised that they responded in less then two and a half minutes. The question: would this Pocket CD-RW work with Roxio’s new Toast Titanium 5.0? The answer is a definite yes.

[A 90-day preview version of Roxio’s Toast Titanium 5.0 for Mac OS X was announced at Macworld Expo NY in July 2001 and is available for free from the Roxio Web site. Some advanced features have not yet been incorporated.]

The technical support rep was very helpful and clear on the easy set up of the Pocket CD-RW. “Many Mac users install the Silver City drivers and Toast from the CD-ROM, but there is no need to do this. It can cause conflicts. All you have to do is install Toast and plug in the LaCie drive.” It was obvious that Mac users are important to the success of LaCie’s and that they take Mac customers seriously.

Installing Roxio’s Toast Titanium 5.0 went smoothly. I took the FireWire cable and connected it after the computer was on and waited a few seconds until Toast acknowledged the LaCie CD-RW.

I burned different several different forms of data including audio, video (VCD) and data (JPGs) smoothly. Certain times I could not burn audio CDs because I did not have enough RAM. It took about 9 minutes and 20 seconds to burn a full CD of music. Some audio CDs took about 7 minute 30 seconds. The Pocket CD-RW drive is also compatible with Apple’s iTunes and Disc Burner making it a tool you can’t live without.

Running the LaCie Pocket CD-RW through its paces produced positive results overall. The only drawback is that it gets hot over a extended periods of use. Be careful when you grab it from the bottom. Also, it is not the fastest CD-RW burner on the market writing at a maximum of 8x (FW) and 4x (USB).

The combination of LaCie’s Pocket CD-RW 8424 and Roxio’s Toast Titanium 5.0 will make PowerBook users rejoice. The drive is designed for people on the go and it makes CD burning an enjoyable experience. Suggested retail for the LaCie Pocket CD-RW 8424 is US$399.00. For further information visit LaCie’s Web site.

By Jason O'Grady

Founded the PowerPage in 1995.