Liteon will this month ship an external DVD writer that uses a slot-load mechanism rather than the more commonplace drawer system. The company is pitching the product at notebook users, though its slimline styling should appeal to desktop users too.

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The SLW-831SX can handle DVD±R/RW media and has dual-layer disc support. DVD burn speeds run from 8x for recordable media down to 4x for rewriteable discs and 2.4x for dual-layer media. The drive will also write CD-R/RWs too, at 24x.

The drive incorporates technology to eliminate coaster-making buffer under-run errors and, Liteon says, delivers the best speed for both audio recording and disc ripping.

The SLW-831SX connects to a host computer via USB 2.0. It's due to ship later this month for around £97. ®