There’s no denying that in the age of flash memory based storage, the use of optical storage is on the decline. Add to the fact that Ultrabooks and their svelte figure, optical drives are dying a slow death. However there are times where you gotta have an optical drive and this is where an external drive comes to the rescue.
We’re reviewing the LiteON’s latest offering that is claimed to be the world’s slimmest. The eUAU108 is a slim DVD drive at just 13.2mm in thickness and weighs just under 250 grams.
Design-wise, the eUAU108 optical drive does complement the chic-looking Macbooks and Ultrabooks with its piano-black finish.
Best thing about external drives are that it does not degrade the aesthetic appeal of the actual laptop, does not add unnecessary bulk to the notebook and comes in handy only when required.
The LiteON eUAU108 drive has a flushed in USB cable that sits nicely beneath the drive when not in use. The drive is plug-and-play, which means it does not require any drivers to work. However, if you’re looking for an official OS support, the LiteON offering will work with Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS and Linux. In short, the drive supports all spectrum of operating systems.
Another interesting feature the eUAU108 boasts is Link2TV feature. The feature basically allows users to enjoy images, music or videos from the optical media in the drive directly to the TV. This of course, requires a USB port present in the TV as well as the TV should support the required format.
On the burning front, the drive supports up to 24X for CDs, up to 8X for DVDs or 6X for dual layer recording. The drives also support Smart Burn Technology that adjusts writing method and power level to write disc without creating buffer underrun errors and SMART-X technology to select the right read speed
An external DVD writer is more inclined towards its function than its form but if you want the best of both worlds – the LiteOn eUAU108 won’t disappoint.
It retails for around Rs. 2,700.
looks very thin and light feeling dvd writer