Iomega's Predator Reshapes CD-RW Drives

$269.95 external USB CD-RW drive combines sleek design and an upcoming choice of interfaces.

Stan Miastkowski, special to PCWorld.com

LAS VEGAS-- Iomega's Predator, with a name that seems inspired by a shoot-'em-up PC game and a design that looks like a Little Green Person's flying saucer, is designed to stand out from the pack in its debut at Comdex here this week.

The CD-RW drive replaces the motorized front-loading drive tray found on most CD-RW drives with a flip-top design that 's closer to that found in portable CD audio players. The unit is expected to ship in January at an estimated retail price of $269.95.

Iomega claims the Predator design is quieter and mechanically simpler and treats CDs more gently than front-loading drives. The USB interface delivers 4X/4X/6X performance. (See "How It Works: USB.")

Another design innovation in Predator is interchangeable interfaces, which will allow the same drive to deliver faster performance. Early next year, Iomega will release an IEEE-1394 (FireWire) adapter that will be bundled with the drive and will deliver 8X/4X/32X performance. It will retail for $349.95. (See "How It Works: IEEE 1394.")

The company says interfaces for both PC card and the upcoming higher-speed USB 2.0 will be available later in 2001. You'll be able to switch among any of the four connections. Prices for the interfaces alone aren't yet available.

Iomega is also touting the package as lightweight. The drive alone weighs 1 pound, 2 ounces. The USB dongle adds 2 ounces to its weight. The power supply and cord add 11 ounces to the package.

On the software side, Predator ships with Adaptec Easy CD Creator 4.0, Adaptec Direct CD, Adaptec Toast, MusicMatch JukeBox Plus, MGI PhotoSuite, Abode ActiveShare, and a 30-day trial version of Iomega Quik Sync 2.

Also included in the Predator package are two CD-R discs, one CD-RW disk, audio and data cables, and an external power supply.