Samsung announced a new portable slot loading, slim DVD writer, the SE-B18AB. The drive has a metallic-finished surface and is targeted to be a companion for Ultrabook users. The drive connects to the computer using an USB cable that can also power the device.
Samsung bundles the drive with something they call an AV Connectivity tool which allows the SE-B18AB to function as a portable data storage device when it is connected to USB-connectable tablets. The drive is also equipped with Smart Archive Technology which helps to store personal data. Samsung also explicitly mentions that the SE-B18AB follows the standard DVD format, which should make it compatible with archival discs (ISO10995 standard) and qualified normal discs.
The drive is Windows 8 compatible and also works on the latest Mac OS versions.
The SE-B18AB writes DVD+R and DVD-R discs at 8x and also reads them at that speed. It supports writing DVD+R and DVD-R double layer at 6x. DVD+RW discs can be written at 8x and DVD-RW discs at 6x. CD recordables and rewritables are written at 24x which is also the speed they can be read back. The drive can read DVD-ROM at 8x and supports both reading and writing of DVD-RAM at 5x.
The drive should be available now at a price of around $49.99.
