Notebooks & Accessories

News: Slim External DVD Burner

All this talk of notebook glitches has me thinking about backup devices. Here's one with potential: Targus's new USB 2.0 Rewriteable DVD±RW Slim External Drive. The drive weighs under a pound and measures less than an inch thick, the company claims. It draws power from the USB connection and is "hot pluggable," meaning you can connect and disconnect the drive without rebooting your computer. Also, the $490 external drive supports the CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD-RW formats.

News: Compact USB Hard Drive

And here's another potential notebook backup device for your consideration: the 1.8-inch Apricorn EZ Bus Mini hard drive. The drive is "the smallest and only (USB) bus-powered hard drive available with certification from the USB Implementers Forum," according to Apricorn. The EZ Bus Mini weighs 5 ounces, comes in 20GB ($199) and 40GB ($279) capacities, and has a rotation speed of 4200 rpm. Included in the package are a travel pouch, encryption and synchronizing software, and back-up software.

Hands On: Dell's Inspiron 9100

IDG News Service's resident gearhead Agam Shah tried out Dell's Inspiron 9100 desktop replacement notebook. His assessment: It's a powerful machine with lots of features, but carrying it between office and home "almost broke my back." (The 9100 weighs 9 pounds without an AC adapter.) Another nit: The $2310 notebook's battery ran only about 2.5 hours on one charge. Read Agam's review of the 9100 in "Disco Umbrellas and Other Gadgets" (it's the second item on the page).