Lite-On eNAU708

With ultrabooks favoring portability over the inclusion of optical drives, you may find yourself missing being able to enjoy DVDs, install software, and archive files to disc. The Lite-On eNAU708 ($39.99 list) is a slim external DVD burner that offers reading and burning capabilities in a compact form that travels easily for users on the go. It may not handle Blu-ray discs, but if you don't need that functionality the eNAU708 is nonetheless a simple, affordable solution to a growing problem for laptop users.

Design
Measuring 0.6 by 5.5 by 5.2 inches (HWD) and weighing only 7.4 ounces?a hair less than the 8-ounce Pioneer BDR-XD04 ($149.99 direct, 4 stars)? the eNAU708 is small and light enough to slip into a backpack or back pocket. The drive comes with a USB Y cable, which lets you power it at home or on the road without the need for a bulky AC adapter.

The eNAU708 has a tray-loading design, similar to the Editors' Choice Samsung SE-506AB External Slim Blu-ray Re-Writer ($129.99 street, 4 stars). It is available in either piano black or silver, and has rounded corners that give it a somewhat sophisticated look.

Most common formats are supported on the eNAU608 for reading and burning, including DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-RAM, CD-R, and CD-RW. The drive itself works with both Windows (XP, Vista, and Windows 7) and Linux, but Linux users won't have support for the accompanying software and Mac users are out of luck all around.

Features
The eNAU708, like other portable DVD burners, includes a copy of Nero 9 Essentials for playing, copying, and authoring discs, as well as the proprietary MyDisk software suite. Included in MyDisk are tools for disc burning and file management, but others bridge the gap between your PC and the devices you use every day. DiskIndex is a disc navigation menu that aims to make finding the files you want more intuitive than the normal hunt through PC file trees. DiskCollection helps you manage your data and burn to disc using a simple drag-and-drop interface, with extra tools for adding content descriptions and automatically indexing files.

Users of iOS devices have a couple of utilities designed specifically for them. DiskMobile can pull images from an iPad or iPhone and aid in burning them to disc; DiskCase, for iPad, can be used for designing disc covers. The eNAU708 is not the first drive we've seen to bring disc storage and burning to iPad and iPhone owners, but it does so in a much more sensible manner than we saw with the Samsung Optical SmartHub SE-208BW ($129.99 street, 2 stars).

Also part of the software package are two programs to keep things running smoothly. Smart Burn monitors data writing and adjusts recording parameters and power levels to ensure high-quality data recording without incomplete or partial burns. And Smart-X improves disc reading by adjusting the read speed according to the quality of the disc, devoting more time and energy to pulling data from low-quality discs. In addition to these tools, Lite-On covers the eNAU708 with a one-year warranty.

As we tested the drive, we read from and burned to a variety of formats?DVD and CD, single- and dual-layer?and never ran into any issues. The Nero video tools worked just as expected, with burning to disc a simple and straightforward process.

All in all, the Lite-On eNAU708 proved itself a competent portable DVD drive, and the simplicity of setting up the MyDisk suite offers a more usable alternative to the Samsung SmartHub. It also costs $90 less than the Blu-ray?equipped Editors' Choice Samsung SE-506AB, making it an easy pick for the budget buyer who doesn't need HD video.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Lite-On eNAU708 with several other optical drives side by side.

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