If you’ve got a Mac and you’re one of those people, you might want to try the Plextor PX-610U external DVD burner for Mac. With an online price between $90 and $121, the drive burns CDs and DVDs at a max of 8X (5X for DVD-RAM discs) and is powered via the USB port on your computer.

In the box is Roxio Toast 9, a USB cable, a cleaning cloth, a soft pouch, instructions and the little white drive.

Sure, the SuperDrive in the Mac is a fine burning drive, but why waste the life of your internal drive? With the nearly pocket-sized Plextox you can burn from disc to disc easily and quickly.

As an example, I put a copy of Paul and Storm’s album Gumbo Pants in my Mac and fired up the included copy of Roxio Toast 9. Watching the burn window, the average burn speed was about 9X with some of the high spin rates bumping 18X. The burn – disc to disc – took about two minutes for an album with 30 songs on it and a play time of 46:30.

Next up, an unprotected movie…for archival and my own back-up purposes only. Burning protected material is said to be wrong.

I started with a copy of Vertigo from Alfred Hitchcock. After putting it in the Mac and doing some ‘magic’ to it, I burned those files to a DVD+R in the Plextor.

Yes, it took a while. Actually started at 7:45PM and was done at 9:30PM. So, almost two hours for one DVD is quite a while. The promised 8X didn’t materialize, even on discs rated for 16X, but it did average in the 3-4X range which wasn’t horrible.

The drive – as I mentioned – is small. It comes with a velveteen carry pouch and a USB cord. The cord serves as both the recharging cable and the transfer cord.

In fact, when I got the drive it was probably charged but schedules and life got in the way so much I let the charge dwindle to almost nothing. In just a couple hours, even while using the Plextor, the drive was fully charged and ready to go. Pretty cool.

The drive spins silently, has a button on the front to eject discs, and has an odd stainless steel square on the top.

What’s my take?

Stuff I like -

Relatively fast DVD and CD burning.

Comes with Roxio Toast 9 – you’d pay probably $50+ just for that software.

Charges with the included USB cable (so no need for an external power supply).

Fits in a cargo-pants pocket, it’s just a sliver larger than a standard CD or DVD case.

Stuff I don’t like -

Not a heck of a lot stands out. The drive works as promised and comes bundled with the software you need. It even includes software for the PC in case you also have a PC.

So, my only reservation is the price because you can get a DVD external for less money in a lot of places. But this drive holds its own.

The verdict…

If you’re going to use DVDs and CDs to back up your data and entertainment…and you own a Mac…this drive makes some sense. The included Roxio Toast is sweet and is fully-functional, even as bundled software.

The rechargeable white case fits in your pants and just plain works. As I implied, the only reason to look for another solution is if you already have burning software and just need a drive.

But I like this little drive. It makes the cut.

So when I got the ABBA Gold player pack from SanDisk (or should I say Sansa), I was worried that if I ever tried to remove the card I’d end up tuneless.

But I soldiered on and unwrapped the package. Inside the bundle – for $35 – came the player, some headphones, a microSD case, a microSD USB adapter (w00t!), the microSD with ABBA Gold on it, and an AA battery.

As I am prone to do, I immediately pressed and prodded the player – just longer than a AA battery and about the size of a fat lighter – and nothing happened. I pushed on the card and it popped out easily. I pulled on the case, still no music. So I resorted to the directions.

These told me I had to install the battery. Funny, because most things I build or assemble end up with extra parts so I didn’t think anything was wrong when the AA battery was rolling around my lap.

The cover was a little difficult to slide off, but once I had installed the battery, the music flowed with ease.

Now you realize that microSD cards are the vehicle of choice for moving data to and from myriad cell phones. You might not realize that they’re also perfect for backing up data on your computer. I’m taking this tangent because with the USB adapter Sansa included, I now have a way to back up music, photos, documents on a container that fits in the coin pocket of my jeans.

That’s a huge win. In fact, during the 2009 CES in Las Vegas, SanDisk was handing out 16GB microSD cards and USB adapters. I’ve used that device probably more than I use my desktop or even pocket back-up drives. On vacation it becomes a perfect spot to back up photos – so if I lose my camera and my laptop I’m still protected. The only way I’m up a creek is if I lose my pants…but then I suspect I might have other issues to worry about.

Enough digressing, what did I like or despise about the Sansa Bundle?

The instructions are fun and pretty clear. Printed on colored little squares of paper, they walk you visually through inserting the battery and getting the player going. *Without these instructions I might still be monkeying with the buttons on the player in silence.

The headphones are just a step above airline quality earbuds. They deliver sound, but it’s not like listening to top-end audio. The faux gold connector at the end might make you think they’re better than base level, but I don’t think they are.

USB adapter. JUST A MAJOR WIN. Love that this was included. It’s an added bonus that I didn’t anticipate.

Player thoughts. The player fits in a pocket easily. Operation is above average, although you have to repeatedly hit buttons to get a response. For instance, to increase or decrease volume you need to press, press, press. I’d rather have a control that climbs when you keep the button pressed. Music navigation is easy – forward and back. And accessing the card and battery are simple too.

Sansa is offering a slew of music packages in a line called slotMusic. This collection is just an overpackaged microSD card with a full album on it. You take that card, pop it into your phone or Sansa player and you’re ready to go. Albums cost about the same as a CD, but are already more versatile than a disc.

Overall, I’m not sure I’d jump at a $35 player and album package for myself. It makes a neat gift for someone who isn’t too far along the technology spectrum – but if you’ve already got an MP3 player, this isn’t for you.

You’re better off getting slotMusic or even buying tracks separately and then loading them onto your existing player. Another option is to get one of Sansa’s other players – they offer a little more versatility and some even receive radio signals.

Still raving about the USB adapter though.

Final determination…

Sansa Player and slotMusic make the cut, but only for those who don’t already have a better option.

Sansa Player Pack with ABBA (or a number of other artists) – $35

If you work with digital content – be they photos, music or even documents – you’re going to need a storage solution.

CDs and DVDs have a limited shelf life and are unwieldy if the data you’re storing is larger than 4GB. That’s where portable hard drives come in.

External drives, at least those that are portable, are typically between 160GB and 500GB (and increasing every day). They are often plug-and-play, so moving your data is as easy as plugging in a USB cord and dragging your data to the drive to back it up. And now they’re even coming in secure, standalone models.

Maxtor’s BlackArmor Always encrypted Government-grade Hard Drive – $169.99 MSRP for 320GB – $119.99 MSRP for 160GB. However these were marked down on Maxtor’s web site the day I wrote this article to $134.99 and $59.99 respectively.

The BlackArmor’s claim to fame is that it has government-grade AES encryption certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It also comes with the “Maxtor Manager” software suite and the “BlackArmor Manager” software suite. These software suites can be installed and used to automatically back up files, synchronize folders on multiple computers, update passwords, and test the drive.

Any time the drive is disconnected it automatically locks, and without a password, one cannot access any of the backed up files on the drive. But how does it work? Let’s go from box to backup…

In the box are the BlackArmor drive, a USB cable to connect it to your computer, a carrying pouch, and a Quick Start Guide. In less than a minute I had it hooked up to my desktop and the BlackArmor Manager Configure screen auto launched. The first steps are to enter the drive’s 25-character Security ID (SID) that is printed on the back of the drive, and then create a password. Once this is done, you can now click Unlock and unlock the drive. When this is done the autoplay window will open and the guide instructs you to select Install Maxtor Manager from this window. This is just a straight forward install with a EULA screen and then install. Took all of about 90 seconds and then a re-start is needed.

One nice thing I noticed right away about this drive is that it has two soft blue lights on the side. One is a large light that will only light up once the correct password has been entered. The other is a smaller light that comes on as soon as the drive is plugged in to your computer, but will blink and then go out when you use the “Safely Remove Hardware” tool to remove the drive.

My 320GB drive showed a capacity of 298GB. The drive comes loaded with the above mentioned software along with a PDF user’s guide. The guide is quite comprehensive and goes over all the features of the drive and goes very in depth on the functionality of the Maxtor Manager and BlackArmor Manager software. It tells you how to enter different modes, change passwords, change hint questions and answers, and all the different features of the automatic backup software. The manual is 126 pages, but a big reason it is so long is because of the extensive use of screen shots that make it much easier to learn how to use all the features of the software.

One major limitation to this drive is that the software only work on PCs and will not work on a Mac, so the testing done on this drive was performed by my friend Henry DuLaurence. I expect to leverage his PC farm for other devices that aren’t Mac friendly. But back to the test…

Moving files, deleting, copying and saving data was easy. I was able to read and copy the data on my PC and when locked down, the drive protected the files perfectly.

Unplugging/disconnecting the drive puts it back into locked mode, so whenever you’re done using it your files remain safe.

Things I like…

It is USB powered which means no clunky power adaptor to carry around.

The size and the feel of this drive are great. It feels heavy, solid, and well made in your hand. It fits into a pocket or laptop bag easily. The rubbery exterior ensures you won’t fumble it.

The password screen launches quickly when the drive is connected so you can enter your password and get to your files fast. I like the clean black and brushed aluminum design, and that your stuff is completely protected by passwords you choose. I like the ease of changing your password when needed.

Automated backup software included. Makes it easy to plug and play and start backing up in minutes and restore if and when needed.

Things I don’t like…

The BlackArmor drive will not run on a Mac. The BlackArmor will only work on a PC running Windows XP or Vista. It will not work with any other operating systems as an unlocking utility is required that only runs on these operating systems.

Initial setup and configuration is somewhat tedious, but needed in order to set the encryption key. But once it is done, you won’t need to do it again unless you forget your password and need to erase your drive to reset it. This could be a little intimidating for the basic consumer or the user who misplaces his manual.

Cords are way too short, which seems to be the norm for most of the portable drives I see. I understand that portable is important, but portable doesn’t mean minimal.

Only has USB support. All external drives should come with an ESATA port. Considering the amount of data that can be stored, you would think these companies would give you an option to move it quickly if you wanted, and if you haven’t tried an external drive connected with ESATA, which is must faster than FireWire, you would be amazed at how fast it is.

Finally, it gets dirty and smudgy WAY EASILY. The gloss surface holds fingerprints better than the FBI and the black case shows every speck of dust. In some photos you’ll almost be able to see my camera in the reflection. Sure, it looks striking and gorgeous in reflective black, but it gets dusty and dirty quick.

The verdict…

Unless you have a Mac, I think the Maxtor BlackArmor Drive makes the cut. It is priced similarly to other secure drives and the backup software is easy to use and very intuitive. Once it is configured it is easy to use on any PC. And if you shop around you can probably find a 320GB BlackArmor for around $90 which is a pretty good deal for someone who wants to securely transport their data.

Company URL: http://www.maxtor.com

(A good portion of this Cut-List piece was made possible with the help of Henry DuLaurence)