Freecom has announced the highlight of its second-generation external drives; two CD-RW/DVD Combo drives. The super compact and ultra fast Traveller II Combo is the ideal drive for all mobile users who will value its minimal size and powerful battery. The Portable II Combo is ideally suited for all desktop users who want a fast external drive at a reasonable price. With the external Freecom Combo drives users can read CD-ROMs, burn CDs and now also play DVD videos. Both the Traveller II and the Portable II Combo drives write to CDs at 8x speed, and reerwrite at 4x. In addition, the drives have a 24x read speed for CDs and 8x speed for reading DVDs. The Traveller II Combo is the world's first super compact CD-RW/DVD drive for use on the move. The slimline drive is barely larger than a CD: but the 17 mm flat designer case contains a real powerhouse -- for shorter burning times and faster CD and DVD read speeds. The new, plug-in power module provides power for up to 6 hours of mobile usage. However, power can also be provided by using the external universal AC adapter (EU, UK, USA, JP ) or via the PCMCIA or CardBus connection cable.

Freecom's unique multi-connect system for external drives means that users require just one additional cable to connect the Freecom Combo Drive to their preferred interface. For the best possible transmission rates, Freecom recommends connection via PCMCIA, FireWire/i.LINK or CardBus, or USB2 which will be launched in November this year.