Ratoc has announced the shipement of USB 2.0 CDR-W drives. The new interface (USB 2.0) allows up to 16x writing and 40x reading. The new models are basically external. The internal model seems based upon PleXWriter PX-W1610A and has the following specifications:

RCD-U2PX16U
Included USB2.0 PCI Board and RATOC original USB2.0 EHCI Driver for WindowsMe/2000/98SE.
Fully Compatible with WindowsXP USB2.0 Driver.
16x record, 10x rewrite and 40x playback at High speed(480Mbps).
6x record, 4x rewrite and 6x playback at Full speed(12Mbps).
Supports 'Burn Proof' technology.
Supports USB2.0 High-Speed 480Mbps and Full speed 12Mbps.
Supports full backword compatibility with USB1.1 Full speed(12Mbps).
Includes Roxio Easy CD Creater 4.1.3 and DirectCD 4.1.3 for Windows.

The other external model is a portable USB 2.0 recorder:

RCD-U2PN08U
Included USB2.0 CardBus PC Card and RATOC original USB2.0 EHCI Driver for Windows98SE/Me/2000.
The first USB2.0 portable CD-RW in the world.
8x record, 4x rewrite and 24x playback.
Compact, ultra thin(20mm) and ultra light-weight(480g). Ideal for portable.
Supports USB2.0 High-Speed 480Mbps and Full speed 12Mbps.
Supports full backword compatibility with USB1.1 Full speed(12Mbps).
Transfer speed is automatically adjusted to the host PC USB port.
Includes Roxio Easy CD Creater 4.1.3 and DirectCD 4.1.3 for Windows. NULL