I recently had a chance to test out the StarTech InfoSafe External Slim USB 2.0 DVD+/- RW Dual-Layer Drive ($149.99). As its name implies, this device is fairly slim and portable. It weighs just over 12 ounces and measures 0.91 x 5.3 x 5.31 inches. The InfoSafe drive also has some handy features, such as dual USB ports (for power if you don't have an outlet handy) and support for DVD+/- as well as CDs. The drive is capable of up to 8X speeds.

The included software, Nero 7 Essentials, is a well-intentioned addition, but it's a bit bloated and unintuitive. In addition to the DVD-burning app, it also installs apps for audio, photos, data, video player, home networking utility, and a multimedia-file organizer called Scout. You could consider this a value compared with the simple drivers that most burn drives come with, but the whole suite is a 433MB install, so if you already have your favorite media apps, you may want to skip it.

I tested the InfoSafe drive by burning a 1-hour episode of the HBO show "Deadwood" in AVI format. To covert and burn the file using the Nero software took more than the running time of the episode. Needless to say, this drive is no speed demon. But if you want a portable dual-layer DVD drive, you could do a lot worse than the InfoSafe.