A joint optical-drive collaboration between Sony and NEC, Optiarc, has released its first Blu-Ray drive targeted at notebooks. The BC-5500A can only read Blu-Ray media, but can burn dual-layer DVD±R discs at 4x speed, dual-layer DVD-RAM at 5x, single-layer DVD±R/RW at 8x, and lastly dual-layer CD-R/RW at rates of up to 16x. The drive should be available now in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, at a price of approximately £165, or $335. Crucially for many, Optiarc claims this cost will allow builders to incorporate it into mid-range notebooks, instead of the high-end systems HD is usually reserved for. [via The Register]