The Blade Runner’s most obvious feature is its design, which features aluminum fins with a blob-ish splay of metal in the middle. The chassis itself is gray with a matte finish, and can be oriented upright or flat, depending on the user’s preference. While the design is certainly part of its appeal, the device itself is a solid offering with nice specs all around.

The Blade Runner has a USB 3.0 interface, and runs cool because of how it is designed, with the blades serving as a type of radiating mechanism to dissipate heat. Power is indicated by an orange cross on the front illuminated by an LED that doubles as the power button. The button will glow green instead of orange when the unit switches into Eco Mode for power conservation.

Eco Mode is automatic, and reduces energy consumption by up to 75-percent when the drive isn’t being used. Backups are also automatic after being set up, and work with both Mac and PC. The integrated LaCie Private-Public software can be used to encrypt data at AES-256 and password protect the drive if desired. Overall, the Blade Runner is a combination of both form and function, the mark of any good device.

[via LaCie]

The 5big Thunderbolt supports RAID 0, 1, and JBOD across its five hot-swappable bays; however, it’s also possible to mix and match those RAID setups, so for instance you could have a three-disk array in RAID 0 for performance, and then leave the remaining two disks in RAID 1 for backup redundancy.Two Thunderbolt ports are included, and up to six devices can be daisy-chained. LaCie reckons the 5big is good for up to 785MB/s when used with the five 7,200rpm/74MB cache drives in the standard RAID 0 configuration.

As for the 5big NAS Pro, that ditches Thunderbolt in favor of dual gigabit ethernet (with link aggregation support); LaCie also throws in a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a further pair of USB 3.0, and a VGA port for hooking up a display for management. Inside there’s a dualcore 2.13GHz Atom 64-bit processor and 4GB of RAM, plus a choice of RAID 5, 5+spare, 1, or 0 setup.

LaCie will offer the 5big NAS Pro in barebones, 10TB, and 20TB capacities, priced from $549. The 5big Thunderbolt is priced from $1,199 for 10TB, with a 20TB option.

At first glance, it would be easy to dismiss the Blade Runner as form over function. In fact, the 4TB drive uses a 3.5-inch Seagate HDD, not a sluggish laptop drive, with USB 3.0 for solid speeds (though we’d not argue with a Thunderbolt or two).

Despite the desktop-sized drive, the Blade Runner manages to avoid requiring any active cooling, thanks to the fins acting as passive cooling. In effect a huge radiator, shedding heat ambiently, it leaves the drive silent in operation (though you do still need external power).

It’s certainly warm to the touch after a period of activity, though not hot. In fact, the biggest drawback of the Blade Runner is LaCie’s decision to limit availability. Only 9,999 of the distinctive drives will be sold, each offered at $299 with a bundled 10GB of cloud storage.

This machine now works with speeds up to 180MB/s and has the ability to transfer a 10GB project in less than a minute. This comes with a fan-free aluminum heat sink design with a sleek silvery aesthetic and a lovely blue eye. This industrial design creates 60 percent more surface area than flat designs, this allowing heat to efficiently divert and dissipate like a champ. You’ll be able to stack these drives up if you wish, or just keep one to the side of your computer upright on its own simple stand.

You’ve got 256-bit AES encryption for security and the knowledge that you’re working with a company that’s been in business making drives like these for almost a decade. With USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt interfaces you’ll be able to work with new Apple products such as the MacBook Pro and Ultrabooks of many kinds. You’ve got backwards compatibility with USB 2.0 as well and you get both a USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt cable in the box.

The LaCie d2 was designed by Neil Poulton and remains as iconic as it was the day it was originally revealed. This new edition will be available with a full backup software suite in two sizes, one of them with 3TB of space, the other with 4TB. You’ll be able to grab this lovely drive immediately if not soon from your favorite LaCie retailer or reseller.

The PetiteKey offers several features, including being waterproof up to 100-meters, something that’s perhaps most convenient for those times your keys find their way into the washing machine. The connector is scratch-resistant, a necessary feature due to both the drive’s cap-free end and its perilous life on a key ring. The PetiteKey offers USB 2.0 connectivity.

Bundled with the PetiteKey are two extra services: Private-Public, and Wuala Secure Cloud Storage. Private-Public is encryption software allowing users to protect their files with AES 256-bit security and a password. Wuala Secure Cloud Storage is included for one-year, and provides an online account for users to store their data.

The drive is available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities, and is priced at $14.99, $22.99, and $39.99. You can pick up the USB drive from LaCie’s online store, or via one of the company’s partners. LaCie is a manufacturer of storage devices, and operates in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

[via LaCie]

The P’9223 has a smooth aluminum finish and a thin form factor that LaCie says is meant to match the exteriors of Apple’s MacBook Pro and MacBook Air line of laptops, and the drive is specifically “designed with Apple enthusiasts in mind.” The company says that it’s also their fastest external drive yet, combining USB 3.0 with an optional SSD option to “maximize performance.”

LaCie says the USB 3.0 on their new drive can deliver speeds of up to 400MB/s, and thanks to the USB Attached SCSI Protocol, LaCie claims that the drive gets “even better speeds” on the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, as long as you’re either running OS X Lion or Mountain Lion. Whether or not that’s true, we’ll have to wait for benchmark results.

The P’9223 Slim is the thinnest 2.5-inch storage device made by LaCie, and it’s 30% thinner than the previous Porsche edition. The drive comes in two storage capacities. The 500GB model will cost $99, while the 120GB SSD model will be priced at $149. Both models come with a two-year limited warranty.

In fact, LaCie claims that the turn of speed the new SATA III drives bring means users will be able to transfer 50GB from their Thunderbolt-equipped PC or Mac to the drive in under two minutes. Alternatively, they’ll be able to edit six uncompressed video streams simultaneously.

As with its predecessor, there are twin Thunderbolt ports so that different peripherals – up to six at once – can be daisy-chained. However, now LaCie includes a Thunderbolt cable in the box, something we dinged them for not doing first time around.

The two SSDs can be set up as a RAID 0 or RAID 1 array, depending on whether you’re prioritizing capacity or redundancy. The 512GB model is priced from £589 ($943), while there’s also a more expensive 1TB version.

There’s also data security in electronic form rather than just hardware, with 256-bit AES encryption to stop access to anybody bar those who have the right password. It’s also paired with Wuala Secure Cloud Storage, which automatically mirrors a locked-down copy of any data added to the RuggedKey in a cloud drive accessible from your browser.

LaCie claims the RuggedKey’s USB 3.0 connection is capable of transferring a 5GB file (or an HD movie, or 3,000 photos) in under a minute, with peak speeds of up to 150MB/s. That will obviously depend on your computer, of course.

The LaCie RuggedKey is priced from £34.95 ($54) and will be available in 16GB and 32GB capacities. The drive has just dropped onto the SlashGear test bench, and so we’ll have a review for you very soon.

Ricol Lasteyrie & Associés have been appointed as independent expert by the Board of Directors of LaCie on June 23, 2012, the transaction has already been approved by the US Antitrust Authorities, and only France and Germany stand in this deal’s way. Seagate will buy the remaining LaCie shares mentioned at a price of €4.05 per and will have Seagate essentially controlling the fate of LaCie through the future.

So what does this mean for you? It means you might very well be seeing a few more Seagate harddrives at your local electronics store and a few less LaCie drives – or perhaps a bit of a sale on the latter, at least. Stay tuned as we continue to follow this deal through to completion. Hit the timeline below to see how LaCie got to this point – products, events, and otherwise.

Seagate’s $186 million deal will give it a 64.5 percent stake in LaCie controlled by the company’s CEO Philippe Spruch. The offer is a 30 percent premium and under the terms of the agreement, Spruch would join Seagate after the acquisition to head the company’s consumer storage products group. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of this year.

The purchase comes after a tough year for Seagate, which saw its storage supply hit hard by the floods in Thailand. With the LaCie purchase, Seagate will have a new foothold in expanding into the Mac market, where it has traditionally struggled to penetrate.

[via Forbes]

You’ve seen these eSATA drives popping up all of last year, they’re the LaCie silver drives with the blue light that looks like HAL – Lacie’s also been using this look for all of their ThunderBolt-ready peripherals for some time now. What this hub is able to do is bring your eSATA drives in on one box, here “unleashing” their full potential with the 10GB/s speeds of Thunderbolt.

In the back of this device you’ll find dual 10Gb/s Thunderbolt ports for daisy chaining, dual eSATA 3GB/s ports, a Kensington Lockm, and a power port – all of this on an enclosure which sits on a removable stand. You can daisy-chain up to six Thunderbolt technology compatible devices at once – LaCie brand suggested, but not required. YOu can also connect up to two eSATA drives (per hub.)

The real value proposal here is getting the “full potential” out of your eSATA drives. They’ve got the potential to move at 3GB/s, but because the ExpressCard/34 maximum bus speed is 2.5GB/s, you’re still going slow. This device brings that extra .5 out to be free. This device will be available starting today for $199.00 at LaCie’s online store. Grab a few!

Hardware

LaCie’s design language hasn’t changed much over the years: looks-wise, the Little Big Disk is basically a squatter version of the Ethernet Disk NAS we reviewed back in 2007. That’s no bad thing when you’re talking about sturdy aluminum and a big blue LED, however, and at 5.5 x 3.3 x 1.6 inches it has a reasonably small footprint on your desk (LaCie includes a detachable stand, though it’s capable of standing on its own without it). At 1.4 pounds, however, it’s not light, and the wall-wart PSU is comparatively bulky, so those planning to travel with the Little Big Disk should expect some heft in their bag.

Physical controls are limited to the blue LED “eye” which doubles as a power button: hold it down for a few seconds and the drive shuts down. On the back there are two Thunderbolt ports, a power socket and a Kensington lock hole; we’d like to have seen a legacy connection, like USB, considering how few computers have Thunderbolt so far. That way colleagues still idling in the slow-lane could still grab files in a pinch. There’s also a small fan, which adjusts speed based on temperature, though the whole chassis is intended to function as a hefty heat-sink.

Thunderbolt is the launch name for Intel’s Light Peak, a super-fast next-generation interconnectivity standard that supports – in this first iteration – up to 10 Gb/s independent uplink and downlink of data and video channels. Apple has been the first to adopt the standard, adding Thunderbolt to its MacBook Pro notebooks and Mac mini and iMac desktops. Up to six Thunderbolt peripherals can be daisy-chained off a single port – hence the LaCie sporting a pair of them – and since it’s backward compatible with DisplayLink you can connect a monitor, too.

All that speed needs equally fast drives to make the most of it, and while LaCie already has a Little Big Disk on the market with traditional HDD storage, our review unit is the faster 240GB SSD version. Inside there’s a pair of 120GB Intel 320 Series third-gen (SSDSA2CW120G3) solid-state drives, set up as a RAID 0 “striped” volume. While many associate home RAID setups as a way of protecting data with drive redundancy, RAID 0 is all about speed: the two SSDs combine for 239.38GB of indecently fast storage, though of course if one drive fails then the entire volume is lost. It’s possible to reformat the Little Big Disk for data mirroring instead, though in that case you only get 120GB of capacity.

Performance

We tested the Little Big Disk with an early 2011 MacBook Pro, running Snow Leopard with the latest patches and fitted with 4GB of RAM, a 2GHz Core i7 processor and an aftermarket 240GB OCX Vertex2 SSD. Installation was straightforward: plug in the LaCie and it’s automatically mounted as an external drive.

Benchmarking kicked off with a basic speed test, using OS X app Blackmagic. The Little Big Disk managed 487.9 MB/s read rates and 257.7 MB/s write rates, a frankly eye-watering pace that even slightly exceeds LaCie’s own estimates. That’s still well short on what Thunderbolt can carry, mind.

We then turned to some file transfer tests, to see whether real-world performance lived up too. First, we copied a range of files from the Mac to the LaCie: a 1GB file took 5.34 seconds to transfer, while a 5GB file took 19.01 seconds. A folder amounting to 5GB of separate files took 26.65 seconds. In the opposite direction, a 1GB file copied from the Little Big Disk to the Mac took 13.25 second, while a 5GB single file took 21.53 seconds. It was clear that the bottleneck for Little Big Disk performance was our own test Mac, with the OCZ SSD unable to keep up with the RAID 0 array’s potential.

One of Apple and LaCie’s boasts is the flexibility for multitasking inherent in Thunderbolt: you can do multiple things across the same connection simultaneously. We started up iMovie, encoding a Full HD video straight to the Little Big Disk using 1080p source files stored on the drive itself, and then tried transferring a separate 5GB file across to the LaCie too. That file took just 19.86 seconds to copy. LaCie says you’ll get even faster performance if you daisy-chain multiple units together – four will just about reach Thunderbolt’s potential, the company reckons – though we couldn’t test that out.

The Little Big Disk never got more than mildly warm during heavy use – another benefit of the solid-state storage – but LaCie’s tiny fan did its best to make itself heard. It’s not so much loud as it is shrill, at full speed, though the combination of SSDs and heat-sink styling meant the enclosure quickly reached a point where the fan could slow down again.

Pricing

No shortage of performance, then, but none of that comes cheap. The SSD-based Little Big Disk will launch at $899/€849/£749, working out to a hefty $3.75 per gigabyte. In contrast, LaCie offers a 1TB version of the Little Big Disk using 7,200 rpm traditional hard-drives for $399.95, though with “only” up to 190 MB/s transfer rates. Somewhat galling is the fact that you still have to pay $49 for Apple’s Thunderbolt cable.

Wrap-Up

Most on the SlashGear team agree that swapping from HDD to SSD has the biggest everyday impact on computing smoothness, compared to RAM or even processor. Until now, though, external storage – even external SSDs – has been hampered by connectivity.

What makes the LaCie Little Big Disk SSD so special is that, for high-bitrate multimedia editing, it’s just as fast for apps to use as internal storage, if not faster. No lag while iMovie accesses your removable drive, just 240GB of extra space which you can treat just as you do your regular disk. Sure, you could use it for backup if you wanted (it’s natively Time Machine compatible) or to store your MP3 collection, but that would be hugely wasteful of its talents.

For most, the huge sticker price will be a turn-off; capacity-junkies will sniff at the relatively paltry 240GB. Those who take their music and video editing seriously, though, and who want more storage without a speed compromise, need to have the LaCie Little Big Disk on their desk.

Three of the USB ports are on the back of the LaPlug, and the fourth is up front for easily connecting a memory stick or portable drive. If you want to use it as a centralized backup station, LaCie bundles PC backup software and the box is compatible with Apple’s Time Machine on OS X. FAT32, NTFS, HFS and HFS+ (both journaled and non-journaled) drive formats are supported. It’s worth noting that the LaPlug’s WiFi only supports client mode, so you can’t use it as a router or, presumably, for direct connections between your computer and the drives.

With the demise of the Pogoplug Pro, Pogoplug’s WiFi-enabled model, LaCie finds itself offering something relatively rare given the wireless support in the LaPlug. If you’re sharing and accessing large files then you’ll probably want to use gigabit ethernet anyway, but at $74.99 with both WiFi and wired options, you can’t really knock the LaPlug.

The Little Big Disk with Thunderbolt will be available in both SSD and HDD versions. The SSD version will feature a 240GB SSD RAID option and has been demonstrated to peak at read speeds of 634MBps, reaching up to 870MBps when daisy chained to a second drive.

The HDD version will feature two 2.5-inch drives with RAID option in either 1TB or 2TB configurations. The 1TB version will feature 7200RPM drives whereas the 2TB version will have 5400RPM drives, which can get up to 190MBps read speeds and can reach up to 782MBps when four drives are connected.

For more images and a video of the LaCie Little Big Disk with Thunderbolt, make sure to check out our hands-on with the device. The HDD version is available now online at the Apple Store, with the 1TB version priced at $400 and the 2TB version at $500. The SSD version will arrive sometime in October, but pricing for it is not confirmed yet.

The Rugged Mini is resistant to almost anything you can throw at it. It is shock-resistant, drop-resistant, rain-resistant, and its aluminum casing is scratch-resistant. It can also withstand up to one ton of pressure. Thanks to its toughness, you can be confident in tossing it in your bag for school or taking outdoors as backup storage for a photo shoot.

Besides being strong, the Rugged Mini is also fast. Transferring files and backing up data is super speedy with its 7200RPM HDD and USB 3.0 interface. It is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 but is three times faster. Transferring one HD movie takes less than three minutes while 1000 mp3 files takes less than 42 seconds and 2000 photos in about a minute.

Also included is LaCie’s Private-Public software with AES data encryption and password protection. It is compatible with both Mac and PC, and will be available soon in a 500GB model starting at $99.99 and a 1TB model for $159.99 through the LaCie Online Store.

Backup Basics

Generally speaking, there’s local backup and remote backup. Local, as the word suggests, is on-site: anything from burning a DVD of important files and keeping it in your desk drawer, to a USB (or eSATA, or FireWire, or some other connection) hard-drive you plug in directly, or a network-attached storage (NAS) device that serves one or more computers on your local wired or wireless network. Remote backup could be as simple as leaving a copy of your home DVD or HDD files at work or with a friend, or – more commonly now – online in some sort of “cloud” repository.

Redundancy is another key part of backup: basically, how resilient the backup system itself is to hardware failure (and other issues, like theft or damage). Burning two DVDs rather than one is redundancy, but more common is using a so-called array of drives (either directly-connected or NAS) that each carry a copy of your data. If one drive dies, the data is safe on the second (or third, or fourth, etc.) and can be repopulated on the new drive you slot in to replace it.

Increasingly popular is a hybrid of local and remote backup, and that’s where the LaCie CloudBox comes in. It consists of both a local NAS drive and a companion online cloud store, automatically copying anything placed onto the drive up into the cloud.

Hardware

LaCie’s favorite designer, Neil Poulton, does the honors with the CloudBox, though the external drive itself is probably more a case of what was left out than what’s been included. A compact 4.6 x 4.6 x 1.5 inch black plastic box, the only real elements of interest are the recessed status LED in a notch under the leading edge (which flickers blue with varying degrees of frequency while active, and red when frustrated) along with a gigabit ethernet port, power input and button on the back, the latter the only physical control and used to turn the CloudBox on or off.

Inside is a 100GB 2.5-inch hard-drive, non-user-accessible. That sounds small and, indeed, it is. Even the most humble of netbooks of recent years have offered more storage, and with some desktop-replacement laptops packing 1TB+ the CloudBox seems hopelessly naive at first glance.

LaCie’s intention, though, is seemingly to force a sense of perspective on the would-be user. Local storage can be capacious and swift; cloud storage is generally more expensive and, being limited by the narrow-bore upload pipe of most home internet connections, time-consuming to shuttle files up to ‘net-based safety. There’s no choice as to which files get replicated online: everything placed onto the local drive is copied to the cloud. Sure, you could dump all of your video files onto the CloudBox, but it’s really more for vital documents: your email backup, your tax returns and all those Word files you’d be distraught to lose; your final year project or your latest work report.

Noise levels from the box, even when the hard-drive is active, are very low. There’s no warning on heat levels, beyond the on-device logs, though the CloudBox will email you notifications when space is running low.

Software and Performance

As you’d hope from a product with simplicity as its watchword, setup of the CloudBox is straightforward. Physically, it’s a case of plugging it into a spare ethernet port on your router with the bundled cable, plugging in the power supply and then waiting for the light to steady on blue.

A bundled CD offers LaCie’s Network Assistant tool, basically a CloudBox-seeker which lives in the system tray of your PC or Mac and works as a shortcut to the browser-based setup page. More adept users will bypass it altogether and surf to either http://cloudbox or its IP address (assigned and revealed by your router). First up there’s the Setup Wizard, used to establish an administrator username and password as well as punch in the contract number for the complimentary 12-month subscription to the cloud storage service.

From that point on, anything more complex is optional. You can simply begin dropping files onto the CloudBox – mounting it as a network drive in your OS of choice makes this easier – and relax in the knowledge that they’re being funneled up into the cloud shortly after. By pairing local and remote storage, your computer needn’t be on while the time-consuming upload process takes place: the CloudBox itself handles all that. We whipped out the power cable during the initial upload, then turned the NAS back on and it automatically picked up where it had left off. Obviously, had we taken an axe to the local drive before it had finished uploading, our data would be in so many unrecoverable slices, but simple power failures needn’t be a headache.

There are plenty more settings to be tinkered with in the LaCie CloudBox dashboard, however, including a simple counter showing how many out of the 100GB have been done, and when the most recent cloud upload took place. Some network information, details on user accounts – you can set up multiple users, each having access to their own files but nobody else’s, and optionally with a set quota of the total storage that they can use – together with log records, a countdown to when your cloud backup plan expires and the option to manually set upload and download speed limits so as not to saturate your broadband connection are also easily accessed.

Then there are the restore buttons, either to selectively restore certain files from the cloud to your computer, or to fully restore everything in the cloud to the CloudBox. The latter is useful if the hard-drive in the local NAS dies, and you want to repopulate its replacement (your user settings are also restored). The cloud storage keeps the last ten complete backups, so you can step back through previous versions of files: handy if you discover a file was recently corrupted and that the most recent backup has preserved that corrupted file.

What you can’t do, however, is log into the cloud store and access files remotely. Unlike most cloud-based backup systems, LaCie makes no provision for grabbing files while on the move, either using a browser-based interface or a smartphone app of some sort. The cloud, instead, is resolutely intended as another layer of redundancy; 128-bit AES encryption is applied as standard by the CloudBox itself – before the files ever leave your home or office network – and only your username and password can unlock them.

Pricing and Value

At $199 (in the US; £179.90 in the UK) for 100GB, the CloudBox is hardly the cheapest external drive we’ve ever seen. For the same amount, or less, you could have a 2TB+ NAS with drive redundancy, though obviously you’d then lack the cloud element of the LaCie option. It’s worth bearing in mind that many NAS drives support online backup too, though you’ll have to set up – and pay for – a cloud backup account; it’s all less straightforward than the CloudBox makes things.

That, then, is what you’re really paying for: simplicity. The CloudBox forces a conscious decision about which files are really important, locks them up with AES encryption automatically, and mirrors up to ten versions online, all after a few minutes setup. A further 12 months of cloud rental is priced at €99 in Europe.

Wrap-Up

Most users with any amount of network proficiency would probably be able to piece together a cheaper, more flexible local/cloud backup system than the CloudBox. That’s not to say LaCie’s drive misses the mark, however. Whereas a regular NAS might be a weekend’s frustration for basic users – arguably the most likely to avoid backing-up altogether – the CloudBox’s convenience makes it a plug & play option in which the “plug” aspect doesn’t demand a degree in computer science to complete. You could reasonably mail your tech-naive family or friends a CloudBox and expect them to have their essential files secured with minor effort.

What is true is that the CloudBox will most likely only work as one part of a backup solution. 100GB is insufficient for most individual users to fully backup their entire digital lives; share that out with several people, as LaCie makes easy, and that’s an even smaller proportion of each hard-drive covered. Dollar for gigabyte, it’s a wasteful way of preserving all but the rarest of digital music and video collections. A workable system might include the CloudBox for securing documents, precious digital photo originals and email backups, while cheaper external drives (either directly connected or networked) handle space-hungry multimedia. Yes, there’s an extra element of risk, but then that’s the implicit balance you find with any backup strategy.

The lineup includes the LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Hard Drive (P’9220) and the LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Hard Drive (P’9230). They each feature a sleek aluminum frame design that is modern and purist for a very elegant piece of hardware that packs in all the performance under the hood, optimally regulates heat, and is 100 percent recyclable. The workmanship and aesthetic reflects the Porsche Design signature.

Performance-wise, the USB 3.0 hard drives are touted as the fastest on the market, clocking speeds three times faster than USB 2.0. Software comes with the drive for both PC and Mac that includes backup utilities, eco mode for power savings, password protection, and 10GB of Wuala secure online storage.

The LaCie Porche Design Mobile Hard Drive comes in 500GB and 1TB capacities with a 750GB model available exclusively through the worldwide Porsche Design Stores. However, only the 500GB model has pricing listed, currently at $104.99. The LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Hard Drive comes in 1TB for $119.99 and 2TB for $159.99. Both models will be available through the LaCie Online Store.

LaCie had two Little Big Disk units on hand, each packing a pair of 160GB SSDs set up in RAID 0 configuration for speed. The first drive was hooked up to a Core i7 MacBook Pro, and then a second Little Big Disk was daisy-chained off that, with the two external drives set up in a second RAID 0 configuration. Off the back of the second drive was a 24-inch Full HD LCD display.

The first demo was a raw speed test, reading and writing to the drives with 4GB files. As you can see in the video, the MBP was able to write at up to 352.5 MB/s, while read speeds reached 827.2 MB/s. The company told us that the same setup had hit 870 MB/s peaks in their own testing.

The second test was playing back three simultaneous video files stored on the drives, each coming in at 1080p Full HD resolution. Again, as in the video, playback was stutter-free whether windowed or full-screen. We were also able to scrub back and forth through the clip – with the two others running in the background – with no lag or pauses.

LaCie tells us that, as well as the SSD Little Big Disk, there’ll be an HDD version pairing two regular hard-drives. That should be more affordable – the company isn’t saying exactly how much the Thunderbolt drives will cost, but a pair of SSDs is never going to be cheap – though with some inevitable impact on overall performance. The SSD version will drop sometime over the summer, with production starting soon; there’s no public timeline for the HDD model.

The LaCie CloudBox is an external hard drive that automatically transfers your data to a cloud storage independently from your computer. You simply backup your data to the CloudBox locally and then the device itself will automatically backup the data to the cloud. Once your data is backed up to the CloudBox, your computer doesn’t even need to stay attached or powered-on in order for the CloudBox to sync with the cloud storage.

When you need to restore files, you can restore them from anywhere you have an internet connection to access your online LaCie CloudBox account. Data stored there is completely encrypted. And if you want to restore only certain files, you can use the CloudBox’s Online Restore application to browse and select your files and folders of which up to 10 previous versions are saved. Files can be restored to another LaCie CloudBox or directly to your computer.

However, the CloudBox only comes in a 100GB capacity and will require a one-year online backup contract for 100GB that must be renewed yearly. The CloudBox will cost $199.99 when it arrives in July, but there’s no mention yet of how much the annual online backup service will cost.

[via LaCie]

The configuration involved linking together up to five LaCie Little Big Disks to a high-end display. Multiple full uncompressed HD 1080p content was able to be streamed at speeds up to 835MB/s, which according to LaCie is the fastest performance achieved by any mobile storage solution.

The company claims it is the perfect solution for video professionals and other video content demanding users. It allows you to handle projects that used to require professional server rooms, but now can be done in the palm of your hands. The LaCie Little Big Disks make high-end studio editing possible on the go.

If you’re not familiar with the Thunderbolt technology, make sure to check out our closer look.

Press Release:

LaCie Demonstrates the Ultimate Thunderbolt™ Configuration for Video Professionals

PARIS, FRANCE – Today LaCie announced the unveiling of a significant Thunderbolt technology demonstration at the Intel® booth (#M0410) during Computex 2011, from June 1-4, in Taipei, Taiwan. The demonstration will showcase multiple LaCie Little Big Disks Thunderbolt Series in a daisy chain, delivering speeds up to 835MB/s – the fastest performance achieved by any mobile storage solution.

A perfect configuration for video professionals and demanding users, the LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series is the first peripheral to showcase daisy chain capability between a high-end display and multiple storage devices, with no compromise in performance. For example, a professional display such as LaCie’s 324i, together with up to five additional hard drives can deliver enough bandwidth to support several 1080p uncompressed streams of HD video in Final Cut Pro. Even better, professionals can connect to the entire configuration with a single Thunderbolt cable.

This kind of speed development is unheard of in mobile storage devices. Now, with the Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series, professionals can handle projects that were previously tied to server rooms, in the palm of their hands. With the Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series, high-end studio editing is now possible on the go.

“We are thrilled to meet this significant speed milestone, not just for mobile storage, but for the entire industry,” said Erwan Girard, Professional Business Unit Manager, LaCie. “The availability of LaCie’s Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series will dramatically change the storage footprint of our professional customers that are using the latest MacBook® Pro or iMac®. And it’s not only achieved with solid-state drives. LaCie’s Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series pushes the performance limitations of hard drive technology, resulting in a high-capacity, fast-performing solution that’s also extremely cost effective.”

LaCie showcased the remarkable performance of LaCie’s Little Big Disks Thunderbolt Series hard drive model, at the recent NAB conference, in Las Vegas, April 2010.

The Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series will be available this summer. LaCie’s 324i high-end display is fully compatible with Thunderbolt Technology and can be purchased at www.lacie.com.

“Thunderbolt technology is a breakthrough in I/O technology and represents the future of mobile computing. Soon you will be able to carry workstation-class power and functionality in compact devices,” said Philippe Spruch, Chairman and General Manager, LaCie. “LaCie is excited to be one of the first to deliver Thunderbolt technology with the LaCie Little Big Disk.”

The Little Big Disk was designed to store large audio and video files and now with the new Thunderbolt technology, data can truly be transferred to and from the device at lightening speeds. This boosts the performance of creative workflows with ultra-fast data transfer, complete system backup in minutes, and faster content editing than ever before.

Press Release:

LaCie Introduces Little Big Disk,
Featuring High-Speed Thunderbolt Technology

LaCie today announced the LaCie Little Big Disk featuring the all-new Thunderbolt™ technology, developed by Intel® and brought to market with collaboration from Apple®. Designed to store large audio and video files, the LaCie Little Big Disk will bring a new level of performance to creative workflows with ultra-fast data transfer, complete system backup in minutes, and faster content editing than ever before.

“Thunderbolt technology is a breakthrough in I/O technology and represents the future of mobile computing. Soon you will be able to carry workstation-class power and functionality in compact devices,” said Philippe Spruch, Chairman and General Manager, LaCie. “LaCie is excited to be one of the first to deliver Thunderbolt technology with the LaCie Little Big Disk.”

“Intel believes Thunderbolt technology in combination with LaCie’s unique portfolio of storage products and displays will drive new levels of performance and simplicity for consumers,” said Jason Ziller, Director, Thunderbolt Planning and Marketing, Intel Corporation.

Thunderbolt technology delivers incredible bandwidth at 10Gbps and runs two protocols (PCI Express and DisplayPort) simultaneously over a single cable for connectivity to high performance peripherals like the LaCie Little Disk and high-resolution displays. Created with mobile and media professionals in mind, Thunderbolt technology moves content with blazing speed and facilitates complete system backups in minutes. Using a single Thunderbolt cable, users can connect their notebooks to high resolution displays, cameras and storage — all at the same time — for a fast, simple, and portable computing environment.

The LaCie Little Big Disk can deliver multiple streams of HD video and offload hours of content in minutes without compromising bandwidth and performance. With the LaCie Little Big Disk, speeds that previously were only available from rack mounted storage arrays are now possible with a portable computer – including Apple’s MacBook® Pro, the first notebook to feature Thunderbolt technology. Users will be able to edit on-set during a day of filming, and then transfer all of the assets for the edit suite within seconds. The LaCie Little Big Disk can even be daisy chained for storage expansion or connecting other peripherals.

AVAILABILITY

The LaCie Little Big Disk will be the first in a range of storage and peripherals solutions from LaCie that feature Thunderbolt technology. The Little Big Disk will be available by summer 2011 from the LaCie Online Store (www.lacie.com), the Apple Store (www.apple.com) and authorized resellers. For more information please visit www.lacie.com.

About LaCie

With operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia, LaCie is the leading manufacturer of storage devices for PC, Apple, and Linux. LaCie has differentiated itself through sleek design and remarkable technical performance. Find out more about our products at www.lacie.com .

Developed as Light Peak, Intel Thunderbolt consists of a bi-directional, dual-channel 10 Gbps pipe using electrical or optical cables. Compatible with existing DisplayPort devices out of the box, it’s dual protocol – with DisplayPort and PCI Express – and allows for daisy-chaining and bus-power.

What makes the daisy-chaining special is that, thanks to the dual-channel technology, the first device still gets 10 Gbps to play with even if you then plug in a second device off the back of it. Up to six can be linked up from a single port, and with simple adapters a Thunderbolt connection can be turned into HDMI, VGA, DVI, gigabit ethernet, FireWire or USB.

We already know that Promise is readying the Pegasus RAID and LaCie a new Little Big Disk, both using Thunderbolt, and more should be announced any time now. Apple’s new MacBook Pro notebooks will go on sale today.

Press Release:

Intel Announces Thunderbolt™ Technology: The Fastest Data Connection to Your PC Just Arrived

Blazingly Fast Data Transfer Combines with HD Display Connectivity to Enable New Usages and Peripheral Devices

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS:

Thunderbolt technology is a new high-speed PC connection technology that runs at 10Gbps.
Thunderbolt technology supports both data and display on a single cable, enabling greater simplicity, flexibility and new and exciting ways to use a PC.
Apple* is the first customer to offer Thunderbolt technology, coming first on its new line of MacBook* Pro laptops.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Intel Corporation today announced the availability of Thunderbolt technology, a new high-speed PC connection technology that brings together high-speed data transfer and high-definition (HD) display on to a single cable. Running at 10Gbps, Thunderbolt technology can transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds. This Intel-developed technology is coming to market through a technical collaboration with Apple, and is available first on Apple’s new line of MacBook Pro laptop computers.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Intel to bring the groundbreaking Thunderbolt technology to Mac users”
Wait Less. Do More.

The vision for Thunderbolt technology (formerly codenamed “Light Peak”) is to move media faster, simplify connections between devices, and foster new and exciting ways to build and use PCs. Combining high-speed data and HD video connections together onto a single cable is instrumental to achieving that vision. Thunderbolt technology delivers this via two communications methods, or protocols — PCI Express* for data transfer and DisplayPort* for displays. PCI Express has the flexibility to connect to almost any type of device, and DisplayPort can drive greater than 1080p resolution displays and up to eight channels of audio simultaneously. Thunderbolt technology is compatible with existing DisplayPort displays and adapters. All Thunderbolt technology devices share a common connector, and let individuals simply daisy-chain their devices one after another, connected by electrical or optical cables.

Thunderbolt technology is designed to meet the demands of serious HD media creators. For example, videographers can unleash their creativity using high-bandwidth audio and video capture/mixing devices, and get both low latency and highly-accurate time synchronization for real-time processing. At 10Gbps, larger media files are transferred faster so there’s less time spent waiting to watch and edit videos. Data can be backed up and restored quicker, so there’s less waiting for archived content. For mobile PC users, it means having a single connector on their ultra-thin laptop that extends their high-speed media and HD display capabilities at home or in the office. Thunderbolt technology is complementary to other I/O technologies that Intel continues to support.

“Working with HD media is one of the most demanding things people do with their PCs,” said Mooly Eden, general manager, PC Client Group, Intel. “With Thunderbolt technology, Intel has delivered innovative technology to help professionals and consumers work faster and more easily with their growing collection of media content, from music to HD movies. We’ve taken the vision of simple, fast transfer of content between PCs and devices, and made it a reality.”

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Intel to bring the groundbreaking Thunderbolt technology to Mac users,” said Bob Mansfield, Apple’s senior vice president of Mac Hardware Engineering. “With ultra-fast transfer speeds, support for high-resolution displays and compatibility with existing I/O technologies, Thunderbolt is a breakthrough for the entire industry and we think developers are going to have a blast with it.”

Thunderbolt technology is powered by an Intel controller chip, and uses a small connector suitable for mobile devices that will be included in products supporting the technology. Several innovative companies have announced Thunderbolt technology-based products, or currently plan to support Thunderbolt technology in upcoming products, including Aja*, Apogee*, Avid*, Blackmagic*, LaCie*, Promise*, and Western Digital*. Intel is working with the industry on a range of Thunderbolt technology-enabled products including computers, displays, storage devices, audio/video devices, cameras, docking stations and more.

The French-finished memory disc comes in a “charming gift box” and LaCie reckons it’s ideal for wearing around the neck on a chain; we’d also suggest replacing your boring old pocket-watch with one, or perhaps wearing it as a less-useful monocle. The LaCie Galet is available now, priced at £94.99 ($152).

Press Release:

Christofle and LaCie Reveal Luxury for Every Day: Galet USB Key

• Imagined by Christofle
• Assembled and silvered in France
• 4GB of storage

London, UK (20th January 2011) – Today, two distinguished brands, Christofle and LaCie, introduce an elegant object for your digital belongings – Galet, design by Christofle. With its beautiful pebble shape and magnificent silver-plating, the Galet is a conversation piece that proves beauty and functionality can easily co-exist in our daily lives.

Changing the definition
The Galet is a new way of thinking about personal technology. Like a designer watch or a luxury pen, the Galet is an essential accessory.

Hand-crafted in France, each piece is individually plated with precious silver through Christofle’s 150 year-old silvering process. Then it is carefully inspected for a smooth finish and radiant polish, which guarantees its excellence. The Galet is assembled and hand-packed in a charming gift box at LaCie’s factory in Paris, ensuring each Galet represents the finest presentation and quality. Once the process is complete, the result is a timeless gift that will bring convenience and luxury to one’s daily life.

Mobility made chic
The Galet is a collector of photo and music memories. It is a beautifully simple USB solution to keep your cherished files close and accessible. The Galet’s pebble shape easily fits into your life – in your pocket, on your key chain, or even around your neck – so you can take it with you wherever you go.

“The spirit and philosophies of Christofle and its luxury brand, combined with the technical expertise of LaCie, have come together to transform a universal technology into an object that is as beautiful and simple a treasured piece of jewellery,” said Luc Pierart, Business Unit Manager, Consumer Peripherals, LaCie “Each time you open it, its mystery is revealed – an elegant USB key.”

Availability
The Galet comes in 4GB and includes LaCie’s Private-Public software with password protection. The Galet is available for £94.99 in Christofle boutiques worldwide, as well as the LaCie Online Store. For more product information, visit www.lacie.com.

It means that this machine (though not all the details are worked out, obviously), take some of what otherwise seem to be crucial components out of the picture: all you need now is a monitor or screen of some sort and a way to attach it to the hard drive. From there, the harddrive could (with some modifications turning it into what’d be closer to what’s considered a computer) become a whole new all-in-one sort of machine.

Remember that this is a conceptual design and isn’t meant to be a complete idea yet. This is where great things are born, especially when the idea precedes the technology or the means of creating the project. Love it.

[Via Yanko Design]

It comes with a copy of LaCie Backup Assistant and a year’s subscription to 10GB of online storage. The LaCie Starck Mobile USB 3.0 drive will be priced at $109.99 in the US or £89.99 in the UK.

Press Release:

LaCie Brings Industry-Leading Speeds to High Design: LaCie Starck Mobile Drive USB 3.0

LONDON, UK (9TH November, 2010) – LaCie announced today the latest addition to its USB 3.0 portfolio, bringing the fastest interface on the market to the award-winning design of Philippe Starck – LaCie Starck Mobile USB 3.0.

USB 3.0 Technology

Reaching speeds up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0*, the Starck Mobile USB 3.0 is an ideal gift for technology enthusiasts who demand stylish aesthetics with leading technology.

Ensuring connectivity is never an issue, the LaCie Starck Mobile USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 – simply connect it into any PC or Mac for a seamless plug-and-play experience.

Strength of Metal
Encased in 2mm of sturdy aluminium, the LaCie Starck Mobile USB 3.0 is one the most resistant choices for consumer hard drives on the market. The aluminium offers resilience from blunders, improved heat dissipation, and is fully recyclable.

User-Friendly Software Suite
The LaCie Starck Mobile USB 3.0 comes with LaCie Setup Assistant software to easily install your drive on PC and Mac. It also includes LaCie Backup Assistant, which helps make automatic backup a snap. In addition, you get 10GB of Wuala Online Storage included for one year to securely store, share and sync your data online.

Availability

The LaCie Starck Mobile USB 3.0 will be available in a 500GB capacity through LaCie Online Store, LaCie Corner, LaCie Reseller+ and LaCie Storage Partner starting at the suggested retail price of £89.90 (Incl.VAT). For more information, visit www.lacie.com/uk.

*Based on theoretical rate given by USB-IF. More information visit www.usb.org.

In fact, LaCie is quoting 306MB/s transfers for the 2big, making good use of that USB 3.0 connection.  Meanwhile, the single-drive d2 USB 3.0 also gets a speed increase – up to 156MB/s – along with a 3TB model.

Each is clad in LaCie’s usual, eye-catching aluminum housing.  No word on pricing at this stage, but LaCie tells us they should have official numbers in November; the current 4TB 2big USB 3.0 is $579.99, so we’re not expecting the 6TB version to be cheap.

Press Release:

LaCie 2Big USB 3.0 Breaks 300MB/s Barrier with 3TB Hard Drives

Today, LaCie demonstrates technology leadership with the availability of 3TB hard drives and the demonstration of record speeds in two of its professional storage solutions – LaCie d2 USB 3.0 and LaCie 2big USB 3.0.

Thanks to the inclusion of 3TB hard drives and the performance of USB 3.0, LaCie’s 2big USB 3.0, now available in 6TB, achieves a dramatic 20% speed boost by reaching 306MB/s–the fastest performance of any 2-bay RAID solution to-date. The d2 USB 3.0 also demonstrates a significant speed increase of 156MB/s with the inclusion of a 3TB hard drive.

“There is no question heavy data users continue to demand higher capacities, and in turn faster transfer speeds,” said Erwan Girard, Business Unit Manager for Professional Products. “Today, LaCie answered this challenge by introducing the largest available capacity and fastest transfer speeds in a single solution, providing users with increased backup efficiency and reduced risk for backup interruption.”

Availability
The LaCie 2big USB 3.0 6TB and LaCie d2 USB 3.0 3TB will be available worldwide, at the beginning of November. For more information, visit www.lacie.com.

On the back there are three gigabit ethernet ports – which will work as a switch – and an upstream gigabit port, together with a pair of USB 2.0 ports for hooking up external drives or printers.  Another USB 2.0 port is on the opposite edge, while inside there’s 2.4GHz single-band WiFi b/g/n and either a 1TB or 2TB hard-drive.

Media – whether photos, audio or video – loaded onto the Wireless Space can be shared easily using UPnP or DLNA, and Mac users can set it up with Time Machine as if it actually were a Time Capsule; it’ll function as an iTunes library, too.  It’s available today, priced at £179.90 ($281) for the 1TB.

Update: US pricing is $229.99 for the 1TB and $349.99 for the 2TB.

Press Release:

LaCie Wireless Space: Versatile Wireless Storage

LONDON, UK (Thursday 16th September, 2010) – Today, LaCie introduces its first network-attached storage solution to feature Wi-Fi. The LaCie Wireless Space can operate as a file or media server for multiple Mac® and PC users, from anywhere in the home – making it the most compatible and multifunctional network hard drive on the market.

Leveraging Wi-Fi technology, the Wireless Space can connect to your existing Wi-Fi network, allowing you to access files wirelessly throughout the home, and can serve as a central storage solution for all your backups. If you wish to increase your Wi-Fi performance, the Wireless Space can also act as a b/g/n access point, and even serve as a full-featured router.

“There are a variety of network devices you need to buy to have a full solution to connect your computers, share media and back up your files,” remarked Julien Ott, Product Manager for Network Attached Storage, LaCie. “LaCie is thrilled to bring Wi-Fi connectivity to the Wireless Space and deliver a truly all-in-one solution for the varying different network needs of any home.”

For users with a large media library, the Wireless Space can also act as a media server. It’s compatible with UPnP/DLNA and iTunes, and you can stream music, movies and photos from a central location and play them on any device.

Additionally, the Wireless Space is Time Machine compatible, so Mac users can use it as a target for their automatic backups and be confident that all important files and media are safely protected. LaCie also delivers Genie Timeline Software for scheduled backups on the PC.

Designed exclusively for LaCie, Neil Poulton’s sleek, polished black design is engineered for natural heat dissipation and near-silent operation. The sophisticated design and Wi-Fi functionality of the Wireless Space makes it a perfect addition to any home network.

Availability
The LaCie Wireless Space is available as of today, in 1TB and 2TB capacity through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Corner, and LaCie Reseller+ starting at £179.90. For more product information, visit www.lacie.com/uk.

Both of the HDDs are covered in brushed aluminum for good looks and the aluminum skin helps the HDDs to survive drops and knocks as well as shed the heat associated with lots of use. Both of the drives ship with the LaCie Software Suite to make it easy to set the drives up and start backups to protect data on your PC or Mac computer.

That fancy aluminum chassis of the drives is recyclable when the end of live eventually comes for the drives. The Rikki USB 3.0 HDD can be has in 500GB capacity for $99.99 and the Minimus is offered in 1TB capacity for $129.99 with both drives available to purchase right now.

They are long and fat and when used on a notebook or netbook with USB ports close together you may lose one of the scarce ports. LaCie has unveiled a new flash drive that is a lot like those nano wireless adapters. The new flash drive is called the MosKeyto.

The little thing comes in 4GB and 8GB capacities. The scant size of the flash drive at 21 x 16 x 10mm and 10g of weight means you can plug it in and just leave it in the USB port if you want. The 4GB version sells for $17.99 and the 8GB version will cost you $27.99 with both available right now.

Amongst a whole list of other things its impervious to (yes, it is 10-ton truck resistant), it is also able to survive in environments heated up to 392 degrees Fahrenheit, or negative 122 degrees Fahrenheit. It can read at speeds upwards of 40MBs per second, and write at 30MBs per second. Oh, and if you go diving? It can survive completely submerged down to 333 feet. The USB drive is created from zamac alloy (which is a metal alloy created from zinc, aluminum, copper, and magnesium), which makes it possible that 10-ton truck.

The video itself is pretty interesting, so check that out below. If you’re interested in picking one up, you can check out one of LaCie’s many retail outlets, like their Online Store. You’ll have to drop £42.99 to get your hands on the 8GB model. We’re fans of the circular design for that metal alloy casing — what do you think?

Press Release:

LaCie XtremKey: The World’s Most Adventurous USB Flash Drive

• Thick metal pipe casing protects your data from the elements
• Resistant to pressure, water, high drops, and extreme hot and cold
• Up to 64GB of storage in a three-inch form factor

LONDON, UK (13th July, 2010) – LaCie announced today the LaCie XtremKey – offering industrial-strength protection for your data. With capacities up to 64GB and an impenetrable shell, the XtremKey is a truly rugged USB key that stands up to the elements.

LaCie, originator of the flat, award-winning key-shaped USB flash drives, shields the XtremKey’s premium flash memory modules inside a 2mm metal pipe casing. Sealed with wear-resistant screw threads and a rubber O-ring, it is watertight up to 100 metres. The LaCie XtremKey is also resistant to 5-metre drops, fierce heat and bitter cold – it holds up in any environment, no matter where you take it (+200°C / -50°).

XtremKey is constructed with zamac, a metal alloy composed of zinc, aluminium, magnesium and copper that’s so strong, it can withstand the pressure of a 10-ton truck. Less than three inches tall, this flash memory drive puts strength, security and storage right on your keyring.

“The XtremKey offers extreme durability and capacity in a convenient, well-protected and fun form factor,” said Alexis Kobassian, Product Manager, LaCie. “Despite the robust, industrial-strength protection we’ve added, it’s still a LaCie key that brings ease-of-use and reliability to customers looking to keep their data secure while on the go.”

Equipped with the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface, XtremKey offers instant compatibility, outstanding transfer speeds and cross-platform convenience to all PC and Mac® users. With writing speeds up to 30 MBp/s and reading up to 40 MBp/s, you don’t have to sacrifice performance for protection.

Designed by Constance Guisset exclusively for LaCie, XtremKey works relentlessly to keep your data protected, all while being portable, powerful and perfectly suited for your life’s adventures. The key, when placed on a desktop, even shows some playful personality with a perfectly balanced wobble effect.

Availability
The LaCie XtremKey starts in 8GB capacity through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Corner, and LaCie Reseller+ starting at £42.99. For more product information, visit www.lacie.com/uk.

A chunky silver box with a black rubberised outer “bumper”, the Rugged Safe certainly feels sturdy. It’s also relatively large for a portable drive – 90 x 28 x 145 mm and 298g – and while the upper and lower sections may be aluminium, the edges aren’t; peel off the rubber band and there’s grey plastic there. Ports include USB 2.0, two FireWire 800 and a power input, while slightly recessed on the top is the biometric finger scanner. The two FireWire ports allow for daisy-chaining multiple peripherals. Inside, the 7,200rpm 500GB hard-drive is mounted on rubber bumpers for added shock protection.

Setup is straightforward, with LaCie preloading their Safe Manager security app for Windows and Mac onto the drive itself. On first plugging in – either with a FireWire 800/400 connection or using the USB 2.0 with, if there’s not enough juice coming from a single port, the second USB power cable – you can register up to ten fingerprints. That could be every digit from one user, two digits from five users or a single finger of ten users. These are paired up with a regular alphanumeric password – which LaCie recommend is suitably long and complex – and basically requires swiping a finger three times to give the drive a clear reading. After that, the drive is formatted – FAT32 by default, though you can prematurely quit the setup program and use Windows or OS X to create an NTFS or HFS volume respectively – and then ready to use.

Subsequent computers don’t require LaCie Safe Manager be installed: you simply plug in the drive and swipe your finger. A status LED blinks red to show it’s ready to accept fingerprints; we occasionally had to re-swipe, but mostly the LaCie accepted our print first time. If you’d rather use your password then you’ll have to have Safe Manager installed, however; a pop-up dialog allows you to choose between fingerprint or password authentication. Once either is accepted the drive shows up as a regular removable volume.

Beyond that, using the Rugged Safe is just like using a normal, non-encrypted drive. As you save data to it, it’s automatically secured using 128-bit AES hardware encryption; that means, even if the HDD itself is removed from LaCie’s enclosure, your files are still locked up. There’s a minor performance impact from the added security, though significantly less than software-based encryption systems. We found the Rugged Safe to be only very slightly slower in read and write performance than a standard USB 2.0 or FireWire 800 drive. Unmounting the drive in Windows or OS X automatically locks it up.

As for the ruggedness, while LaCie bill the drive as resilient to scratches, bumps and knocks, it’s a long way off from being a rugged in MIL-SPEC terms. However, it’s probably sufficient for most domestic or business use; after being left in a packed bag we couldn’t see any noticeable marks on the casing, and nor did the regular bumps of daily travel seem to have any impact on our data. An SSD is always going to be your best bet for dealing with significant vibration or knocks, but of course the flip side is the inevitable cost of solid-state storage.

On that front, the LaCie Rugged Safe holds up reasonably well, though it’s certainly not the cheapest route to mobile data. The 500GB version has an MRSP of $189.99/£159.99, while the 1TB model – not yet commercially available – will be$299.99/£259.99. A regular, 500GB non-rugged and non-encrypted USB/FireWire drive is around $110-$120; LaCie’s own 500GB MIL-compliant (though non-biometric) drive is $159.99. There’s free software out there – such as TrueCrypt – which will mimic the security (though without the fingerprint convenience) though with a greater performance impact of course.

Mobile data security is something most of us should consider but few actually put into practice. Given a 500GB external drive can likely hold the majority of our personal documents (and a fair splash of photos, video and other multimedia) with room to spare, that’s even more incentive to make sure the contents are locked up. LaCie’s premium for the Rugged Safe is relatively minor in comparison to some rival biometrically-secured drives, and the simplicity of the fingerprint system takes the sting out of everyday use. Your ripped Britney Spears MP3s might not be worth the extra cash, but if you’re transporting personal information then the LaCie Rugged Safe is an affordable way of making sure it remains for your eyes only.

Both USB and FireWire connectivity is supported, and the drive – and fingerprint scanner – are both bus-powered for ease of use.  There’s also apparently no driver to install; plug in the Rugged Safe, swipe, and you’re good to go.  That should hopefully make usage more straightforward on machines where you don’t have administrator rights.

Up to ten different user profiles are supported, and LaCie bundle both FireWire and USB cables – and a two-port USB power cable – in the box.  It’s available now, priced at $189.99 for the 500GB model and $299.99 for the 1TB.

Press Release:

LaCie’s Rugged Now with Encryption for Maximum Data Security

• 128-bit AES hardware encryption
• Biometric authentication technology
• Mac® and PC compatible
• Bus-powered for full mobility

LaCie today announced the safest mobile hard drive on the market – the LaCie Rugged Safe, offering multiple levels of data protection. The Rugged Safe features unbreakable 128-bit AES hardware encryption, the safest biometric authentication technology, and a shock-proof enclosure.

Designed for people on the go, the LaCie Rugged Safe is bus-powered through USB or FireWire and is compatible with Mac or PC. Where other safe products require software installation on every workstation, the Rugged Safe is plug & play. Once configured, it will grant a user access to his or her data on any computer with a single finger swipe.

More than just a superior solution for portability, the Rugged Safe combines a 128-bit AES encryption engine and biometric fingerprint access – preventing unauthorized access. Professionals can protect and share sensitive files or intellectual property with up to 10 registered users.

“The LaCie Rugged Safe was developed to enable professional or private users to protect their valuable data and intellectual property from theft and unauthorized access,” said Erwan Girard, LaCie Business Unit manager. “We’ve synthesized a range of technologies to ensure this device is the safest and most mobile storage solution – a real vault for your data.”

Like its award-winning cousin, the LaCie Rugged Hard Drive, the Rugged Safe was designed by the world-famous designer, Neil Poulton. With its protective rubber bumper and internal hard drive mounted on four independent suspensions, the Rugged Safe is shock-resistant for maximum reliability and data protection.

The Rugged Safe comes with a superior three-year limited warranty and includes the easy-to-use and customizable LaCie Backup Assistant for Mac and PC users.

Availability
The LaCie Rugged Safe will be available in 500GB through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Corner, LaCie Reseller+ and LaCie Storage Partner starting at the suggested retail price of $189.99 (excluding VAT). For more information, visit www.lacie.com.

About Neil Poulton
Neil Poulton was born in Thurso, Scotland. A graduate in Industrial Design from Edinburgh University and Milan’s Domus Academy, Poulton first came into public view in 1989 as the creator of “the ageing pens,” pens made from a “living,” wearing plastic that changes color and form with use. Today, Neil Poulton designs and develops best-selling, award-winning products for a variety of international clients including LaCie & Artemide. Since 1991, Poulton has lived and worked in Paris, France. www.neilpoulton.com

About LaCie
Located in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe, Singapore and Hong Kong, LaCie is the leading manufacturer of computer peripherals for Windows, Apple and Linux users. LaCie creates external storage solutions and color monitors that help professionals and everyday people easily manage their digital lives. LaCie has differentiated its products through original designs and leading-edge technology. Established in France in 1989, LaCie is listed on Euronext under FR0000054314 (LAC). For more information, visit www.lacie.com

The Best of R3 Media

Motorola Cliq Gets a Screenshot of Android 2.1: While other Sprint devices keep getting the update to Android 2.1, there’s a few other handsets out there that still haven’t been brought into the current age of Android. Namely, handsets running with MOTOBLUR. Just when we might have started thinking it wasn’t going to happen, we get a screenshot of a Motorola Cliq, somewhere out there in the United States, running the latest build of Android 2.1. It’s only a screen grab of the Settings menu, so we don’t have a lot to go on here, but at least it’s something. Or, it’s fake. [via Android Community]

The Motorola i1 Lands on SouthernLINC: Sure, we might have assumed that Motorola had bigger plans for the Motorola i1, but apparently its initial launch is destined for a regional carrier. And, sure enough, it’s expensive on that regional carrier, too. SouthernLINC have landed the launch of the Motorola i1, with its military-spec ruggedization, and Android-running goodness. It’ll cost you $200 on a new, two-year contract, so definitely weigh your options a bit, yeah? [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge Net

LaCie Shows Off New Net-Connected RAID: LaCie knows how to make expensive solutions to your storage needs. With this latest edition, there’s no exception made. These new drives are intended for maximum data storage, protection, and connectivity. There is a pair of hard drives inside the foreboding black box, which are set up in a typical RAID 1 fashion: you write to one, it gets reflected on the other. It features built-in server and torrent download functions, which should make a few people happy out there. The USB 2.0 interface should also do the trick, meaning you can use the RAID set-up like a standard hard drive as well. You can set it up in a 2GB or 4GB capacity, with the 2GB mark starting with a cost of $480. [via CrunchGear]

MSI Introduces X620 and CX420: MSI knows how to launch a notebook. They do it all the time, it seems, and they probably don’t plan on stopping any time soon. This time around, we’ve got the X620MX, which is a 15.6-inch, which features Intel’s new Core 2010 line-up of processors, and ATI’s Mobility Radeon HD 545v (512MB) GPU. Actually both notebooks rock the same features, including the DDR3 RAM, up to two slots, and the same 1366×768 resolution of the screens. Hard drives come in sizes from 250GB/320GB/500GB; HDMI/VGA outputs, 3 USB 2.0 ports, microphone and headphone audio jacks, and integrated WiFi 802.11b/g/n. No prices or release date yet. [via Hot Hardware]

Foxconn’s Tablet Features Tegra 2: NVIDIA showed off a new tablet, and we’ve got to admit: it’s impressive. Sure, it’s probably not coming out until way later this year, but at least we’ve got something to look forward to (among other things, of course). This prototype tablet features the dual-core Tegra 250 chipset, which is designed by Foxconn, is labeled as being “a generation ahead” of the iPad from Apple, because it may run the same 1GHz clock speed, but the ARM Cortex-A9 architecture means that it can actually pull 25 percent more power than Apple’s A4 processor. It also features 1GB of RAM, which is four times as much as Apple’s tablet. It’s only 8.9 inches, though, so it is a bit smaller than the revolutionary product from Cupertino. It does have a front-facing camera and 2 USB ports, though. [via Electronista]

Of course, if you don’t have a Power eSATA port on your laptop you can still use the LaCie drive.  In the box there’s a Y-cable which connects to a USB and a regular eSATA socket, pulling in power from the former and using the latter for data.

LaCie have a list of compatible machines here so you can check to see if your notebook is suitable.  The LaCie Rugged eSATA hard-drive is available now, priced at $159.99 for 500GB.

Press Release:

LaCie Rugged eSATA: Mobile Storage for Fast Data Transfer

• Power eSATA interface allows you to work faster
• Rugged casing is ideal for protecting valuable data on the go
• Up to 90MB/s through Power eSATA
• Compatible with standard eSATA ports

LaCie today announced the Rugged eSATA, the first mobile external hard drive on the market that features a Power eSATA interface. The Rugged eSATA offers major storage capacity and a cost advantage over eSATA SSD solutions, and is one of the only portable, bus-powered eSATA solutions on the market.

Bus-powered when connected to a USB-eSATA combo port, the LaCie Rugged eSATA combines superior transfer speeds of up to 90MB/s in a truly mobile form. The USB-eSATA combo interface, also known as Power eSATA, features a slightly different connector than eSATA and is frequently found on late-model laptops. The drive is also compatible with standard eSATA ports when the included USB power-sharing cable is connected.

“We are thrilled to integrate power eSATA technology into our best-selling Rugged mobile hard drive,” said Anne-Sophie Marchand, Consumer Product Manager. “This solution brings dazzling transfer speeds to customers on the go, while still ensuring compatibility with standard eSATA and USB 2.0 connectors.”

Housed in the award-winning Rugged casing designed by Neil Poulton, the LaCie Rugged eSATA features a unique scratch-resistant aluminum shell, internal anti-shock absorbers, and a shock-resistant rubber bumper to better protect files against everyday blunders.

Availability
The LaCie Rugged eSATA will be available in 500GB capacity through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+ and LaCie Storage Partner starting at the suggested retail price of $159.99 (VAT included). For more information, visit www.lacie.com.

That cool Kohjinsha DZ dual-screen netbook has landed on a video review. I really like the idea behind this netbook, I still want to know about battery life on the thing, and I hope some mainstream netbook makers are looking to offer similar machines.

A new concept called Synaptics Fuse tipped up this week and the thing looks like a cross between a smartphone and a kids toy to me. It’s packed with squeeze, scroll, and stroke sensors and is an interesting concept for sure. MSI added new models to its X-Slim range with a new X350 and X600 Pro. The machines have WiMAX options and can be fitted with a Core 2 Duo processor.

JVC unveiled some cool looking and very thin home theater sound bar systems called the TH-BS7 and TH-BA3. These thin systems would look great on the wall along with your HDTV. Slides leaked out showing that NVIDIA is set to debut a couple new high-end video cards called the GTX 360 and the GTX 380. The GTX 380 looks to be more powerful than anything ATI is offering now.

The Nokia N900 has been confirmed for Vodafone aiming at a launch in January. We bet the thing will be offered free with certain plans. The FCC outed a new Samsung ST5500 camera with WiFi with 14.2MP and 7x optical zoom. Samsung was fast to point out the specs could change before launch.

Viewsonic released a boring netbook called the Viewbook VNB102 that has nothing interesting about it. The machine is like every other netbook on the market for the last year. I guess netbooks are like the field of dreams for these companies, just because you build it, customers will not come. Corsair unveiled a massively expensive RAM kit this week with 24GB in six DIMMS. The big downside was the kit costs over $1300.

Toshiba unveiled some new 64GB NAND chips this week that would be fantastic for the iPhone. Here’s hoping they find their way into the next model to hit the market. The Google Nexus One turned up on another video this week. We wish someone would just give us a full video breakdown, they must fear the Google ninjas.

LaCie unveiled a small external HDD called the Rikiki that has 640GB of storage and is about the size of a tiny monkey. Apple won a permanent injunction against Psystar this week. The judge didn’t specifically name Rebel EFI in the injunction but said Psystar would sell the software at its peril.

Cherrypal unveiled the $99 Africa netbook aimed at developing countries. The company also announced an updated Bing netbook for those of us with more loot to spend. The WarMouse Meta has debuted with 18 buttons and packing a laser sensor. I would never remember where I bound the macros on the thing.

AAXA has debuted its M1 projector that is both bigger and brighter than the pico. It had better be much brighter, that Pico was nearly useless in anything but total darkness. I am not sure how I feel about Bond’s preferred car marquee building a city car. Aston Martin has unveiled the Cygnet that looks like a cross between a Mini and a DB9.

The Barnes & Noble Nook has been hacked to add a full web browser to the device. That would actually be a cool feature, but I am sure the data consumption will be higher and AT&T won’t be happy. Word came in this week that the NVIDIA Ion 2 launch had been delayed at the request of manufacturers. The crux of the delay is to let the computer makers sell the remaining original ION devices.

The best news this week was that the 3D Blu-ray specs had been completed and that the PS3 would support 3D. I will be glad to see 3D movies in the home, but we will surely need a new TV to enjoy 3D on the PS3. SplitFish started shipping its Dual SFX Evolution controller. The thing looks pretty cool, but I bet it takes some getting used to.

The Asus Eee 1005P and 1005PE netbook broke cover this week. Both the machines are running the Intel Pine Trail platform. Research firm IDC reports that the PC market is back to growth. This year the growth is minimal, but through 2013 the prediction is for double-digit growth.

CES is right around the corner and one of the cool gadgets we will be looking for is the Notion Ink Tegra Android smartpad. This thing should be all kinds of cool. Fusion Garage and Michael Arrington are continuing with their legal battle over the failed CrunchPad. Fusion Garage still maintains it owns the IP behind the design.

The iPhone has beaten Windows Mobile in market share for the U.S. smartphone market. Windows Mobile is the only mobile OS losing market share according to a recent report. That’s it for this week, have a Merry Christmas!

The storage solution is called the LaCie 2Big USB 3.0 and is a dual-disk RAID 0/1 storage solution. The drive uses the Symwave USB 3.0 dual SATA and RAID bridge controller for the highest throughput ever seen on a USB 3.0 drive.

The 2Big USB 3.0 offers performance up to 275 MB/s and it will be offered in up to 4TB capacities. The drive will be bundled with backup software for Mac and PC users. Pricing and availability are unannounced at this time.

“Rikiki”, meanwhile, is French for tiny, so the drive is a linguistics lesson as well as a place to offload your media files to.  We’re not sure if the monkey is French – surely he’d be wearing a beret if that were the case.

For $74.99 you can get a 250GB Rikiki, while the 500GB and 640GB versions come in at $109.99 and $149.99 respectively.  No word on whether LaCie will be dropping a clip-on monkey into the box with every purchase; you probably just get a USB cable.

Press Release:

The Smallest of its Species: LaCie Rikiki

Size does matter–resistance too.

• Ultra compact, high capacity
• Aluminum exterior for sturdy data protection
• USB Boost and backup software included
• Plug & play on Mac® and PC

Today, LaCie introduced the most compact 2.5″ hard drive on the market – LaCie Rikiki, in metal. Measuring just a mere 110cm, its sophisticated form factor holds up to 640GB of media that you won’t mind storing in a pocket or purse.

Encased in brushed, sturdy aluminum, the LaCie Rikiki, which means “tiny” in French, represents a resilient aesthetic that protects your media from everyday blunders and unwelcome fingerprints. Its lightweight design makes it a perfect companion for keeping your digital world close at hand.

“We are part of a generation that wants more from our electronics, but in the smallest form factor possible, and with a competitive price,” said Anne-Sophie Marchand, Consumer Product Manager. “With the LaCie Rikiki, we have done just that by fitting high-performance and high-capacity in the palm of your hand, for under $100.”

Leveraging the versatile USB 2.0 interface, the LaCie Rikiki is instantly compatible with your PC or Mac. Simply plug it in and you’re ready to store and share your favorite media with high-speed performance. LaCie Rikiki also offers USB Boost software for enhancing speeds up to 33% (Windows® only).

LaCie Rikiki also comes with a simplified software suite – for quick setup and easy-to-use backup management – enabling complete configuration in just a few clicks. The LaCie Rikiki is an all-in-one solution for storage mobility.

Availability
The LaCie Rikiki will be available in 250GB, 500GB, and 640GB capacities through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+, and LaCie Corner, starting at the suggested retail price of $74.99 (excluding VAT). For more information, visit www.lacie.com.

Round the back there are two gigabit ethernet ports, along with serial, VGA, PS/2, four USB 2.0 and a mini-USB.  There are also two PCIe x8 slots, two PCIe x4 slots and two PCI-X slots, while boot files are kept on two 2.5-inch HDDs and ten hot-swappable fans keep everything cool.

A 2.33GHz Intel quad-core Xeon with 2GB of RAM keeps things churning, and the whole thing will work as a NAS or as an iSCSI appliance.  As we said, overkill for most homes and the price will likely put you off too: $7,999 for the 6TB model, rising to $9,999 for the 12TB and $13,999 for the 24TB.

Press Release:

LaCie 12big Rack Network: A Rock-Solid Enterprise Class NAS and iSCSI Appliance

• 19″ 2U rack-mounted NAS and iSCSI for SMB and branch offices
• Powered by Microsoft® Windows Storage Server 2008
• Server-class motherboard, Enterprise Class drives, and hardware RAID controller
• Data deduplication, file replication, data encryption, and built-in back up

Today LaCie has announced the release of its new network-attached Storage (NAS) and iSCSI solution for SMBs and corporate satellite offices, the LaCie 12big Rack Network.

To assure rock-solid reliability in demanding 24/7 corporate operating conditions, the 12big Rack Network is built on an Intel® server class motherboard that features two 1GB Ethernet links and a quad-core Xeon® processor. To assure superior performance over its lifetime, the 12big Rack Network is reinforced with a hardware RAID controller (RAIDs 0, 1, 10, 5, 50, and 6), redundant power supplies, and multiple hot-swappable cooling fans. In addition, the 12big Rack Network uses Enterprise Class hard disks, which means superior sustained performance and compliance with the highest quality standards.

Outfitting the Lacie 12big Rack Network with a hardware RAID engine means greater efficiencies in data management, bolstering its high reliability and profound scalability. While the quad-core Xeon processor is designed to successfully serve 500+ users’ requests all the time, the hardware RAID controller XOR engine calculates the massive RAID parities protecting all critical data. With the XOR engine, you can scale the disk capacity upward by connecting an extra 12big Rack Serial through its expansion port without any impact on performance. Even more, the XOR engine strengthens the global system stability by reducing the rebuild time of RAID protected data disk arrays in the unlikely event of a disk failure.

“Clearly, performance, reliability, and flexibility are of utmost importance for any business when choosing a NAS solution,” noted Erwan Girard, LaCie’s Solution Business Unit Manager. “This is exactly what you’ll find with the 12big Rack Network. From 6TB to 48TB, addressable as files or blocks, the solution can scale up without any tradeoff in speed or reliability. Essential features such as an internal backup engine, file deduplication, remote file replication, and global name spaces demonstrate that LaCie wants to make certain that IT professionals have the necessary tools to efficiently manage their data.”

Out of the box, the 12big Rack Network is pre-installed with Microsoft’s ready-to-configure Windows Storage Server 2008 Standard Edition. LaCie demonstrates its commitment to high-end server solutions by running Windows Storage Server from two RAID 1-protected internal 2.5″ disks.

“Windows Storage Server 2008 breaks new barriers in management efficiency and data
protection,” said Eric Jewett, Director, Windows Server Marketing, “Single Instance Storage [SIS] will save data disk space, Active Directory integration will ensure that the 12big Rack Network will seamlessly integrate into the IT ecosystem, DFS- Replication will provide file replication services that can be used in high availability infrastructures, and Bitlocker drive encryption makes certain that confidential data is inaccessible when disks are moved to unauthorized locations. With Microsoft’s server-based solutions, the LaCie 12big Rack Network will actively protect data through local or remote copies thanks to its built-in back up engine running Windows Server Backup.”

Constructed with best-of-breed components, the LaCie 12big Rack Network will store your critical data while offering hassle-free maintenance and scalability without sacrificing performance. Further, LaCie knows that IT professionals demand straightforward solutions, which is why there is no need for additional software licenses, cables, or rack mounting kits as all pieces and features are shipped in the 12big Rack Network box.

Availability
The LaCie 12big Rack Network is available in various capacities through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+, and LaCie Storage Partner starting at the suggested retail price of $7999.00 (excluding VAT).

Connectivity includes both USB – with the Sound2 set showing up on your PC or Mac as an external soundcard – and a standard 3.5mm line-in port for use with an iPod or other music source.  LaCie also throw an AC adapter in the box for that latter scenario, since usually the Sound2 are powered by USB.

The LaCie Sound2 are priced at $99.99; what we don’t know right now is when you’ll actually be able to buy them.  The product page says “out of stock”, but since there’s no specific release date mentioned in the press release we’re assuming that should change imminently.

Press Release:

LaCie Teams up with Cabasse to Bring Hi-Fi Sound Quality to Your Mac®, PC or iPod®

• Hi-fi quality sound engineered by Cabasse
• Easily connect to a Mac, PC, or MP3 device
• USB bus powered
• Built-in cables for easier connectivity
• Plug & play, driver-free setup for Mac and PC

Today LaCie announced high-end speakers, modeled after Cabasse’s renowned loudspeaker technology – the LaCie Sound2 Speakers, design by Neil Poulton. LaCie has partnered with famous acoustic engineering company Cabasse to bring high-quality sound to any computer system or A/V device.

Coupled with Cabasse’s loudspeaker driver support, the LaCie Sound2 Speakers provide premium sound quality to computers. Additionally, users can use the line-in connection to experience the same high-quality sound from audio/video devices like iPods and portable multimedia players.

“At LaCie, we like to optimize how our customers interact with their media. It is very exciting to partner with a company like Cabasse, which has a sixty-year reputation for hi-fi sound systems, to offer a high quality listening experience to our customers,” said Alexis Kobassian, Product Manager. “The LaCie Sound2 Speakers exemplifies the very roots of sound development from design aesthetics to customized acoustic engineering, providing our customers with the best quality and price.”

Setup for the LaCie Sound2 Speakers is easy; users simply plug into a PC or Mac USB connection or line-in port on a peripheral device, and they are ready to go – with no driver installation necessary. Also, for added functionality, the LaCie Sound2 Speakers come with a built-in USB cable and volume control.

The LaCie Sound2 Speakers can provide 30W total peak power output and an expansive frequency response of 80Hz – 20kHz. An external power supply is included to reach the optimal amplification and unique sound experience.

Availability
The LaCie Sound2 Speakers will be available through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+, LaCie Corner, and LaCie Storage Partner, starting at the suggested retail price of $99.99 (excluding VAT).
For more information, visit www.lacie.com.

The drive has a boosted 500GB storage capacity, allowing you to save up more HD videos and movies as you please. It can also be used to store photos and music files. You can transfer content to the drive by means of a USB 2.0 connection.

It’s compatible with both PCs and Macs and support numerous codecs including MKV, MPEG-4, H.264 and WMV9. Other features include a Neil Poulton-designed outer shell made of aluminum, shock-resistance and the ability to stand up to serious abuse. You can get the LaCie LaCinema Rugged HD now for $349.99.