(credit: LaCie) LaCie Rugged Mini | from US$99.99 | www.lacie.com
love the LaCie Rugged drive but wished for something more portable? well, your wish has just been granted. LaCie just announced its latest addition to the Rugged hard drives, aptly dubbed LaCie Rugged Mini. designed by Neil Poulton and based on the original shock and drop resistant features, this shrunk down Rugged drive is 40% smaller than the original Rugged drive. the drive is rain resistant, can suffer drops from up to 1.2 meter (3.9-feet) high and is totally capable of withstanding up to one ton of pressure. the scratch resistant aluminum coupled with the rubberized edging ensure that your drive remains unscathed in the event of an unfortunate mishap.
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under the hood, you will have a choice of 500GB or 1TB capacities and it features an USB 3.0 interface for fast data transfer. however, the Rugged Mini’s USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 as well. like all LaCie products, this drive had me at ‘hello’. well, it didn’t actually need to do that cos’ i am totally sold. not by the specs but by its aesthetic. the LaCie Rugged Mini will be available soon with a starting price from $99.99 for the 500GB model, and runs up to $159.99 for the 1TB version. check out a few more look and official press release after the break.
[toggle title_open=”Hide Press Release” title_closed=”Show Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default”]LaCie Rugged Mini: Smaller and StrongerJuly 19, 2011
Today LaCie announced the latest addition to its family of award-winning Rugged hard drives — LaCie Rugged Mini, design by Neil Poulton. Based on the Rugged’s shock- and drop- resistant features, the Rugged Mini is 40 percent smaller, rain-resistant and can withstand one ton of pressure. Coupled with its scratch-resistant aluminum casing and LaCie Private-Public software, the Rugged Mini is sure to keep your data safe and secure.
IDEAL FOR ANYONE ON THE GO
With its small size, as well as shock-, rain- and pressure-resistant capabilities, the Rugged Mini is ideal for anyone on the go. Professionals and students alike can easily transport the drive in their bag for school or for an outdoor photo shoot, and be confident their files are safe and secure. Video professionals will especially appreciate the Rugged Mini’s speed with USB 3.0 and 7200 RPM model for onsite file transfer.
Additionally, the Rugged Mini is backward compatible with USB 2.0. This means it will work with any computer or notebook that has a USB connection — offering instant usability, no matter what version of USB you have.
3 TIMES FASTER THAN USB 2.0
The Rugged Mini is completely bus powered and features the USB 3.0 interface — which helps it perform three times faster than USB 2.0. This hard drive can transfer one HD movie in less than three minutes, 1000 MP3 music files in 42 seconds or 2,000 photos in about one minute.
FULL SOFTWARE SUITE
The included software suite is fully compatible with Mac® and PC computers. It allows users to easily set up the hard drive, as well as back up and secure data. You can even enable the eco mode for power savings. The Rugged Mini offers LaCie’s Private-Public software with AES data encryption and password protection — ensuring your files are always secure.
For further backup and security, the Rugged Mini includes 10GB of Wuala secure online storage for one year, allowing you to securely store, share and sync your data online.
AVAILABILITY
The Rugged Mini will be available soon in 500 GB or 1TB capacities through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Corner, and LaCie Reseller+ starting at the suggested retail price of $95.00 (VAT included). 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.
* Actual performance measured with the 120GB version on native USB 3.0 port and with different benchmark tools. Performance may slightly vary according to computer.
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.[/toggle]
