If you're into high-class fashion, LaCie has something for you. The company has come out with two new external hard drives by famed French designer Philippe Starck, who makes everything from furniture to clothes to luggage.
The front surface of the new LaCie desktop external hard drive responds to a finger's touch.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)Other than the fact that they offer extra storage, the LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive and the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive come with a bit of fashion flair. Both are housed in a distinctive-looking, sturdy aluminum case that protects the internal drives from shocks.
While the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive seems to be just a plain yet good-looking compact USB external hard drive, the LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive features a curvy front that responds to the touch of a finger. It also has a status LED light that shines an orange plus sign--Starck's signature symbol--on the surface.
There's not much you can do with the drive's novelty touch-sensitive surface, unfortunately. It can be programmed to launch an application, such as Firefox or Word, when you touch the front of the drive. But to do this, you will need to install LaCie Destkop Manager software, which runs all the time in the background. I found this sort of a waste for a function that's not really useful or necessary. But obviously fashion isn't always about necessity and functionality.
The LaCie Destkop Manager software will also help format the hard drive to work with a Windows, Mac, or Linux platform. The drives also come with LaCie Backup Assistant software, which can automatically back up the computer's data onto the drive.
Other than that, the LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive is very much like a brick. It also generates some sort of vibration during operation, reducing its suitability for sitting on top of your desk. It only comes with a USB port, which is rather disappointing as this is the slowest connection. Other desktop external hard drives often come with FireWire and eSATA connections.
LaCie's two new external hard drives are available now. The LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive costs $130 for the 1TB version and $250 for the 2TB version. The LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive comes in 320GB and 500GB versions, which cost $100 and $140, respectively.
The LaCinema Classic Bridge.
(Credit: Lacie)Following the success of the Western Digital WD TV, an accessory for USB external hard drives that plays multimedia content stored on the hard drive, LaCie announced on Monday its LaCinema Classic Bridge.
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With every new USB device I acquire, my desire for my Dell XPS M1330 laptop to have more than just two USB ports grows stronger. Perhaps now I can finally get my wish.
Tuesday, LaCie introduced two stylish USB 2.0 hubs, the Core4 and Core7, which seem like they will work well with laptops. Designed by Sam Hecht--an award-winning, U.K.-based, industrial designer--these two hubs offer functionality, portability, and style. Both come in a compact form factor, with cables tucked away when not in use.
The Core4 supports up to four USB devices, while the Core7 can handle up to seven. Both come with a Mini-USB male connector, which is the most popular connector for portable USB devices and will come in handy if you forget a USB cable.
The two hubs are also bus-powered, meaning they will work without a power adapter. However, you will need a power adapter if you use multiple bus-powered USB devices with the hubs; this is because a computer's USB port has only enough juice to power so many devices at a time.
The Core7 ships with a power adapter, but the Core4 doesn't; you can purchase one separately if need be. The Core4 comes in three different colors: warm gray, blue, and orange. The Core7 comes in warm gray only.
LaCie's Core4 and Core7 USB hubs are available now and cost $10 and $20, respectively.
LaCie has been busy. Just a little while ago, it joined the cloud storage market by acquiring Wuala, and now it's expanding its network storage products.
The company announced Monday a significant upgrade to its "Big"-branded line of products with the LaCie 2Big and LaCie 5Big network-attached storage devices. These two products come with advanced features, comprehensive backup support, and flexible storage expansion.
The LaCie 5Big Network storage device.
(Credit: LaCie)The LaCie 5Big comes with five hard drive bays and offers storage up to 10TB. Its hard drive can be set up in seven different RAID configurations. It also supports Apple's Time Machine, available in Mac OS X 10.5 or later.
In addition, the LaCie 5Big provides improved multimedia server capabilities, allowing users to play multimedia content from the NAS device through a UPnP and DLNA-compatible devices such as a PS3 or Xbox 360. It's also works as an iTunes server, which provides iTunes users access the NAS device from the application interface.
The Lacie 2Big, on the other hand, is a two-bay RAID device that provides up to 4TB of storage. The device supports Windows Active Directory, letting it fit well in businesses that have a centralized domain server. Apart from supporting Time Machine, the LaCie 2Big also ships with client licenses of Genie Backup Manager Pro for Windows and Intego Backup Manager Pro for Mac.
Both the new devices are available now with starting prices of $320 and $800 for the 2TB 2Big and the 2.5TB 5Big, respectively.
If you own a compact Rugged All-Terrain external hard drive from LaCie, you know how tough the device is. It has a rubber bumper, and the scratch-protected aluminum case can take a serious beating.
Now the same drive has evolved to a bigger physical size with larger storage capacity.
LaCie announced Tuesday the new Rugged LX external hard drive that shares the same distinctive design by Neil Poulton.
The new drive is now based on a 3.5-inch internal hard drive and is therefore much bigger than the Rugged All-Terrain, measuring 8.46 inches by 5.11 inches by 1.73 inches. It also has an increased capacity of 1TB.
While 1TB is large, it's not large enough, considering 1.5TB and 2TB internal hard drives are getting popular nowadays. Nonetheless, the Rugged LX is the only external hard drive that comes with layers of protection and offers this much storage.
The Rugged LX supports the SATA 2 standard and offers speed up to 80MBps when used with its eSATA connection or 30MBps when used with its USB 2.0 connection. Unlike the Rugged All-Terrain, the Rugged LX is not bus-powered and needs a separate adapter, making it less convenient to use on the go.
The drive comes with backup software for both Mac and PCs and is probably best for outdoor and hazardous environment such as construction sites though its nice design fit quite well on your desk, too.
The LaCie Rugged LX is available now and costs $160.
LaCie recently introduced three key-shaped USB-storage devices, including two USB drives--the itsKey and the iamaKey--and one USB microSD card reader, the PassKey.
I got my hands on the iamaKey today and loved it. The drive is about the same shape and size as a small house key and is literally as tough as a nail, but it looks much better than a nail.
LaCie's three new USB storage devices.
(Credit: LaCie)Designed by 5.5 Designers, the award-winning studio that focuses on research and consulting, the iamaKey and the two others look stylish and can fit conveniently in a pocket or on a key ring.
All three key-shaped devices are built with sturdy metal, making their surfaces tough. Additionally, the Gold SIP connector on the iamaKey is both water- and scratch-resistant. It sure is the thinnest and toughest flash drive I've ever seen.
I found one design flaw, however. The iamaKey has a transparent little lid that covers the drive's connector. The lid needs to be removed when the drive is in use, but is not attached to the drive in anyway, which means it can easily slip through a crack and disappear. However, the lid is only for aesthetic purposes.
Both the itsaKey and the iamaKey store up to 8GB of flash memory. The Passkey, on the other hand, is a microSD card reader that lets you use your memory card as a handy USB drive. Or you can also use it as a card reader on the go. All of these keys feature USB 2.0 with throughput speed up to 480Mbps.
These new and sleek USB storage devices work with both Macs and Windows and are available now starting at $9.99.
These tangle-free LaCie Flat Cables must work because they managed to slip by our sticky fingers at the time of their release back in early December '08. LaCie makes these multicolored neon cords in a variety of interfaces, including:
- USB A to B
- USB A to Mini B
- USB A male to A female
- FireWire 400 to FireWire 400
- FireWire 400 to FireWire 800
- FireWire 800 to FireWire 800
- eSATA to eSATA
A French design firm enlisted by LaCie came up with the flat strip shape that neatly folds into a coil to prevent tangles. The Flat Cables also come with 24 labels so you'll never wonder what plug goes with a particular device again.
As always, though, design innovation and pretty colors (see: Apple) come at a premium: would you pay 10 dollars each for these cables? Sound off in the comments section!
More pictures after the jump.
... Read moreI got my hands on LaCie's new external hard drive, the 2big Dual, and it's not just big, but heavy too.
The 2big Dual features a tool-less hard-drive bay for easy access and maintenance.
(Credit: LaCie)In fact, it's arguably the heaviest two-bay external hard drive I've run into. The drive is not ugly, however. Designed by Neil Poulton, the drive, though big and rugged, has an elegant industrial look with aluminum casing and a removable base for the vertical position.
The drive comes with eSATA and USB 2.0 connections and six RAID-based setups for hard drives that can be easily set with the switch on the back of the device.
The 2big Dual also features an easy-maintenance design, with the hard drives easily accessible and replaceable. It can support any internal SATA hard drive, but comes in three preconfigured versions, including 1TB, 1.5TB, and 2TB that cost $320, $400, and $530, respectively. All these versions ship with a three-year warranty and EMC Retrospect Express backup software for both PCs and Macs.
You can get one now or check back at CNET.com for an in-depth review to see how its performance stacks up to its big and bold design.
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CNET.com)
Testing out a set of PC speakers is practically begging for an interoffice dance party, so when Lacie's USB speakers arrived at the office, we couldn't wait to bust open the box and get it started. Unfortunately, the speakers don't sound nearly as good as they look, and the high price tag is the final nail in the coffin.
French designer Neil Poulton helped Lacie design this set of PC speakers that use USB connectivity alone for both power and audio. We're typically all for a product that lets us chuck another wire out of the window, so the fact that these speakers don't need to be plugged into an outlet is very appealing. In addition, the housing is just plain sexy. The curved angles, black mesh faceplates, and smooth white surface attracted plenty of attention at the office; that is, until we tried pumping some music through the set.
Needless to say, the quality of sound just isn't up to par. They're a two-piece system so we weren't expecting room-shaking bass or mellifluous harmony, but these things barely sound better than the speakers in the average laptop. We desperately tried to find a decent sounding track, but failed, miserably. And what good are speakers if you can't use them to get down in the privacy of your own home? Even at low volume, our music (tested across several genres) sounds distant and uneven. Finally, $60 price tag adds insult to injury. These speakers simply can't do the music justice; we'd rather hear The Boss through a set of cheap, quality headphones.
Check out our full-length review for more in-depth descriptions and details.
Following up on the success of their FireWire Speakers, LaCie has announced another collaboration with designer Neil Poulton. This model retains the same minimalist design aesthetic but draws power from USB instead of Firewire for plug-and-play compatibility with most PC and Mac computers.
Created with the "en vogue" consumer in mind, the USB Speakers let you forgo standard audio cables and replace them with a single USB cord. All the juice needed to power the set is drawn from the computer's bus, and a single wire connects the left and right speakers.
The speakers are shaped like small, white silos and feature a stylish black and white finish with a matte-texturized overlay covering the 2-inch drivers. The underside of one of the speakers contains an additional line-in port as well as a DC-in for external power (adapter not included). The speakers are available now for $60.
