LaCie's Rugged Safe external HDD is rugged, safe
By Tim Stevens 
posted May 26th 2010 9:43AM
posted May 26th 2010 9:43AM
LaCie Rugged Safe - Safest Mobile Hard Drive
LONDON, UK (Tuesday 25th May, 2010) – 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 government-grade 128-bit AES hardware encryption, the safest biometric authentication technology, and a military-grade 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 unauthorised 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 unauthorised access," said Erwan Girard, LaCie Business Unit manager. "We've synthesised 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 customisable LaCie Backup Assistant for Mac and PC users.
Availability
The LaCie Rugged Safe will be available in 500GB and 1TB through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Corner, LaCie Reseller+ and LaCie Storage Partner starting at the suggested retail price of £169 (Incl. VAT). For more information, visit www.lacie.com/uk.
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 colour 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 colour 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/uk
do you have a link to the firewire bus powered TB rugged drive for $159?
i would love to see that.
It can't be that safe if the drive isn't in any sort of redundant RAID. There are just too many external RAID options to settle for a single drive.
@Wallyum
Safe from us, not from itself..
@Wallyum while RAID is a safer storage setup, it's not the same as a technical backup (two copies in separate locations).
Anywho, you also can't have a real mobile RAID due to power requirements, so it's kind of null.
I got one of the Lacie rugged 320GB drives - looks great. It feel from the top of my P182 case, approx 50cm in height and now the drive clicks...
Poor form, if you ask me :(
@Pearl Jam
*it fell
First pic looks like the bottom half of a hovercraft
@Slowrollin Which ironically is neither rugged nor safe.
The pricing is a bit off, imo. Let's take it that there's a cost associated with the drive itself and a cost associated with the case. I think it's fair to assume that the cost of the case is the same for the 500GB and 1TB versions. That means that the 1TB drive costs $110 more than the 500GB one - that's quite the premium.
@beefiron somewhat true, IF the technology were accomplished at the same time. Take a look at 2.5" disk tech history. Just recently has a 1TB 2.5" disk been developed.
Over time, the disparity will shrink, but right now the larger capacity is still new.
Better hope you have a low-profile USB cable so you can use that thing. Look at the lack of clearance on that bad boy!
The problem with fingerprint enabled devices is that they require a finger. That finger doesn't have to be attached to the original owner to work -- just sayin'.
The fingerprint deal sounds great as a concept but if your going to use this thing everyday you will eventually brake the scanner and loose access to your data. The solution to that is to have a backup password but most people will forget that password since they will not use it. Writing that password down can be another problem.
Last 500gb of music pictures and what not is not really safe in a hard drive you need multiple.
@JCerna
And its nothing a TrueCrypt encryption cant solve
I thought it was a poorly placed usb port at first . . .
Add integrated Thermite with remote activation, and I'll take 4...
Headline = WIN
I went with seagate goflex pro. Not as safe for drops but oh so customizable