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LaCie eSATA Hub Thunderbolt Series now available for $200
Back at CES, we first got word of the LaCie eSATA Hub Thunderbolt Series that would put two hard drives of the eSATA sort to good use. The company announced today that the storage peripheral is available now via its online store with a $199 price tag. If you recall, the device will allow you to daisy chain up to 12 drives (six hubs) to a Thunderbolt-enabled Mac while still showcasing 3Gbps eSATA speeds. If you're wanting a closer look or you're ready to commit, visit the source link below.
LaCie eSATA Hub Thunderbolt now shipping
From the "it's about time" department, LaCie is finally shipping its Thunderbolt-equipped eSATA Hub, which will make those older drives hook up nicely to your new Thunderbolt display or Mac and maintain blazing transfer speeds. Full press release below. Show full PR text Upgrade Existing Storage with the LaCie eSATA Hub Thunderbolt™ Series Paris, France – Today LaCie announced the availability of the eSATA Hub Thunderbolt™ Series, its latest peripheral featuring Thunderbolt technology. This product delivers a solution for connecting eSATA hard drives to Thunderbolt-compatible Mac® computers, making them backwards compatible. The eSATA Hub also boosts transfer speeds and allows users to daisy chain with other Thunderbolt peripherals. Give New Life to eSATA Drives Consumers with new Macs who are interested in getting the best possible speeds with their existing multi-interface drives are no longer limited to USB or FireWire connections. In addition, businesses, photographers or other creative professionals who have upgraded their Macs to versions without ExpressCard/34 slots are now able to capitalize on their previous investment in eSATA hard drives. Daisy Chain Capability The eSATA Hub's dual Thunderbolt ports allow users to daisy chain other Thunderbolt peripherals. This means users can connect up to 12 eSATA drives (6 Hubs x 2 eSATA drives per Hub) to a Mac while maintaining full eSATA 3Gb/s speeds. It also helps organize desktops by connecting both a Thunderbolt compatible display and storage device via a single cable (sold separately from www.apple.com) to their Mac. Availability The eSATA Hub Thunderbolt Series is available through the LaCie Online Store and LaCie Storage Partners starting at the suggested retail price of $199.00. 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.
LaCie 2big Thunderbolt series external HDD review
We've already seen what Thunderbolt's capable of when it's used in conjunction with a couple of high performance SSDs, but not everyone needs NAND to meet their external storage requirements. What many do deem essential, however, is a ton of room for system backups and multimedia, and Thunderbolt's ability to transfer bits and bytes in the blink of an eye makes it an alluring alternative to other connections. If you find yourself among those desiring such a solution, let us introduce you to LaCie's 2big Thunderbolt series external HDD. The 2big packs dual 3TB spinners on the inside for a grand total of 6TB, and comes from the factory in a software RAID 0 configuration to take full advantage of Thunderbolt's considerable capabilities. This aluminum desktop behemoth has a price to match its name and stature ($799), so we figured we'd put the 2big through its paces to let you know what kind of performance you'll be getting in return for all that cash. So, as the great Rod Roddy would say, come on down (after the break) and let's get to it.
IRL: Chumby 8, LaCie Rugged Triple USB 3.0 and a duo of Nikkor lenses
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. You know what we're sick of talking about? (Okay, sick is a strong word, but you catch our drift.) Phones. Also, the iPad. Fortunately, this week's IRL touches on neither of the above. Instead, our audio guy Joe takes a different tack and explains his choice of Nikkor lenses, while Andy and Billy get hands-on with a rugged hard drive and Chumby 8, respectively. Head on past the break to see how we rate this stuff after spending more than a little time with all of it.
LaCie 2big Thunderbolt series available now in 4TB and 6TB sizes
The aluminum-encased 2big has arrived, with its (up to) 311 MB/s transfer rates scorching the ground behind it. With hot-swappable disks and dual Thunderbolt ports for daisy chaining, the Portal-esque 2big is on sale now from LaCie's online store with a three-year warranty. Prices start from $649 for 4TB, moving up to $799 for 6TB. Those looking for the king-size 8TB model should hold onto their wallets for now-- it's listed on Lacie's product page, but apparently not available just yet.
Elgato, LaCie, and OCZ announce Thunderbolt storage options at CES 2012
As Richard said sharply a few weeks ago, there really hasn't been a rush to plenty when it comes to Thunderbolt storage options from third-party vendors. That's apparently about to change for the better, as a slew of top-tier manufacturers are announcing products at this week's CES extravaganza. The fine folks at LaCie (makers of the Thunderbolt Little Big Disk HD and SSD models) are planning some serious storage: a multi-drive unit that will support up to 8 TB, for one, and a standalone eSATA adapter for another. The cleverly named 2Big Thunderbolt drive and the eSATA unit will ship in the first quarter of 2012, or so it's said. When you think Elgato you probably don't think storage (more like TV capture or video compression), but the company has long experience with writing storage drivers for the Mac; their coders were behind the Mac support for the VST Firewire drive introduced in 1999. (Ah, the memories.) Now the German firm is adding Thunderbolt to the product line with the Elgato Thunderbolt SSD, a solid-state storage unit similar to the LaCie SSD Little Big Disk but $200 cheaper in the 240 GB capacity (USD$700 vs. $900, but as our commenter points out below, the LaCie unit is actually a RAID set of two SSDs for speed & includes another Thunderbolt port). Shipping in February, the Elgato drive will offer blazing fast external storage in both the high-capacity model and a 120 GB ($429.95) size. Moreover, the Elgato drive will be bus-powered, which means no additional power brick to manage. OCZ is also jumping into the Thunderbolt SSD fray with a full set of capacities from 128 GB up to a terabyte (!) model, with pricing and ship dates to be determined. OCZ's drives have a solid reputation for internal laptop use, so the external models should be worth a look. The vaporware beast of the bunch, the long-awaited Belkin Thunderbolt dock, now has a firmer ship date (September 2012) and a price of $299. That sounds steep, but the combination of USB ports, Firewire, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet and audio-out should be quite compelling for MacBook Air owners looking to get more flexible. The Belkin dock first appeared in prototype form at the Intel Developer Forum in September 2011. [hat tip 9to5Mac]
LaCie announces 2big and eSATA hub Thunderbolt options, adds to high-speed arsenal
Back in November, we took the pricey LaCie Big Disk Thunderbolt SSD for a spin. The outfit has just outed two more Thunderbolt storage solutions at CES: the 2big and eSATA hub Thunderbolt series. Boasting blazing transfer rates of up to 311 MB/sec, the Lacie 2big is housed in its signature solid-aluminum casing while featuring RAID security, hot-swappable disks, daisy chain compatibility and storage capacities of up to 8TB. Looking to make use of those eSATA drives you've got lying around? The eSATA Thunderbolt series connects the latest Mac to an external hub outfitted for two of the aforementioned drives. If two storage units won't suit your workload, the hub also packs a secondary Thunderbolt port that allows up to 12 eSATA drives (six docks) to be connected to your machine -- all while sporting 3 Gb/sec speeds. You'll have to wait until later in Q1 2012 to get your mitts on either of these, though, which gives you a bit of time to get your piggy bank in order. Update: Our pals over at Engadget Spanish snagged a hands-on.
LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt SSD review
Thunderbolt's the newest kid on the connection block, and its greased-lightning transfer rates make for an awfully attractive alternative to USB and FireWire for those who move big chunks of data on the regular. Despite its many advantages, it's still in its infancy, so there are few peripherals supporting the 10Gbps interface. LaCie's Little Big Disk Thunderbolt SSD is among the first to make use of Apple and Intel's new data superhighway, and it pairs a couple of 2.5-inch, 120GB Intel 320 series SSDs in RAID 0 configuration to take full advantage of all that bandwidth. But, such speed comes at a hefty cost: $899.95 when it goes on sale later this month. Is it as quick as they say? Is it worth the money? There's only one way to find out, so let's see how the latest Little Big Disk handles itself, shall we? %Gallery-138735%
LaCie's LaPlug turns your USB HDD into a network storage device, for LaPrice of $75 (video)
LaCie has always taken an understated approach to its lineup of boxy network storage devices, and the LaPlug is no different. With this little guy sitting in your living room, you can wirelessly share and access data across your home network, while streaming USB drive-stored multimedia content to any UPnP/DLNA-certified devices, including the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or any compatible smartphones and tablets. With a quartet of USB 2.0 ports, along with gigabit ethernet and WiFi b/g/n capabilities, the LaPlug also allows you to back up your files in a centralized and remotely accessible location. You can grab one now for $75 at the source link below, or breeze past the break for more details in the full PR and accompanying video.
LaCie ships Little Big Disk Thunderbolt, promises 240GB SSD variant in mid-October
It's taken its sweet time, but folks who weren't exactly keen on the Promise Pegasus finally have a compact option for putting their Thunderbolt port to good use. LaCie has just announced that it's Little Big Disk Thunderbolt external drive -- a first for the outfit -- is available to purchase. For those keeping count, it's only the second overall T-bolt drive to hit the scene, with this 1.4-pounder boasting a pair of 2.5-inch drives, support for JBOD / RAID 1 / RAID 0 and a typically metallic chassis that measures 1.6- x 5.5- x 3.3-inches. We're promised speeds as high as 480MB/sec (for SSD arrangements) and 190MB/sec (for HDD models), and users can daisy chain several of 'em to hit transfer rates of around 800MB/sec. These guys should be available starting today (though Apple's online shop currently has a "one to two week" wait), with the 1TB 7200RPM edition retailing for $399, and the 2TB 5400RPM model listing for $499. We're still awaiting word on the specifics surrounding the October-bound 240GB SSD variant, but those who'd rather press their luck for a free one can enter the ongoing contest in the More Coverage link below. %Gallery-134418%
Thunderbolt accessories at IDF 2011: Belkin's Express dock, Seagate drives and PCIe expansion cards (video)
Seeing as Wintel fans will soon join in on the Thunderbolt fun, how about a smorgasbord of devices toting the interconnect, conveniently laid out in a two pane vitrine here at IDF? Alongside the usual suspects -- such as LaCie's Little Big Disk, Promise's Pegasus and Sonnet's Echo -- are a few devices we've never seen before, namely Belkin's Express dock, some unnamed Seagate drives and two PCIe expansion chassis from Sonnet and Magma. We're particularly smitten with the latter two -- you know, dreams about extending our future Ultrabooks with some serious external graphics horsepower. Check out the entire spread in our gallery below and the video after the break. Myriam Joire contributed to this report. %Gallery-133792%
LaCie's Rugged Mini is rugged, also mini (video)
Got a knack for all things rugged, rubberized and orange? Then you're undoubtedly familiar with LaCie's robust line of drives, which the firm's been peddling to abusive storage lovers since 2008. Joining the family today are 500GB, 1TB, and (next month) 1.5TB miniaturized versions of Neil Poulton's shock, drop, and rain-resistant baby. They also tote USB 3.0, making them perfect candidates for speedy transfers while you're being hunted by some rare and soon-to-be extinct Amazonian jungle cat. Sound like your kind of shindig? PR and a video await you after the break.
LaCie's Thunderbolt-equipped Little Big Disk sees apparent shipping delay (update: false)
Update: As it turns out, the site linked was for Australia and listed the region's Winter season 2011, which is summer in the US. LaCie has informed us that the drives are still set to ship on-time and has updated the Australian page -- which consequently looks identical to the US page -- to reflect "Australian Winter" rather than "Winter" as previously seen. Apologies for any confusion. Remember way back in February when Thunderbolt was unveiled? Shocking as it may be, a 10Gbps interconnect is useless without peripherals, and thankfully Promise and LaCie also announced compatible drives touting Q2 / summer availability. As promised, Promise's wares released as expected alongside Apple's T-bolt cable, but LaCie's Little Big Disk has been curiously absent. As it turns out, the company's website has been quietly updated and now reflects a winter 2011 release for these Intel 510 SSD-packable drives, which is just about enough to force a FOF onto even the happiest of faces. Still antsy to pick one up? Better plan to avoid Santa's naughty list -- at this point, waitin' and wishin' is about all you can do [Thanks, Mikhail]
LaCie introduces Porsche-designed, aluminum-framed USB 3.0 HDDs
LaCie, a company that's no stranger to employing aluminum and high profile designers on its external storage drives, is back at it today with the announcement of a pair of new HDDs. The P9220 Mobile and P9230 Desktop drives -- one's thin and portable, the other's chunkier and stores more data, guess which is which -- harness the creative minds at Porsche Design to deliver... well, some pretty tamely designed peripherals. We guess it's all about minimalism and letting the scratch-resistant aluminum casing speak for itself, but we still kinda feel like the Porsche guys did this on a Thursday lunch break. As simple as it is, the look of these drives still managed to impress the guys at CrunchGear, whose hands-on coverage can be read at the link provided below. If you want to get to grips with one yourself, the P9220 starts out at £89.90 ($105 in US) for 500GB and will also have a 1TB option soon, whereas the P9230 costs £99.90 / $120 for a terabyte or £129.90 / $160 for two -- all come with USB 3.0 connectivity and the pride-stroking knowledge that you own a legitimate Porsche.
LaCie's CloudBox 'hybrid HDD' doubles your backups in the cloud (video)
Tempted by the allure of the cloud? Still not quite ready to give up that local backup at home? Fret not, as LaCie's new CloudBox gives you a pinch of both. The gizmo pictured above may look similar to the company's Wireless Space NAS, but it's actually a 100GB "hybrid HDD." The device connects to a router exclusively via its single Ethernet port, enabling it to handle local backups while also automatically mirroring an AES encrypted copy to a cloud server daily -- even if your computer is off. Using LaCie's Online Restore software, the offsite copy is accessible by up to ten previous volumes should the box ever become inoperable. The CloudBox comes with a one year subscription for online backups (mum's the word on future fees), and will be available in July priced at $200. You'll find more details in the PR past the break, as well as a video showcasing a variety of unfortunate -- mostly baby induced -- situations it's intended for. %Gallery-127028%
Intel refutes Apple exclusivity for Thunderbolt I/O, LaCie and Promise detail first Thunderbolt peripherals
We can think of a pretty good reason why Apple might have a head-start when it comes to Thunderbolt-capable machines, but Apple doesn't actually have a timed exclusive on the technology, at least according to Intel PR. The company told us that while it's currently targeting an early 2012 launch for Thunderbolt with other OEMs -- whereas the new MacBook Pro has Thunderbolt right now -- there's nothing stopping other manufacturers from launching machines with the 10Gbps interconnect a good bit earlier if they so desire. In related news, the first Thunderbolt peripherals have just been formally announced -- the Promise Pegasus RAID array we saw spitting out 800MB / sec video streams, and the LaCie Little Big Disk. The former will come in four-bay and six-bay variants, topping out at 12TB of magnetic storage when it arrives in Q2, and the latter will boast a pair of Intel 510 Series SSDs -- which, by the way, have yet to be formally announced -- in RAID 0 for 500GB of storage in total. PR after the break. %Gallery-117530%
USB 3.0 for Mac benchmarks and review
Don't let Apple's lack of USB 3.0 support get you down. LaCie has you covered with the 2big USB 3.0 RAID drive, and Engadget has run benchmarks on it. The gang used a "relatively new" Mac Pro with the following specs: Apple Mac Pro (2009) 2.66GHz quad-core Intel Xeon 'Nehalem' CPU 6GB (2 x 3GB) DDR3-1066 ECC memory NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 (512MB) GPU 18x SuperDrive Mac OS X 10.6.5 Bluetooth 2.1+EDR LaCie USB 3.0 PCIe expansion card In addition, they used a 2big USB 3.0 drive, a 500GB Iomega Skin (for USB 2.0 work), a 500GB Seagate FreeAgent Go FW (for FireWire 800) and a 160GB G-Technology Combo (for FireWire 400 performance testing). Finally, a series of nested folders and various files, (big, small and plentiful) set the stage. Here's what happened. In the write test, the 2big clearly out performed its peers. It was twice as fast when transferring the smaller files, and 33% faster than its older brother, USB 2.0, when transferring a 9.4 GB file. The story was similar with Engadget's read test. The 2big managed 45MB/sec - 61MB/sec, compared to 29MB/sec -37MB/sec from USB 2.0. There's much more to read, and we suggest checking out Engadget's article in full. The LaCie solution is quite appealing. You listening, Apple?
USB 3.0 for Mac review and benchmarks (with a LaCie 2big USB 3.0)
It took LaCie nearly a full year to ship the 2big USB 3.0 RAID drive -- a device that was announced in the fall of 2009 -- but now that it's here, it's being accompanied by a concept that actually far outshines the unit itself: USB 3.0 on a Mac. For whatever reason, Apple has refused to offer SuperSpeed USB on any of its machines, even a fully specced-out Mac Pro costing well north of $10,000. We've seen purported emails from Steve Jobs noting that USB 3.0 just isn't mainstream enough to sweat just yet, but coming from the guy who's still bearish on Blu-ray, we get the feeling that it'll be quite some time far too long before Apple finally caves and upgrades from USB 2.0. We're obviously no fans of the holdout -- after all, even a few sub-$500 netbooks are enjoying the SuperSpeed spoils already -- so we couldn't have possibly been more excited to hear that a longstanding storage vendor was about to fill the void that Cupertino continues to ignore. We were able to pick up a LaCie USB 3.0 PCIe expansion card as well as a 4TB (2 x 2TB) 2big USB 3.0 drive and put the whole setup through its paces on our in-house Mac Pro. Care to see how it stacked up against USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800? Head on past the break for the grisly details. %Gallery-111542%
LaCie ships USB 2.0 Slim Blu-ray external burner for $265
Still slinging a laptop with USB 2.0? Fret not, as that's all the bandwidth you need to handle LaCie's Slim Blu-ray burner. As the title implies, the new unit is little more than a nicely styled external BD burner, designed to tag along with your ODD-less netbook / ultraportable and provide Blu-ray burner / viewing enjoyment at a moment's notice. $264.99 gets you the device itself, CyberLink's Blu-ray Disc Suite and a two-year warranty, and if you're curious about toasting speeds, it'll write to a BD-R at 6x (dual-layer at 4x), a BD-RE at 2x and a blank DVD at 8x. The rest of the nitty-gritty, as well as a purchase link, awaits you in the source. %Gallery-109656%
Rugged LaCie Tank enclosure protects external HDDs, gaming handhelds, family heirlooms
Hard to say why being "manufactured in Italy" is the reason for this thing's "guaranteed durability," but hey, there it is! LaCie's tough-as-nails Tank is little more than a robust, rugged, waterproof enclosure for anything small enough to sneak inside of it, but the internal foam cubes can be repositioned in order to house a top-secret external HDD, your cousin's DSi or your wife's gargantuan wedding band. Heck, you may even get two out of three in there. It's IP-63 certified to protect against dust and "pouring rain," and it measures 1.6- x 4.8- x 7.3-inches. Humorously, the warranty stops after 365 days, but look, it's built "like a fortress," okay? Now hand over your £19.99 ($31) and rest easy, bronco.
