LaCie Rugged Hard Disk Capacity Supersized to 500 Gigabytes

• New Hitachi 500 gigabyte internal hard disk for massive on-the-go storage
• Award winning rugged design: ideal for protecting valuable data
• Shock-resistant metal and rubber bumper with internal anti-shock absorbers
• LaCie Setup Assistant: proprietary utility for automatically formatting the drive according to your needs


PORTLAND, OR (April 2008) – LaCie announced today that it has pushed mobile capacity limits by making available a new 500 gigabyte (GB) Rugged Hard Disk. Designed by Neil Poulton, the LaCie Rugged features a unique scratch-resistant aluminum shell and a shock-resistant rubber bumper to protect data against the everyday bumps, bruises and hard knocks of the real world, while protecting valuable data along the way.

Utilizing a state-of-the-art Hitachi Travelstar 5K500, 2.5-inch internal hard disk, LaCie was able to produce a product nearly identical in size to its previous Rugged offerings. The 500GB Rugged is available in USB 2.0 or a USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 version for speedier data transfers. Bus-powered by either USB* or FireWire, the Rugged is designed to interact smoothly with any computer.

“The Rugged Hard Disk is one of LaCie’s most popular products and has been so for a number of years,“ said Nolwenn Rozen, LaCie Mobile Product Manager. “We recently upgraded capacity to 320GB, and now with recent innovations, we are able to increase it again. With all LaCie products, we will continue to push the envelope on capacity as technology permits.”

“LaCie Rugged All Terrain drives are an integral part of our workflow in the field for our travel show,” said Art Wolfe, acclaimed photographer and Host of Travels to the Edge public television series. “From the deserts in West Africa to the Antarctic Peninsula and Madagascar to Nepal, I depend on these devices for safe, reliable storage and wouldn’t travel without them.”

This Rugged version comes preloaded with LaCie Setup Assistant, a proprietary utility that formats the drive according to your needs (Mac, Windows, or cross-platform environments) and automatically copies the user manual and utilities to the computer. The utilities provided include LaCie ‘1-Click’ Backup Software for both PC and Mac and SilverKeeper for Mac.

The 500GB Rugged can store up to 710 movies, 135,000 songs, or 550,000 photos**.

Availability
The LaCie Rugged 500GB version is available now and may be purchased through LaCie direct and via LaCie’s specialized dealer network at a suggested retail price starting at $299.99. For more product 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 US, Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe, Singapore and Hong Kong, LaCie is the leading manufacturer of computer peripherals for PC, Apple and Linux users. LaCie creates external storage solutions and color monitors that help professionals and everyday users 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.


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Contact LaCie
Press Inquiries: Barry Katcher, 503-844-4578, bkatcher@lacie.com
Sales Inquiries: Direct Sales, 503-844-4502, sales@lacie.com
Reseller Sales, 503-844-4500, sales@lacie.com


1GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending upon operating environment (typically 5–10% less).

*For computers with a low-powered USB port, the included power-sharing cable helps turn the drive on by drawing extra power from a second USB port.
**Calculations are based on 700MB per MPEG-4 (DivX®) movie, 1MB per JPEG photo file, and 4MB per MP3 song. These values often vary.

Contact Information

Barry Katcher

Public Relations Manager

LaCie

Contact via E-mail