Context: For several years, LaCie, a company known for its external harddrives, has produced a line of shock and water resistent go-anywhere external drives using the brand Rugged. In the line of products are some that use a technology developed by Intel (at least, according to patent lawyers) called Thunderbolt, that enables high-speed cable transfer of files between mobile devices (like iPhones) and peripherals.
LaCie announced today that it has doubled the memory—to 1 Terabyte (TB)—of its Rugged Solid State Drive (SSD) Thunderbolt. With both a SSD (which, ironically, has no “drive” but is still called a Solid State Drive) and Thunderbolt, the transfer of files from one device to another is faster than a speeding bullet. A lot faster. While LaCie doubled the memory capacity, the device did not increase in size or weight, compared to the 500 GB version. Plus, it still features the lightning-fast transfer rates of Thunderbolt and is tough in the field with shock, dust and water resistance.
The LaCie Rugged is MIL-compliant, which means that data is protected even during accidental drops of up to 2 meters (6.6 feet). With its cap in place, the LaCie Rugged is also IP 54-rated for superior protection against dust and water splashing—even during operation. Plus, it is resistant to vibration and shock and is tough enough to be shipped for reliable delivery to clients or partners.
With both Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 interfaces, the LaCie Rugged works with both Macs and PCs. The LaCie Rugged is fully bus powered through the Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 cables. Plus, the integrated Thunderbolt cable stows neatly when not in use, ensuring that it will never get lost or left behind.
The popularity of LaCie’s Rugged drives has tracked along the growing popularity of the GoPro daredevils who need a quick backup copy of the video they just shot of themselves kayaking over Niagara Falls.
High-impact devices like the Rugged drive come in handy for other outdoor-field work, like storing up enough movies to last an entire hike of the Appalachian Trail.