LaCie has started shipping an increased capacity version of its apocalypse-ready Rugged All-Terrain Hard Disk. The new drive now has four times its initial capacity and allows the user to store up to 32 GB of data in a portable and user-friendly form-factor.

The drive is the exclusive creation of the world-renown industrial designer Neil Poulton, that has previously contributed to other LaCie products. The designer is especially known for the ability of working with light, but that's just one aspect. The new creation signed Poulton comes in three connectivity options: Firewire 800, Firewire 400 or USB 2.0, which allows the drive connect to any computer that comes with this type of interconnects.

The rugged hard-disk drive is powered via the computer bus, which spares the user the headache of carrying an extra power adapter. The device is Plug-and-Play compatible, and makes the ideal tool for storing data, multimedia files of even performing system backups. You just have to pull it out of your pocket, plug it in and you're ready to go.

The hard-disk is enclosed in an unique scratch-proof aluminum shell covered in shock-resistant rubber, that gives the unit its ruggedness. The Rugged hard-drive can reach theoretical transfer speeds of up to 800Mbits/s when connected to a Firewire800 port. The triple interface allows the disk to easily exchange data between Macs and PCs, while the included USB power-sharing cable allows the disk to work even on low-power USB hubs.

The drive spins at 5400 rotations per minute and can sustain different maximum data transfer rates, depending on the used interface. It can provide up to 64MB/s while connected to a FireWire800 port, 42MB/s on a Firewire400 port and up to 34MB/s for an USB 2.0 link.

The disk can take a fall from 90 centimeters while in non-operating mode without any damage, but the technical specifications won't recommend dropping during the disk operation - no, really.

The drive is available immediately for an estimative sales price of $146.