LaCie External Storage Device Doubles as a Touch Pad

There have been quite many exhibitions and announcements of devices that combine the abilities of two or more other electronics, but La Cie, or at least designer Andre Silva, somehow managed to make something quite unusual.

So-called hybrid devices are not even close to being a new concept on the market of hardware and/or consumer electronics.

Still, there come times when a new invention proves to be, at least in the eyes of some, more than a little unusual.

One might say this is the kind of product that designer Andre Duarte Silva came up with.

The concept goes by the name of LaCie Float and, oddly enough, merges the capabilities of a storage unit with those of a touchpad.

Basically, the inside holds a fair bit of storage, while the casing is made of carbon fiber and features multitouch functionality on the top surface. Additionally, the base of the product is made of glass.

The idea was detailed in full here and it appears that the designer didn't cut any corners, going for the most advanced USB connection available.

As some have probably guessed, this means that the LaCie Float communicates with host PCs via the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface.

As such, the HDD or SSD will work at its fullest even as the user utilizes the touch input inherently available at the same time.

What's more, as all storage units must, the HDD-touchpad hybrid product comes with its own LED activity indicators.

Finally, the concept dictates that the LaCie Float can either be an HDD of up to 1 TB, or a more silent and cool solid state drive of up to 256 GB.

What remains to be seen is how long it takes for this newcomer to start showing up in stores and for what price it will sell when it does.