14 DAY TRIAL // Late last month, LaCie seemed quite enthusiastic when it announced plans to release a Rugged USB 3.0 hard disk drive. Designed by Neil Poulton, said device came with a shock and scratch-resistant chassis wrought of aluminum. Being equipped with next-generation parts, however, it had no chance of being accessible to a very wide consumer base. As such, in order to address the needs of a larger part of the market, LaCie had Neil Poulton design another product.
The company's newest offspring bears the name of Rugged Safe and, as its name implies, is meant to safeguard stored data, both against physical harm, as well as unwanted access.
To this end, the storage solutions developer implemented 128-bit AES hardware encryption, a fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication and packed the chips and wires inside a shock-resistant enclosure measuring 90 x 28 x 145 mm. All in all, the HDD weighs 298 grams.
What makes the portable device more widely accessible is the simple fact that, instead of the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface, it operates on the USB 2.0 and FireWire 800 connections, making it compatible with both personal computers and Mac systems. As for pricing, 500GB and 1TB versions are already available for $189.99 and $299.99, respectively.
“The LaCie Rugged Safe was developed to enable professional or private users to protect their valuable data and intellectual property from theft and unauthorized access,” says Erwan Girard, LaCie Business Unit manager. “We've synthesized a range of technologies to ensure this device is the safest and most mobile storage solution – a real vault for your data.”
“Like its award-winning cousin, the LaCie Rugged Hard Drive, the Rugged Safe was designed by the world-famous designer, Neil Poulton,” states the press release. “With its protective rubber bumper and internal hard drive mounted on four independent suspensions, the Rugged Safe is shock-resistant for maximum reliability and data protection.”