LaCie rolls out 2big pro hard drives

LaCie today kicked off the launch of a new line of hard drives intended for artists, video editors, and others who need both high speed and ample storage. The desktop 2big Dual and 2big Triple, as well as the group-oriented 2big Network, include two Serial ATA hard drives that can be hot-swapped for a capacity upgrade or in the event of a failure. They can also be set to either a RAID stripe or a mirror to emphasize absolute speed (up to 90MB per second) or safety; with a mirror, a replacement drive can be automatically filled up to reestablish the backup, LaCie says. Two USB ports on any of the three drives will add even more storage for especially demanding users.

The 2big Dual is intended for Windows PC users or other systems equipped with an External SATA support, and also comes with a USB 2 connection for universal support. The Triple replaces eSATA with both FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 connectors. Most interfaces are replaced entirely on the 2big Network, which uses a single gigabit Ethernet jack to share data either on a local network or to the Internet through an FTP server. All models come with a programmable front button that will cue a preferred backup utility or other program; EMC's Retrospect Express is bundled with each drive to provide both Mac and Windows PC users with an automated backup process.

Every 2big drive comes with a minimum of 1TB of storage and ramps up to 2TB. Prices vary by model, but start at $399 for the 1TB Dual and climb to $940 for the 2TB Network and Triple models. Shipments of the Network and Triple begin this month and will be followed by the Dual in October.