LaCie intros drives with 1.3-inch HDD tech

LaCie switched its attention from large drives to small at Macworld with the unveiling of a pair of ultra-compact hard disks. Both the updated Little Disk and USB Key Max now use Samsung's 1.3-inch hard drives to achieve new dimensions: smaller even than the 1.8-inch hard drive in an iPod or an ultraportable like the MacBook Air, the disk is equal in size to a CompactFlash card but holds as much as 40GB of data. This is enough for 12,000 songs or 60 hours of DVD-resolution video, LaCie reckons.

Every drive equipped with the Samsung disk is driver-free with most versions of Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. They also come pre-supplied with LaCie's 1-Click Backup for automated protection. OS-specific software is also included, the company says: Macs receive SilverKeeper Backup for scheduled backups, while Windows receives LaCieSync software to add 128-bit AES encryption and to sync data between computers. The Little Disk is available today in 30GB ($130) and 40GB ($160) editions, while the USB Key Max is available in a 30GB orange version for $120 or a 40GB black model for $150.

Filed under: upgrades/storage
Other story tags: Samsung, MWSF 08, LaCie