LaCie announced this week that it has increased the capacity of its Rugged Hard Disk to 500GB. The 500GB Rugged utilizes Hitachi's new Travelstar 5K500 hard disk and features a scratch-resistant aluminum shell and shock-resistant rubber bumper.

LaCie announced today that it has pushed mobile capacity limits by making available a new 500 gigabyte (GB) Rugged Hard Disk. Designed by Neil Poulton, the LaCie Rugged features a unique scratch-resistant aluminum shell and a shock-resistant rubber bumper to protect data against the everyday bumps, bruises and hard knocks of the real world, while protecting valuable data along the way.

Utilizing a state-of-the-art Hitachi Travelstar 5K500, 2.5-inch internal hard disk, LaCie was able to produce a product nearly identical in size to its previous Rugged offerings. The 500GB Rugged is available in USB 2.0 or a USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 version for speedier data transfers. Bus-powered by either USB* or FireWire, the Rugged is designed to interact smoothly with any computer.
The 500GB Rugged is available now with prices starting at $299.99. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
Western Digital sent out a press release this morning, announcing the latest addition to its "Raptor" series of 10,000 RPM hard drives. The 2.5-inch VelociRaptor features a 300GB capacity, SATA 3 Gb/s interface and 16 MB cache. To keep it cool when installed in a desktop chassis, the drive is also enclosed in a 3.5-inch mounting frame with a built-in heat sink.

WD (NYSE: WDC) announced today that it is now shipping WD VelociRaptor hard drives, the next generation of its 10,000 RPM SATA "Raptor" series of drives. Designed with an enterprise-class foundation, the new WD VelociRaptor hard drive is modified specifically for PC and Mac enthusiasts and professional workstations. Destined to become the new high-performance favorite of these groups, the WD VelociRaptor hard drive comes packed with twice the capacity and a 35 percent performance increase over the previous generation.

From the bloodlines of the WD Raptor, the most popular hard drive for high-performance enthusiasts who demand the ultimate SATA drive, the WD VelociRaptor hard drive is built with enterprise-class mechanics and packs 300 GB of storage capacity into a 2.5-inch enterprise form factor. The 2.5-inch WD VelociRaptor drive is enclosed in the IcePack, a 3.5-inch mounting frame with a built-in heat sink -- a customization that fits the drive into a standard 3.5-inch system bay and keeps this powerful drive extra cool when installed in a high-performance desktop chassis.
The WD VelociRaptor is currently exclusive to Alienware and will be available on their high-performance ALX gaming desktop by the end of April. The drive will be available through other retailers in mid-May for $299.99. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
Western Digital announced today that its My Passport Essential USB Drives are now available in ten new colors: brilliant orange, super sunny yellow, raindrop blue, arctic white, deep viola, cherry red, ultra mint, real red, intense blue, and vibrant pink. Here's part of WD's press release:

Just in time to make a perfect gift for Mother's Day, WD (NYSE: WDC) today introduced 10 fresh new colors for its My Passport Essential Portable USB Drives. Weighing in at less than 5 ounces, My Passport Essential USB Drives put almost a third of a terabyte of digital storage in the palm of your hand and are available now at select retailers.

My Passport Essential Drives are simple to use, light and easy to carry, and require no power adapter -- they are powered directly through the USB cable1. Equipped with sync and encryption software2 for easy file transfer, the mega-capacity of the My Passport Essential Portable USB Drive makes it simple to securely carry thousands3 of songs, videos or photos.
WD's My Passport Essential USB Drives are available now in capacities of 160 GB, 250 GB and 320 GB. More information, including prices, can be found here. Add a comment
Fujitsu has announced the launch of its MHZ2 CJ series of 2.5" hard disk drives. These new drives are available in capacities as high as 320GB and feature a 7200rpm rotation speed, 3.0 Gb/s Serial ATA interface and 256-bit AES hardware encryption. The MHZ2 CJ series also uses an advanced secure erase feature which can wipe the entire drive in less than a second.
Fujitsu Limited today announced the release of the MHZ2 CJ Series of 320 GB(1) 2.5" hard disk drives with automatic hardware-based encryption to effectively secure data against theft or loss, along with the industry's highest rotational speed of 7200-rpm and a 3.0 Gb/s Serial ATA interface(2). The new series of drives for computers and external storage devices will be available at the end of May 2008.

This series is the first hard disk drive in the world to support the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)(3). The drive implements the AES hardware encryption directly into the processor chip of the hard disk drive, resulting in more robust security and faster system performance than software-based encryption.

All data stored on the hard disk drive can be erased instantly, in less than a second, using the advanced secure erase feature. For public institutions and companies that handle large amounts of personal and other confidential data, this dramatically lowers the time and cost involved in wiping clean the hard drives of computers that are disposed of or reused.
While Fujitsu has not announced a price, the company plans to begin shipments at the end of May. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
LaCie has announced a triple interface version of its Neil Poulton designed desktop hard drives. The LaCie Hard Disk, Design by Neil Poulton sports a black-mirrored finish and can connect to nearly any PC or Mac using its USB 2.0, eSATA, and Firewire 400 interfaces.

LaCie today announced the latest model of its Hard Disk, Design by Neil Poulton - a new triple interface version consisting of USB 2.0, eSATA, and Firewire 400 in capacities of 500 gigabytes (GB), 750GB and 1 terabyte. Created exclusively for LaCie by noted designer Neil Poulton, the sleek and compact device is fashioned in a black-mirrored finish and includes a unique blue LED strip that creates a rich ambient glow to enhance the storage experience.

The Hard Disk, Design by Neil Poulton is a compact desktop solution that features natural heat dissipation thanks to a sturdy casing with bottom plate holes for natural airflow. The device can connect to any universal Hi-Speed USB 2.0, eSATA, or FireWire 400 interface port for cross-platform compatibility with either a PC or Mac. Plug and play setup is simple and efficient with Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Mac OS X 10.3 or higher.
The Hard Disk, Design by Neil Poulton is available now in capacities ranging from 500GB to 1TB. More information, including prices, can be found on LaCie's website. Add a comment