LaCie Intros USB 3.0 Storage Device

LaCie 2Big

LaCie has introduced a dual hard disk, RAID storage device that includes a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 connector, which provides higher bandwidth for moving video and other large files.

In building the latest 2Big product, LaCie partnered with chip maker Symwave, which is supplying the USB 3.0-compliant dual SATA and RAID bridge controller. The device is bundled with backup software for both the Mac and Windows PC.

The USB 3.0 specification, released by Intel and partners is for building connectors capable of transferring data up to 4.8Gbits per second. Products using the latest USB standard started appearing in the second half of this year.

LaCie's latest 2Big product attaches to a PC via the USB 3.0 port. The higher bandwidth and large storage capacity is beneficial to professionals who need to move large files back and forth between the 2Big and an attached device.

A use scenario would include video editing, which requires moving and updating large files between a workstation and the storage device.

The 2Big device can run in RAID 0 and 1 modes, with the latter making it possible to replace defective disks without shutting down the machine. The product is not a network-attached storage device, but is meant to provide backup to a single workstation.

LaCie plans to launch a "full range" of USB 3.0-supporting products in the coming months, the vendor said. The 2Big USB 3.0 is scheduled for release by the end of the first quarter 2010, a spokeswoman said Friday. Pricing was not disclosed.

The company's latest announcement comes three months after the vendor unveiled the Portable DVD/RW for aimed at owners of laptops or netbooks without optical drives, such as Apple's MacBook Air. The device comes with DVD burning software from Windows and Mac OS X.