LaCie isn’t known for releasing knew an innovative products, but let’s be honest, they’re a hard drive manufacturer.  We’ve seen a variety of Internet connected hard drives from the company before, but most of those cost a pretty penny. Now the company has released the LaPlug.  It’s a NAS (Network Area Storage device), but instead of including built-in storage you’ll need to bring your own.

So in effect, the LaPlug isn’t anything more than a sleeker looking PoGo Plug.  You can plug any USB device into one of the 4 USB ports and share whatever media or data you have stored.  It’s compatible with iTunes and DLNA device, so streaming movies from the LaPlug to your Xbox 360, PS3 or DLNA compatible TV should be a sinch. It’s also Time Machine compatible, so Mac users should probably take a close look at this $75 box if they don’t wanna to splurge for Apple’s wireless Time Machine drives.  Lacie has outfitted the front of the device to accommodate USB sticks, while the back features 3 USB 2.0 ports for USB drives you want to leave plugged in for the long term.

Accessing the drive is as simple as dialing up a web URL and Lacie has built an interface that allows you to share links with friends so you don’t have to email pics, music or any files.  Simple, clean and efficient.

While the LaPlug can be accessed via WiFi, you’ll need to plug it into your home’s router using an Ethernet plug.  A small caveat but a normal one for a NAS.

The Lacie LaPlug is available now.

“Cloud” is quickly shaping up to be one of the hottest tech words of 2011.  Apple is set to roll out their Cloud sync service later this year, Google has launched their own Cloud music service as has Amazon.  Now, Lacie is jumping on the band wagon, albeit in the hardware space.

The LaCie Cloubox is effectively a hard drive.  It stores up to 100GB of data and connects to your computer by Ethernet only; no wireless connectivity.  What makes it unique is that it automatically syncs the stored data to a remote server, otherwise known as the cloud.  Any data passed through the Internet is 128-bit AES data encrypted and up to 10 versions of your files can be stored.  

The data can be accessed by any computer with an Internet connection and the correct login credentials.  The included software allows you to choose which files you’d like to back up to the cloud, meaning that only the most important documents, movies and so forth should probably be chosen for the sake of upload bandwidth and processing.  However, what makes the LaCie Cloudbox useful is that you don’t have to leave your computer on and running to back up your data to the online service.  Convenient?  Yes.  But the price, $200, is steep and only includes 1 year of service.  After that you’ll need to spend $100 a year, which mind you includes 100GB of storage, but nonetheless is a fair bit of cash and considering the LaCie Cloudbox is devoid of wireless connectivity, we’d rather opt for Apple’s wireless backup solution.

The LaCie Cloudbox should be available soon.

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Call us suckers, but we love just about anything finished in an all aluminum body.  And hence why we’re currently getting down on one knee and bowimg to Lacie‘s Porsche designed P’9220 hard drive.  The enclosure is built from solid aluminum, it stores up to 500GB of data and includes a USB 2.0 and 3.0 interface.  If you must know, it measures 2.8 x 0.7 x 5.1 in., weighs 9.5oz and has a single LED light to indicate when the drive is active.

The Porsche P’9220 from Lacie should be available very soon for $104.99.

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The hard drive market isn’t exactly teeming with excitement, but some how Lacie keeps finding way to keep the headlines churning.

The Lacie Float is a hard drive case meets trackpad.  It’s crafted from carbon fiber and sits on a sheet of glass providing it with the appearance that it is floating, hence the name.

But that’s hardly the cool part.  Once plugged in via USB (it’s designed to be USB 3.0 compatible) the surface of the Float is transformed into a trackpad.  

The design calls for either your standard spindle or an SSD – we like SSD since there aren’t any moving parts that can be damaged from aggressive finger swiping or tapping.  But that’s not all.  That glass base, it’s infused with a set of LED lights that illuminate under dark lighting conditions.

Unfortunately, the Lacie Float is purely a concept only and doesn’t seem to be officially associated with the hard drive manufacture.  Something tells us they’ll take note to this one, though.

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Drop your gadgets much? Spill liquid on your electronics as of recent? In that case it’s probably a good idea to invest in the Lacie Tank.

It’s an IP-63-certified case that can protect your goods from drops, dings and spilled liquids. While it’s largely aimed at those who transport an external 2.5-inch portable hard drive, it can also fit a Nintendo DS/i and other comparably sized products, such as a digital camera. LaCie includes a few pieces of removable foam to remove or add padding accordingly to the size of your gadget.

They suggest that it can be used for snail mailing sensitive products, but at £19.99 ($31 US) we’d have to disagree.

Right now the Tank appears to be available only from their UK site, but hang tight, it should hit the US soon.

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Ain’t she a beaut’?  This is Lacie’s Starck Mobile.  It sports a USB 3.0 interface, which means if you’ve got the appropriate tech on your computer you can transfer files up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0.  Don’t worry though, it’s backwards compatible with the older serial bus.  The 500GB drive is housed in a 2mm resistant aluminum casing, which not only adds protection but efficiently dissipates heat.

Lacie is currently sold out of the $109.99 drive.

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It’s $139.99 – $10 coupon (EMCZZYR25) + no ship = $129.99!

Don’t forget the coupon: EMCZZYR25 (expires: 11/5)

You might have to look to ‘more buying choices’ to get this price

Lacie, which we’ve largely criticized in recent time for minor product iterations, has just blown us away with the LaCie Wireless Space.  Yes, it’s another hard drive that comes in 1TB and 2TB capacities, but what makes this sucker different is the built-in WiFi.

Much like Apple’s Time Capsule, which is a wireless hard drive, the LaCie Wireless Space is fully compatible with Apple’s Time Machine backup system.  That means no more snaking cords or dragging your hard drive to your computer(s) to back up its contents.

Got content to share? No problem, because the Lacie Wireless Space is UPnP/DLNA compatible and syncs with iTunes.  That means you can play music, movie and photos on any computer in the home or office. 

The Wireless Space can also serve as a Gigabit router, a WiFi Extender (you’ll already need a wireless router) and access point for printers, meaning you can put just about make everything wireless.

The LaCie Wireless Space arrives this October and will start at $229.99.

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The coupon,JXFTRXTKDR6T2?, expires: 9/16

Lacie is all about small these days.  Case in point is their latest batch of products, the WriteCard and MosKeyto.  The WriteCard is designed to fit in your wallet (not mine) and includes a water/scratch resistant 4/8/16GB flash drive (you choose one).  There is also a notepad and pen included in the deal.  The MosKeyto is an ultrasmall USB flash drive that will extend just a mere 6mm out of your laptop and can store up to 8GB of data.

The MosKeyto is available in a 4GB and 8GB version for $18 and $28, respectively.  While the WriteCard starts at $23.

Read – MosKeyto
Read – WriteCard

It would seem that the race for the smallest hard drives is becoming a pissing contest.  In fact, it reminds us of the battle for the world’s tallest building, which can vary depending on how it’s measured (i.e. top floor, highest point, etc).

Now Lacie has once again laid claim to the world’s smallest 1TB hard drive…in a metal case, the Rikiki Go.  It was last year that they made a comparable announcement.  In fact, it was essentially the same drive with the exception that it was just 500GB.  Now Lacie has bumped capacity a two fold and discontinued all the other capacities.  We should probably note that it features a built-in USB 2.0 cord, which is totes convenient when on the go.  It may sound like we’re hating on this drive, but I assure you we’re not.  It’s sexy.

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It’s $139.99 + free shipping = $139.99!

Perhaps you’ve got a covert op to run and the last thing you want to happen is for those spy docs to get lost in a tumble down a flight of stairs, a dip in the arctic ocean or a drop from a 3 story building.  Fear not for the Lacie XtremKey is hear to save the day.

The drive comes in variety of capacities ranging from 8GB to 64GB.  It can survive almost any environment (+200°C / -50°) thanks to the highly resistant 2mm metal pipe casing, which is crafted of zamac, a metal alloy composed of zinc, aluminum, magnesium and copperwear.  The case itself features resistant screw threads and a rubber O-ring, making it watertight up to 100 meters. Add to that it can survive drops up to 5 meters and this thing can survive just about anything you throw at it, including a 10-ton truck. Don’t be fooled by it’s big stats, the XtremKey is just 3-inches tall and can achieve write speeds up to 30 Mb/s.

So when is it available? Sometime in August starting at $50.

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Lacie is pretty good at production iterations, and while their latest Rugged Safe hard drive is essentially the same as previous models it does add some bad ass security that will have even the most talented of hackers scratching their heads.  First up is 128-bit AES hardware encryption, which is US government certified.   Next, which pretty much elicits words like impenetrable, is biometric authentication for up to 10 users.   The remaining features include a shock-proof design, plug and play USB 2.0 and Firewire 400/800.

Interested?  Lacie has it in 500GB and 1TB cacpcities for $190 and $300 respectively.

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Phew! I was starting to worry that Lacie had forgot to issue yet another updated, slightly modified version of the Lacinema Series Hard Drives.  Actually, this one isn’t officially part of that line but it sports the same styling, which includes a shiny black finish and blue glowing LED light.  Instead of a core focus on media, the Network Space MAX is all about storage, 2TB by default or up to 4TB if you’re willing to throw down an extra $200 greenbacks.  NAS capabilities by way of an Ethernet input are available and it supports RAID 0 and 1, as well as DLNA/UPnP compatibility in case you want to stream your stored media to your gaming console or compatible living room media player.

All this slickness starts at $280, or for another $200 you can double your capacity to a total of 4TB.

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You can expect it this May for $150.

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