LaCie posts

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Software

Things I learned over the weekend

by Mel Martin (RSS feed) on May 11th, 2009

It was one of those slow weekends. A good time, I thought, to clean up some odds and ends on my to-do list. Often, my list involves things relating to my computers, and this weekend was no exception.

Item #1. Install Windows 7 RC1 using VMWare. I didn't have a super urgent reason for doing so, but the time seemed right. I went to the Windows 7 download site, followed the instructions and the download never started. Just an animated thingy. I assumed the Microsoft Servers were busy, so just let it go. A few minutes passed. The thingy kept spinning. Finally, after an hour I said the hell with it. Oh, I wasn't just staring at the screen for an hour. I DID have other things to do.

I tried again later in the day. I thought, well, maybe this download is really popular, but it has been out for a few days, and certainly Microsoft has plenty of bandwidth. I tried a few tests downloads of other things, and everything was peachy.

Just for the heck of it, I tried downloading the RC with Firefox. Blam! It started right away. I'm sure other people know this, but a quick Google didn't give me any obvious joy. For whatever reason, Safari just won't connect. A subtle message from MS? Or just one of those things? Anyway, save yourself some frustration, and use Firefox. It just works. (Note: there were some comments about this in Steve's Windows 7 post)

Continue reading “Things I learned over the weekend”

Tags: Firefox, LaCie, power supplies, Safari, Windows 7

Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Peripherals, Road Tested

Road Tested: LaCie iamaKey, the USB flash drive you'll actually use

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Apr 12th, 2009

USB flash drives are a dime a dozen. They've gone from being a "wow" item a few years ago to a throwaway handout item. Many are cheap plastic devices that either come with a neck lanyard attached or with a small loop for attaching to a key ring. More often than not, they end up falling to pieces or getting lost.

The new LaCie iamaKey (highlighted above) is a USB 2.0 flash drive you'll actually use. Rather than being made out of plastic, it's made of solid metal. Rather than having a useless lanyard attached, there's a hole in the metal so you can put it on a key ring. It's about the size and shape of a key, so it's not out of place on a key ring.

iamaKey came with a tiny plastic cap that covered the connector. Of course, after about 15 minutes the cap disappeared. I was concerned about that until finding out that iamaKey uses a gold SIP connector that resists scratches and water. You don't need the cap at all.

So, does it still work after almost two months of riding around in a pocket with a bunch of other keys and change? Absolutely! It's been dropped multiple times, it's gotten soaked in the pocket of a pair of jeans I was wearing during a sudden downpour, and it's put up with winter cold while I've been out walking. iamaKey is rugged and fast, with up to 30 MB/s read rates and 10 MB/s write speeds.

iamaKey comes in 4 GB (US$19.99) and 8 GB (US$29.99) flavors. LaCie also sells the less rugged and larger itsaKey, which retails for US$3 less than iamaKey.

Tags: lacie, usbflashdrive

Filed under: Hardware, Peripherals, Odds and ends, Graphic Design

Just announced: La Cie blue eye pro Monitor Calibrator Proof Edition

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Mar 24th, 2009

A lot of us might not care that the color on our screens doesn't precisely match reality, but for most designers color matching is a crucial part of their work. That's why they use monitor calibration systems like the new La Cie blue eye pro Proof Edition (US$429.99) to make sure that what they see on the screen is exactly what they'll see on a finished product.

The blue eye pro Proof Edition is the blue puck that you see on the left side of the photo illustration at right. It supports monitor calibration and profiling and can provide UGRA (Swiss Center of Competence for Media and Printing Technology) soft proof testing and reporting.

La Cie has announced immediate availability of the blue eye pro Proof Edition, which is compatible with the Adobe Creative Suite, QuarkXPress, Aperture and other design and photography applications. it requires Mac OS X 10.4.5 or later on Intel Macs, as well as a USB port for connectivity.

Tags: adobe, calibration, color, design, graphic design, GraphicDesign, lacie, mac, monitor, screen, ugra

Filed under: Hardware, Odds and ends

LaCie to provide one year online storage free with every drive sold

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Oct 30th, 2008

TUAW readers know that to keep their data safe, they need to perform regular backups. Since Time Machine hit the scene last year, most Mac users have used the OS X application and an external hard drive to perform automated backups. For some Mac users, the thought of losing both the Mac's hard drive and the external hard drive to a fire or theft is enough to keep them awake at night.

Longtime Mac peripheral maker LaCie has come up with a solution to that nightmare scenario. Beginning in November, 2008, all consumer hard disk drives sold by the company will come with a one-year unlimited online backup account using Carbonite services. Carbonite is currently in the process of beta-testing Mac software for their popular online backup service.

The Carbonite software automatically backs up the LaCie drive, finding new and modified files, encrypting them twice, and then uploading them to a secure data center. The information remains encrypted while at the data center to maintain user privacy. Backups are done only during idle cycles on the Mac, so the process should not affect performance.

How do you keep your backups backed up? DVDs in the safe-deposit box? Leave us a comment below.

[via Macworld UK]

Tags: backup, free, lacie, online backup, OnlineBackup

Filed under: Macworld, Video

Macworld 2007 Show Floor Showoff: LaCie

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Jan 24th, 2007

Tiffany from LaCie was nice enough to show off a variety of LaCie's goods for us. LaCie, as we all know, makes hard drives but they also are now entering the accessories market. They have a cool new product called the LaCie FireWire Speakers, which are bus-powered speakers which also send the audio signal over FireWire. One cable is all you need.

If you want a QuickTime version head on over here.

Tags: lacie, macworld07, mwsf07

Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Peripherals

LaCie Huby designer USB and FireWire hub

by Laurie A. Duncan (RSS feed) on Dec 1st, 2006

Speaking of objets d'art, here's a product that actually fits the bill. LaCie's new Huby is a very cool looking USB and FireWire combo hub that is sure to be a conversation piece and its flexible "branches" also might help solve some desktop cable management issues - or at the very least, distract you from the mess.

The Huby was designed exclusively for LaCie by Ora-Ïto. It's decked out in a glossy white polycarb finish and features 4 USB 2.0 ports, 2 FireWire 400 ports, a USB fan and a USB light. Both USB and FireWire extension cables are also thrown in, for good measure. You can pre-order one now for $79 USD but there's no obvious guarantee it'll ship before Christmas, although LaCie does claim that it will be widely available later this month.

What's your take - Hot or not? Personally, I'm a sucker for this sort of thing. As long as it's not crap (like LaCie's portable Porsche drives, which I've found to be very poorly made, no matter how sleek and stylish the enclosure may be), I'll be buying a few.

Tags: combo hub, ComboHub, firewire hub, FirewireHub, huby, lacie, objets d'art, ObjetsD'art, Ora-Ïto, usb hub, UsbHub

Filed under: iLife, Peripherals, Software, Cool tools

LaCie offers free LightScribe Labeler for Mac

by Laurie A. Duncan (RSS feed) on Oct 17th, 2006

LaCie just announced that they are releasing the new version of LightScribe Labeler free for Mac users and also releasing the first-ever version for Linux users. LightScribe Labeler enables you to burn silk screen-quality labels on to LightScribe-enabled CDs or DVDs right in the drive with no additional printing supplies required. The new Mac version is Universal Binary and even supports simultaneous printing to multiple drives, whether internal or external. You can daisy chain hundreds of drives together and create your own in-house duplication dynasty! Sorry Windows users, you'll still need to pay out-of-pocket for the SureThing labeler.

You can download LightScribe Labeler now from LaCie's website. You'll need Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher - and make sure to check first that your burner and media are LightScribe-enabled. If yours isn't, you might consider replacing your drive with one that is, or buying an extra drive to take advantage of this. It's a very cool technology and gives you a very sharp, professional looking result.

UPDATE: LaCie's link for the Mac version mistakenly goes to an RPM file. I've alerted them of this but it still hasn't been fixed. In the meantime, several commenters have traced the correct link for the Mac download. You can get it here [direct link to.dmg file].

Tags: lacie, lightscribe, lightscribe labeler, LightscribeLabeler

Filed under: Hardware, Odds and ends

Rig of the Day: Drool

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Jan 22nd, 2006

Today's rig of the day has us drooling. This shot by Flickr user The Real Dexta features two 30" cinema displays, an iSight, a 15" Powerbook, a 1TB LaCie RAID (yikes), a dualie 2.7 G5...and an iPod sock. It's the sock that puts it over the edge for me (mostly because I still use my grey one, too). There are more goodies buried in there, click around the plethora of notes to see what you can find.

"dexta_computers" posted by the real dexta.

If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We'll select an image every day to highlight.

Tags: ipod, ipod socks, IpodSocks, isight, lacie, powerbook, powermac g5, PowermacG5, rig of the day, RigOfTheDay

Filed under: Hardware, Cult of Mac, Apple

Rig of the Day: Typical desk

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Jan 18th, 2006

I love this shot because it looks a lot like my own desk: Mac, Coke, iPod, external hard drive, books, random junk...ahh. I'm feeling productive already. I'm also glad to see that I'm not the only one who has powered speakers sitting around and doing nothing.

"iBook at Work" posted by migroveruk.

If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We'll select an image every day to highlight.

Tags: desk, external drive, ExternalDrive, ibook, ipod, lacie, rig of the day, RigOfTheDay

Filed under: Hardware

LaCie Rugged: Successor to the Pocket Drive?

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Jan 9th, 2006

First and foremost: I love LaCie Drives. From the bad boys we use at work to the beige, external SCSI boxes I have connected to my ancient Macs, they just run and run. For the longest time, my favorite general use LaCie external has been the recently discontinued Pocket Drive. It was very small, came in sizes up to 80GB and featured a dual interface (FW 400 and USB). Best of all, its edges were wrapped in a very durable layer of rubber that made it possible to just toss it into a bag, backpack or what have you without worry. I loved it, then it disappeared.

Last week, LaCie announced the Rugged Drive, and it looks like it could fill the hole that the Pocket Drive left in my geeky heart. This "all-terrain" drive features a bus-powered triple interface, storage capacity up to 120GB and a durable rubber edging that takes the stress out of transportation. I want one.

LaCie is currently taking pre-orders (shipping is scheduled for February of 2006) at the following configurations: $169.99US for 80GB (USB 2.0), $329.99US for 120GB (USB 2.0), $199.99US for 80GB (triple interface), $399.99US for 100GB (triple interface) and $359.99US for 120GB (triple interface).

[Via MacNN]

Tags: external drive, ExternalDrive, firewire, hard drive, HardDrive, lacie, lacie rugged, LacieRugged, pocket drive, PocketDrive, rugged, usb, usb2.0

Filed under: Accessories, Hardware

LaCie introduces biometric access drive

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Jun 21st, 2005

Today LaCie introduced the Safe Mobile Hard Drive with fingerprint access. To gain access to the drive's contents, the user just swipes his/her finger across the incorporated scanner to unlock the drive's contents. The voodoo that allows this to work is embedded into the drive itself, so nothing needs to be installed onto the host computer.

My only two questions are, first, will Apple ever adopt this technology and, more importantly, will we get The Six Million Dollar Man in our ads, too?

Tags: apple, biometrics, lacie

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