Together with Intel and Apple, LaCie has developed a storage device designed to handle 10Gbps dual-channel transfer and bandwidth rates from a single port with Intel's new Thunderbolt technology. At 10Gbps, LaCie said an entire movie can be transferred in 30 seconds or less. LaCie also said Thunderbolt technology can complete full-system backups in only a few minutes.
The Little Big Disk has two Intel 250GB 510-series SSDs built into it. LaCie's d2 casing is made out of aluminum and features a "heat sink design" to prevent against possible heat failure. The device weighs about 1.5 lbs.
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Thunderbolt technology runs on PCI Express and DisplayPort protocols simultaneously through one Thunderbolt cable to connect to other input-output peripherals such as the LaCie Little Disk, high-res displays, and other I/O devices.
LaCie claims this technology is very useful for film makers and editors, as they will be able to edit film on the day of production and then transfer the edits within seconds. The Little Big Disk can be daisy chained and used for storage expansion and other connecting devices.
The Little Big Disk will be the first LaCie product to have Thunderbolt technology. It will be available by summer 2011 from the LaCie online store, the Apple store, and other resellers. Pricing details will be available closer to the release date.
More on Thunderbolt technology
Based on their Light Peak interconnect system, the Intel Thunderbolt technology works in a dual-channel, dual-protocol, bi-directional way, simultaneously, using only one cable. This means you can connect a PC up to six Thunderbolt-enabled or compatible devices and use them to transfer at 10Gbps per port without sacrificing bandwidth in the process.
[click to view image]Intel claims you can backup one year of MP3 playback in a little more than 10 minutes using the technology. Moreover, Thunderbolt technology is plug-and-play, allowing for quick access.
Thunderbolt-enabled products are only compatible with existing DisplayPort devices and Thunderbolt-enabled PCs or notebooks.
Companies that have Thunderbolt-enabled products and devices or plan on developing them in the future include Apple, Promise Technology, and LaCie. Intel is collaborating with others to plan for other products to include the technology from a variation of I/O devices.
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