LaCie has released a new 500GB external hard drive with a rugged 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.