LaCie Big Disk Quadra USB Portable USB Drive

The LaCie Little Big Disk Quadra USB Portable Drive is a small, (only 1.6 by 3.3 by 5.5 inches (HWD)), and is dwarfed by larger 500GB drives such as the SimpleTech SimpleDrive, which measures 1.5 by 5.0 by 8.3 inches. The LaCie Little Big Disk Quadra drive comes with a single eSATA, a single mini USB, and two FireWire 800 ports on the back, earning the drive its Quadra moniker. (FireWire 400 connectivity requires the included adapter cable.) You won't find more connectivity than this. The Little Big Disk 500GB holds two 250GB 2.5-inch drives running at 5,400 rpm instead of the single 3.5-inch, 7,200-rpm drive found in larger external drives. The twin drives are stacked on top of one another, but the unit operates in either a horizontal or vertical orientation. The device fits into both the portable and desktop external hard drive category, but because of its required AC adapter, I'd move it closer to the desktop category. It looks quite substantial in its metal frame, with cooling fins to dissipate the heat of its twin drive mechanisms.If you should opt for one of the higher capacity Lacie Little Big Disk USB units, you would have an excellent RAID drive capable of being striped anyone of several ways. The drive is well built and would make an excellent, fast drive for a small business or home office.