LaCie d2Quadra USB Portable Drive

The LaCie d2 Quadra USB Portable Drive (500GB) is an attractive, sturdy aluminum housede portable USB drive that can operate either horizontally or vertically, thanks to its detachable stand. The power switch on the back of the drive has three positions: On, Auto and Off. At the Auto setting, the drive spins down when it's not in use -- thus saving power. On the drive's front is an activity light that doubles as a programmable shortcut button, which you might want to use for initiating a backup sequence with the bundled software, EMC's Retrospect Express. However, neither this button nor the Auto setting functions when the drive is in external SATA (eSATA ) mode.Even though the drive has four ports -- USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800 and eSATA -- the back panel is still spacious enough to feature a full-size USB connector to make connecting the drive easy. It also has an antitheft security port. The included 13.4-ounce AC power adapter is a bit heavier than many other adapters. The Lacie d2 Quadra comes in several drive capacities: 500GB; 1TB; 1.5TB 2TB. Prices at USB Portable Drives.com range from $100 for the 500GB to $160 for the 1TB; $240 for the 1.5TB and $345 for the 2TB. These prices may change by the time you take a look.Setting up the drive is as simple as attaching it to your Mac via one of the four ports. Since Macs don't currently have dedicated eSATA ports, using eSATA requires purchasing an eSATA expansion card appropriate for your Mac. (LaCie sells several eSATA cards on its Web site.)