Lacie thinks there is a problem with external mobile hard drives - it thinks they aren't fast enough. To that end it has unveiled a new range of external laptop hard drives at the CES in Las Vegas that will satisfy the speed-hungry mobile warriors. 

The new Little Big Disk Quadra, an fast mobile disk designed for speed-intensive and capacity-demanding applications such as digital content creation, high-volume data exchange, and video editing - all while on the road.  The Little Big Disk has been designed by Neil Poulton for quiet operation and heat dissipation with an integrated fanless cooling system. It also boasts an aluminium heat-sink design to help cooling. The device will be available in 400GB and 500GB versions with either 7200 or 5400 RPM drives, respectively. IT comes equipped with one eSATA 3Gbits, two FireWire 800, and one USB 2.0 port for cross-platform compatibility.

It offers built-in RAID 0 capabilities to reach up to 110MB/s burst transfer rates when using eSATA or up to 80MB/s if using FireWire 800, while also being the quietest drive in its capacity.  Weighing in at a little over 1.4 pounds, the sturdy Little Big Disk Quadra is up to 60 percent lighter than conventional desktop drives, enabling it to be a perfect portable companion for audio/video professionals looking for power and comfort.

It is fully plug and play with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (including Time Machine) and Windows Vista and prices start from £329.