The Briefing Room

· Connect to HDTV via HDMI

· Play your movies, music, and photos on any TV

· User-friendly graphical interface and shock-resistant design

· USB 2.0 bus-powered on your computer for convenient media loading

PORTLAND, OR (November 17, 2008) – LaCie announced today the LaCinema Rugged, the latest generation in multimedia products to provide high quality movie viewing with the compact and acclaimed reliability of LaCie’s trusted mobile enclosure. Bus-powered and durable, the LaCinema Rugged allows users to enjoy their collections on the go or at home.

Designed by Neil Poulton, the Rugged features a unique scratch-resistant aluminum shell, internal anti-shock absorbers, and a shock-resistant rubber bumper to better protect media files against everyday blunders. Similar to previous LaCinema creations, the Rugged edition provides the convenience of a centralized media library with graphic menus and an easy-to-use remote control.

Compatible with both Mac and Windows environments, the USB 2.0 interface connects to the computer for easy multimedia loading. Once the data is transferred to the portable drive it is ready to be viewed on any display, where the user’s media can be accessed through an HDMI connection or legacy composite video connection. Optimized viewing through HDMI 1080i upscaling will allow you to play back videos on your HDTV or enjoy photos in clear HD resolution.

“The LaCinema Rugged is the long-needed solution to the challenge of entertainment on the go,” said Christelle Dexet, LaCie Multimedia Product Manager. “The Rugged’s triple protection design and larger capacity options mean users can be confident transporting their digital entertainment collections to any location for enjoyment.”

In addition to the multimedia features, the LaCinema Rugged functions as an external hard drive.

The LaCinema Rugged is compatible with the following digital formats and can store up to 700 movies, 125,000 Songs, or 500,000 photos*.

* Audio: MP3, WMA, AC3, Ogg Vorbis, AAC**

* Video: MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (AVI, VOB, IFO, ISO), MPEG-4 (AVI, XviD)

* Photo: JPEG (up to 8M pixels), GIF, PNG, BMP

* Capacity: 250GB, 320GB, 500GB***

Availability

The LaCie LaCinema Rugged is available through the LaCie Online Store and LaCie resellers at the suggested retail price starting at $199USD. For more product information, visit www.lacie.com .

About LaCie

Located in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe, Singapore and Hong Kong, LaCie is the leading manufacturer of computer peripherals for PC, Apple and Linux users. LaCie creates external storage solutions and color monitors that help professionals and everyday users easily manage their digital lives. LaCie has differentiated its products through original designs and leading-edge technology. Established in France in 1989, LaCie is listed on Euronext under FR0000054314 (LAC). For more information, visit www.lacie.com .

About Neil Poulton

Neil Poulton was born in Thurso, Scotland. A graduate in Industrial Design from Edinburgh University and Milan’s Domus Academy, Poulton first came into public view in 1989 as the creator of “the ageing pens,” pens made from a “living,” wearing plastic that changes color and form with use. Today, Neil Poulton designs and develops best-selling, award-winning products for a variety of international clients including LaCie & Artemide. Since 1991, Poulton has lived and worked in Paris, France. www.neilpoulton.com

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Contact LaCie

Press Inquiries: Kimberly Myers, 503-844-4578, kmyers@lacie.com

Sales Inquiries: Direct Sales, 503-844-4502, sales@lacie.com

Reseller Sales, 503-844-4500, sales@lacie.com

*Calculations are based on 700MB per 1 MPEG-4 movie, 1MB per JPEG photo file, and 3MB per MP3 song. These values often vary.

** Supports Windows AAC audio format but not Apple AAC format (.m4a).

***1GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending upon operating environment (typically 5-10% less).