G-Technology is and it's hoping to carve out a rugged niche to take on Lacie's iconic orange hard drives with blue-jacketed competitors that are even tougher. The toughest drives in its new rugged family can survive brutal falls and shrug off water like it ain't a thing.
The new rugged drives come in a couple of configurations and I/O options, so pay attention.
First up is the G-Drive ev RaW, which will ship with a rugged blue bumper that can withstand a 1.5-meter drop. It's available only with USB 3.0, at 1TB of capacity for $130 and 500GB for $100.
For people who are really hardcore, though, G-Technology now offers drives inside All-terrain cases ("ATC") that are watertight, float, and protect the drives inside from a 2-meter drop. A 1 TB G-Drive with Thunderbolt connectivity inside an ATC costs $230. Meanwhile, a 1TB drive with USB 3.0 connectivity and an ATC will cost $180.
Additionally, if you already own a G-Drive from the Evolution series, you can buy an empty case to protect it. The ATC with thunderbolt connectivity will cost $130 or $80 with USB 3.0. Besides working with the new G-Drive ev RaW, these cases will also protect the original G-Drive ev and the G-Drive ev SSD.
Back when I used to actually edit video, I put all my trust in G-Drives, and I'm sure that I would have taken great comfort in casing like this for my drives. Will it be enough to upset Lacie's rugged dominance? We'll have to wait and see. [G-Technology]