LaCie products are well-known for their stylish looks, and this LaCie Hard Disk 500GB designer model is no exception.

Indeed, the LaCie Hard Disk 500GB's minimal design is important enough to give the designer pride of place in the name of the product itself. Step forward (takes deep breath): the LaCie Hard Disk 500GB design by Neil Poulton.

Finished in a glossy piano black, the LaCie Hard Disk 500GB's ultra-compact design is just about as small as it could possibly be and when powered up, the underside is illuminated with a cool blue glow.

The LaCie Hard Disk 500GB uses an external power supply but, like the drive itself, it's exceedingly light and compact making this a very portable and desirable-looking drive, although the glossy finish does tend to attract dust and fingerprints.

Upon connecting the LaCie Hard Disk 500GB for the first time, a setup assistant is automatically launched to help you format the drive correctly for your system. This software is all pre-installed on the drive, so there's no need for a driver CD. The format is important if you want to use the drive on different platforms.

You can choose a Windows-only installation or a dual-partition configuration that allows a portion of the drive to be also visible by Linux and Macintosh systems.

Also pre-installed in the LaCie Hard Disk 500GB is LaCie's 1-Click Backup software as well as all the required documentation. It's simple, good-looking and functional and comes at a very competitive price.