You'll get RAID performance in a pint-sized package - but you could buy two conventional 500GB drives for less than the price of the 320GB model.

LaCie's Little Big Disk is yet another compact mobile hard drive. There are plenty of other mobile-friendly drives, but the Little Big Disk stands apart thanks to its massive storage capacity, blazing speed...and high price.

Capacity-wise, the drive ships in sizes up to 320 gigabytes, which is twice the storage space of any other mobile drive you'll find these days, and which can store up to 23 hours of DV video, six hours of DVCPRO HD video, or more than 20,000 10-megapixel RAW pics.

The drive stores all this data because its rugged aluminum case actually holds not one, but two small hard drives, striped together into a hardware RAID 0. This RAID also delivers read and write speeds that are generally about 50 percent faster than standard mobile hard drives - and sure enough, we were able to edit two streams of DVCPRO HD video off the Little Big Disk with no hitches. For best results, use the FireWire 800 interface.

The two-drives-in-one approach does have a couple of drawbacks, however. For one, the Little Big Disk stands about twice as high as other mobile drives, and it weighs 1.4 pounds, so you're more likely to notice it in your travel bag. Also, the drive puts an extra drain on your 'Book's battery (it drained our PowerBook's battery 45 minutes faster than a conventional mobile drive) - but, of course, you won't have to worry about battery drain if your 'Book is plugged into the wall.

The bottom line. The Little Big Disk doesn't come cheap, but if you need a heavy-duty hard drive for some mobile video editing, it's your best bet.

COMPANY: LaCie
CONTACT: 503-844-4500, www.lacie.com
PRICE: $719.99 (320GB, tested), $619.99 (200GB), $349.99 (160GB)
REQUIREMENTS: FireWire 800, FireWire 400, or USB
Good speed and lots of storage in a small package. Bus-powered.
Bigger and heavier than other mobile drives. Expensive.