Posts Tagged ‘Hard Disk Drive’
Harddrives to Hit 3TB Capacities By November
A TDK chart paves the road to 3 TB hard drives by November.
Softpedia reports that hard drive head manufacturer TDK released a chart revealing hard drive capacity updates for 2010. The chart indicates that– for 3.5-inch HDDs–the company is moving from 500 GB per platter to 640 GB per platter.
This update means that hard drive manufacturers can now crank out HDDs with 2.5 TB storage capacities (using four platters), and five-platter HDDs offering a whopping 3 TB of storage.
The chart indicates that TDK plans to launch the update next month, with the new HDDs appearing on the market by November.
As for the smaller 2.5-inch form factor, hard drive manufacturers will be able to use the just-launched 375 GB platters as soon as this month. This will be a small bump up from the previous 320 GB platters, however storage makers will now be able to manufacture HDDs with 750 GB of storage using two platters.
According to TechConnect, 2.5-inch HDDs with 750 GB are expected to hit the market sometime this October. Still, with the release of SSDs, are mechanical drives a dying technology?
Toshiba Introduces 640GB 2.5-Inch HDD
Toshiba has announced a new series of 5,400 RPM 2.5-inch HDDs offering up to 640GB of capacity.
“IDC estimates in its study of the expanding digital universe that 36.5 terabytes of data will be generated per second by 2010(2),” said John Rydning, research director at IDC. “A significant portion of the digital content being generated needs to be stored in homes and small businesses efficiently. With advances in 2.5-inch capacity and technology, Toshiba’s new 2.5-inch form factor HDD provides a good combination of capacity, mobility and low-power consumption for portable devices, and increasingly for applications traditionally served by larger form factor HDDs.”
Toshiba’s high-capacity MKxx65GSX series is ideal for commercial and consumer notebook PCs, as well as all-in-one desktops, EnergyStar PCs, surveillance systems, digital video recorders, point-of-sale (POS) terminals and other applications, which have traditionally used 3.5-inch HDDs to meet their storage requirements. Toshiba’s new 320GB-per-platter design reduces power consumption and heat dissipation by more than 80 percent compared to like-capacity 3.5-inch HDDs. Low heat generation keeps the HDD running cooler during operation, enhancing reliability and long-term access to data, photos, music, videos and other valuable user content.
With a maximum areal density of 528.5 Gbits/in(2), the MKxx65GSX series includes 640GB, 500GB, 320GB, 250GB and 160GB models. The series’ top-capacity HDD of 640GB can store up to 182,000 digital photos, 168,000 digital music files or 520 downloaded digital movies of high-definition video. For added durability, Toshiba offers a free-fall sensor option to help protect the drive should the host system be dropped.
“These new high-capacity 2.5-inch HDDs provide benefits for both notebook and desktop applications,” said Maciek Brzeski, vice president of marketing at Toshiba Storage Device Division. “Not only do they continue to close the performance gap between notebooks and desktops, they also provide a perfect alternative to 3.5-inch HDDs in desktop and POS applications requiring energy efficiency and reliability in a smaller footprint.”
Toshiba’s new 5,400 RPM 2.5-inch HDD series is scheduled to ship to distributors and PC manufacturers in the fourth quarter of 2009.
HP Launches External Hard Drive Series
HP has announced its SimpleSave external hard drive series for customers needing simple and automatic backup.
With SimpleSave, once connected, backup is automatic and virtually hands-free,” said Jason Zajac, vice president and general manager, Personal Systems Attach Group, HP. “As the worldwide leader in personal computing, our goal is to make technology simple and useful, ensuring no learning curve and no complicated choices to make.”
The new SimpleSave hard drive family consists of two products: SimpleSave Portable, available in 320- and 500-gigabyte capacities, and SimpleSave Desktop, available in 1- and 2-terabyte capacities. Both devices feature preinstalled backup software. SimpleSave software automatically finds and backs up the data on the PC, and after the first backup, automatically updates the backup with file changes whenever the computer is idle.
A single SimpleSave drive can be used to back up all the PCs in the home, with data from each PC clearly identified by name on the drive to make finding and restoring a specific PC’s data easy.
The SimpleSave hard drives are designed with heat-dissipating cases that stay cool and run quietly without a fan. The SimpleSave Portable is powered by the PC’s USB 2.0 port and does not require an external power supply. In addition, the 2.5-inch portable model is designed with a shock-resistant case to protect the drive from the bumps and jolts of everyday usage.
Other features include:
- Hundreds of file formats supported: Supports the most common file types for photo, music and documents including AAC, BMP, DOC, GDF, GIF, JPG, MP3, MPEG, PPT, PDF, TAX, TIFF and XLS.
- Frequent backup update: Backs up new and changed files every time the PC is idle for five minutes.
- Plug-and-play storage: Ready to use when connected to a USB port.
- Support for large files: NTFS file system offers improved support for metadata and use of advanced data structures, improving performance, reliability and disk space.
- Two-year warranty.
SimpleSave external hard drives are distributed by Ingram Micro India Ltd. and will be available in August. Manufacturers suggested list prices are -
SimpleSave Portable: Rs. 5,510 for 320GB; Rs. 7,450 for 500GB.
SimpleSave Desktop: Rs. 7,500 for 1TB; Rs. 15,700 for 2TB hard drive.
Western Digital Launches New Passport Studio Drives For Mac
WD has introduced its new My Passport Studio portable drives for Macs featuring FireWire 800 interface and a customizable e-label that’s visible, even when the drive is unplugged. Sporting a sleek design, the high-performance My Passport Studio drives are formatted for Mac computers, compatible with Apple TimeMachine software, and feature automatic and continuous backup with WD SmartWare software, and 256-bit hardware-based encryption. Available now at select retailers, the new My Passport Studio drives are offered in capacities of 320 GB, 500 GB and 640 GB.
WD’s My Passport Studio drives are designed for creative professionals and Mac enthusiasts. Their production and use of many large files require the fast transfers from computer to My Passport Studio drives that FireWire 800 provides. Professionals such as photographers also benefit from the e-labeling system to effectively organize their work.
The e-label smart display on the front of the My Passport drives can be changed as often as desired using the included WD SmartWare software. Users can easily create a label to personalize their drive or remind themselves of its contents. The e-label also shows available capacity and whether the drive is locked. Utilizing e-paper technology, the information on the display remains clearly visible, even when the drive is unplugged.
“Many of our customers store their content on multiple external drives, making it difficult to know what content is on each drive,” said Sushil Bandi, Country Manager – India, Western Digital. “The e-label smart display is an elegant and practical solution for organizing and keeping track of one’s digital life and work. WD SmartWare software makes it easy for users to protect their valuable content with automatic and continuous backup and encryption.”
The new My Passport Studio is fully compatible with Apple TimeMachine software for easy backup of your most important files. It also offers the option of the simple and intuitive WD SmartWare software, with automatic continuous backup and real-time visual interface, giving users a view of their backup as it happens. After the first backup, users’ files are backed up automatically every time they change or add a file.
My Passport Studio drives also feature user-selected password protection combined with 256-bit hardware-based encryption, which scrambles files before they are stored.
MSRP for the My Passport Studio drives is Rs. 9,600 for 500GB and Rs. 10,750 for 640GB and they come with a 3-year warranty.