On Thursday, hard drive manufacturer Seagate announced plans to include solid-state drives based on flash memory to its line of products in 2008.
According to Macworld News, the company will deploy a range of products for both desktop and notebook computers at varying storage capacities.
Solid-state drives, also known as SSDs, use flash memory as opposed to magnetic disks to store data. The format offers various advantages over magnetic hard drives in that the flash memory can retain stored information when the power is off, are lighter, consume less power and are more rugged (and thus ideal for laptops and mobile devices). The drives, currently a new technology, are presently more expensive than standard IDE or SATA hard drives with flash memory component prices still in flux.
Seagate currently manufactures a hybrid drive via its Momentus 5400 PSD model that combines flash memory with magnetic disks. The company has cited improved read time and shortened computer boot times. The Momentus 5400 PSD is available in capacities up to 160 gigabytes and is intended for use in laptop models.
This January, Seagate joined an industry alliance of storage vendors promoting hybrid hard drive technologies including Hitachi, Fujitsu, Samsung and Toshiba.
Future drive models, details and prices have yet to be announced.
Stay tuned to the PowerPage for more information as it becomes available and if you have some ideas or feedback, let us know in the comments or forums.
On Thursday, hard drive manufacturer Seagate announced plans to include solid-state drives based on flash memory to its line of products in 2008.
According to Macworld News, the company will deploy a range of products for both desktop and notebook computers at varying storage capacities.
Solid-state drives, also known as SSDs, use flash memory as opposed to magnetic disks to store data. The format offers various advantages over magnetic hard drives in that the flash memory can retain stored information when the power is off, are lighter, consume less power and are more rugged (and thus ideal for laptops and mobile devices). The drives, currently a new technology, are presently more expensive than standard IDE or SATA hard drives with flash memory component prices still in flux.
Seagate currently manufactures a hybrid drive via its Momentus 5400 PSD model that combines flash memory with magnetic disks. The company has cited improved read time and shortened computer boot times. The Momentus 5400 PSD is available in capacities up to 160 gigabytes and is intended for use in laptop models.
This January, Seagate joined an industry alliance of storage vendors promoting hybrid hard drive technologies including Hitachi, Fujitsu, Samsung and Toshiba.
Future drive models, details and prices have yet to be announced.
Stay tuned to the PowerPage for more information as it becomes available and if you have some ideas or feedback, let us know in the comments or forums.