Toshiba Europe Storage Device Division has launched a 250Gbyte 5,400rpm small form factor drive to meet growing demand for high capacity mobile computing. Consumer demand for high storage capacity, lightweight notebooks has lead to Toshiba pushing the boundaries of HDD technology.

The dual platter MK2529GSG 250 Gigabyte is claimed to be the largest capacity 1.8-inch HDD available in the current market, with an areal density of 378.8Gbit/inch2 and has been launched alongside two other smaller capacity drives.

These HDDs have been designed to aid manufacturers fulfil rising demand for high capacity storage in desirable lightweight and ultra-portable laptops, making it possible for developers to balance the considerations of aesthetics and storage in successfully targeting high-end consumers.

A recent report by analyst, IDC, shows that sales of notebooks and ultra-portables continue to be the fastest growing sector of the computing market. Second quarter 2008 sales for notebooks in Europe were up 60% compared to the same period last year. While an element of this growth has been driven by the popularity of sub notebooks, desire among today’s highly mobile consumers for the ability to access vast media and data libraries on the move is leading manufacturers to design notebooks with ever-greater storage capacities.

Also included in the range are the dual platter 160Gbytes MK1629GSG and the single platter MK1229GSG, which meet lower storage requirements. All HDDs in the new range operate at 5,400 rpm, providing an average seek time of 15 milliseconds. Furthermore, in a world where manufacturers are under increasing pressure to make notebooks lighter, this range of Toshiba HDDs offers exceptional performance at a maximum weight of only 62 grammes for the 250 and 160Gbytes models, and 60 grammes for the 120Gbytes drive.

Martin Larsson, vice-president and general manager, Toshiba Europe Storage Device Division, said: “The race towards ultra-portability has been a consumer-led challenge to component and laptop manufacturers that has resulted in a flowering of innovation. The debate continues into whether HDD or Solid State Drives (SSD) are the best technology to employ in such devices.”

Larsson added: “While SSD is a promising technology, the fact remains that HDD will continue to offer manufacturers significant advantages in the medium term. For devices with high storage capacity requirements it is more cost-effective to deploy HDD.”

More information: www.storage.toshiba.eu