Digital Home Thoughts: Toshiba Release 1.8 Inch Hard Drives With Low Insertion Force (LIF) Connector

"The MKxx39GSL family is designed for applications requiring not only the smaller, lighter footprint of 1.8" drives, but also the highest possible storage capacities. Both feature a 16MB buffer for improved performance. The drives are capable of withstanding the demands of mobility usage, tolerating up to 1,500Gs of non-operational shock and 600Gs of operational shock, compared to 900G of non-operational shock and 400G of operational shock for the most robust 2.5-inch HDDs currently available. The drives are also exceptionally quiet, operating at 14dB at idle and 15dB at seek, and require only 0.35 Watts of power at low power idle, the smallest power consumption levels for any SATA drive. All of this performance is delivered in a form factor of just 48g/5x54x71mm."

There's still some life left in tiny hard drives, though their time on this earth is coming to a close: available in 160 GB, 200 GB, and 220 GB capacities, these new drives from Toshiba are aimed at portable media player market. Although the industry is clearly zoned in on flash-based memory, there's something to be said for a small device that has 220 GB of storage. The impressive 600G of shock that it can absorb without damage is impressive, though I still feel like anything with a hard drive would have to be treated more gently than something based on flash memory. I wonder what sorts of device we'll see these in?