Toshiba unveils faster mini hard disks

Toshiba's Storage Device Division, purveyor of the small form factor hard disks that appear in the iPod and in the MacBook Air, has announced two drives that spin at 5,400rpm, faster than its previous 4,200rpm models.

The two new drives will be available in 120GB and 80GB capacities and are the first 1.8in drives on the market to have a 5,400rpm rotational speed. Previously, this spindle speed was only available on 2.5in and 3.5in drives.

The 120GB (MK1216GSG) and 80GB (MK8016GSG) drives will be SATA 2.6 compliant and will use the new industry standard micro-SATA connector.

Conforming to the SATA standard, the drives will feature technology such as native command queuing, staggered spin-up and hot-plug capability. Both will sport an 8MB cache and Toshiba claims a data transfer rate of 489Mbit/sec.

This improved performance will be welcome as demand for high capacity in small form factors is only on the increase. It also will provide a welcome bridge between small hard discs and the much more expensive solid state discs available as an option in the MacBook Air, and fitted as standard in the new Lenovo X300.

"The portable computing market is looking for an uncompromised computing experience in small and light-weight storage solutions," said Maciek Brzeski, vice president of marketing at Toshiba Storage Device Division. "With enhanced features for the mobile environment, these new 1.8-inch HDDs enable mobile system manufacturers to reap the benefits of high-capacity magnetic storage, along with better power efficiency and ruggedness."

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