14 DAY TRIAL // Storage specialist Seagate Technologies has announced a capacity update for their Momentus line of notebook hard disk drives. The new Momentus 5400.4 is a 2.5-inch form factor disk drive, featuring two platters and 8MB of cache. Spinning at 5,400 RPM, the disk is designed for use with notebooks and small-firm factor desktop computers.
According to Joni Clark, senior product marketing manager for Seagate's personal computer business unit, there are more updates to the 5400.4 version than its storage capacity. The disk drive is now using the Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) technology for increased storage density. Moreover, the drive comes with a SATA-II connector, that allows for a data transfer rate of 3Gb/s. The Momentus 5400.3 could only deliver a maximum bandwidth of 1.5Gb/s through its SATA interface.
Seagate decided to update its 5400.3 hard-disk drive line that has been released in 2006 because the laptop sector faces fierce competition from other storage solutions providers, such as Western Digital, Samsung Electronics, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Fujitsu Computer and Toshiba. All these companies are trying to bring the highest capacity on the market at the lowest prices.
The hard-disk industry is forced to drop the prices for classical storage solutions because of the more and more appealing solid-state drives, that offer improved functionality and battery life. Customers are now considering using the more expensive and more reliable solid-state drivers rather than buying a new hard-disk. According to research company iSuppli, vendors like BitMicro and Micron Technology are the most important providers of solid-state storage technology.
Seagate is also ready to join the solid-state storage business, according to Clark. The company's CEO, Bill Watkins stated last August that Seagate will start producing solid-state drives in 2008. Last October, Seagate unveiled a hybrid hard-drive using spinning platters and flash memory, the Momentus 5400 Power Savings Drive. The company will release another hybrid technology disk in the second quarter of the year.