WD Debuts 750GB And 1TB 2.5" Scorpio Blue HDDs

Look out, archive junkies! Western Digital is now coming for you down there in the mobile realm, a place where you once thought the "never enough space" bug couldn't bite. Today, the company who beat everyone to the 2TB mark in the desktop hard drive space has developed and shipped the industry's first 2.5" 1TB HDD. The drive, which is joined by the slightly less roomy 750GB sibling, is based on 333GB-per-platter technology, which is a blessing and a curse in a variety of ways.


The WD Scorpio Blue SATA 2.5" HDD can be snapped up in 750GB and 1TB capacities, but both have 12.5mm form factors. For those not too familiar with the mobile hard drive space, the 12.5mm form factor isn't commonly found in most laptops. Most notebooks only support 2.5" HDDs with 9.5mm form factors, thus these are really only suited for use in external enclosures. To that end, Western Digital is initially offering these up in My Passport Essential SE portable USB drives, each of which support 3Gbps transfer rates.

The WD Scorpio Blue 750 GB drive (model #: WD7500KEVT) is available now through select distributors and resellers, while the 1TB model (WD10TEVT) is available now configured into My Passport Essential SE USB drives. The MSRP for the smaller guy is $189.99, while the 1TB drive lists for $249.99. Another milestone down--what's next?

WD Scorpio Blue Features

• WhisperDrive™ - WD's exclusive WhisperDrive technology combines state-of-the-art seeking algorithms to produce one of the quietest 2.5-inch drives available.
• ShockGuard™ - Leading-edge ShockGuard technology combines firmware and hardware advancements to meet the highest combined shock tolerance specifications required for mobile and notebook applications.
• SecurePark™ - Parks the recording heads off the disk surface during spin up, spin down and when the drive is off. This ensures the recording head never touches the disk surface, resulting in improved long-term reliability due to less head wear and improved shock tolerance.