Western Digital Intros 640GB 9.5mm Hard Drive For Notebooks

It's not unusual for competitors to attempt to keep up and one-up each other, and that's exactly what's going on here with Western Digital's latest hard drive. Shortly after Samsung and Toshiba introduced 640GB mobile hard drives, WD has stepped forward to do likewise.


Announced today, the outfit's 9.5mm high 2.5" 640GB HDD has started shipping in volume, with the 'Scorpio Blue 640' expected to hit notebooks in short order. The real news here is the 9.5mm height, which is an industry standard; most oversized notebook HDDs are slightly larger, meaning that they can't actually fit inside most laptops without some modification. The new WD Scorpio Blue 640 GB drive has a 30 percent reduction in overall power consumption from the previous generation WD Scorpio Blue, and it should be available now for just $149. A few of the standout features are listed below:

Features of the WD Scorpio Blue include:

•     WhisperDrive(TM) - WD's exclusive WhisperDrive technology combines state-of-the-art seeking algorithms to produce one of the quietest 2.5-inch drives available;
•     ShockGuard(TM) - Leading-edge ShockGuard technology combines firmware and hardware advancements to meet the highest combined shock tolerance specifications required for mobile and notebook applications; and
•     IntelliSeek(TM) - A unique feature, IntelliSeek technology calculates optimum seek speeds to lower power consumption, noise and vibration. For a demonstration on IntelliSeek, visit the WD Web site at http://www.wdc.com/en/flash/index.asp?family=intelliseek.