Notebook PC disk storage leaps into the stratosphere today, hitting the half-terabyte mark with Hitachi Global Storage Technologies" announcement of a 500GB 2.5-inch mobile hard drive. Due out in February 2008, the $400 Travelstar 5K500 drive will dramatically expand the capacity possible in today"s notebook PC designs.
Hitachi"s announcement makes it the largest capacity mobile 2.5-inch hard drive. Previous high-water capacity marks for 2.5-inch drives included Fujitsu"s 300GB drive and Toshiba"s 320GB drive. Hitachi"s jump to 500GB represents a whopping 36 percent increase in a single bound. (Hitachi also announced a 400GB version for $350.)