Western Digital Super Slim HDD Targets Ultrabooks

Western Digital is targeting slim form factor machines after it began shipping the WD Scorpio Blue 7mm hard drive, which boasts low power consumption.

Specified to 400Gs shock tolerance, the new single-platter Scorpio Blue small-form-factor hard drives are available in 500GB and 320GB capacities, and the drives’ compatibility with industry-standard 9.5mm slots make them possible storage options for notebooks as well as slimmer notebook and Ultrabook devices that require a 7mm drive height.

SSD Alternative

Shipping now through select distributors and resellers, the WD Scorpio Blue 7mm 2.5-inch mobile hard drives are covered by a two-year limited warranty.

Suggested price for the 500GB model is $99.99 (£62) and $79.99 (£50) for the 320GB model.

Features of the WD Scorpio Blue 7mm hard drives include advanced power management features and algorithms that optimise the way the drive seeks data, which improves power consumption; the company’s ShockGuard technology, which protects the drive mechanics and platter surfaces from shocks; WD’s WhisperDrive technology, which enables quiet performance; and SecurePark, which 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 non-operational shock tolerance.

“Consumers want thin and light personal computers, but the limited storage capacity of SSD- [solid-state drive-] based notebooks forces them to pick and choose what files to bring from their library,” said Matt Rutledge, vice president and general manager for WD client storage products. “With the release of the new WD Scorpio Blue 7mm mobile hard drives, WD is able to offer capacity, reliability and data protection features combined with excellent power management, all in a slim form factor perfect for thin and light notebooks.”

Portability Focus

This latest release from WD follows the recent debut of the company’s My Passport Studio, its first 2TB capacity portable drive dedicated for Mac customers, and the next generation of its My Passport storage drives with a range of capacities, beginning from 500GB and topping out at an industry-first 2TB.

The drives feature WD SmartWare automatic backup software and WD Security technology for password protection and hardware encryption.

SmartWare features a visual interface that lets users see the drives connected to the computer. The platform automatically scans the computer and finds all personal files, including email.