Hitachi's high performance 4GB microdrive

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has announced that it is now shipping qualification samples of its 4GB Microdrive to consumer product manufacturers worldwide. The one-inch diameter drive features a data transfer rate that represents a 70% increase from the previous-generation Microdrive. The new drive will also continue its tradition of offering a lower cost-per-megabyte than competitive solid-state memory solutions.

Hitachi's 4GB Microdrive weighs about 16gms and is equivalent in size to a matchbook. The small hard drive is designed for users who demand maximum capacity for storing large quantities of high-resolution digital photos and video, MP3 music, electronic games and other large files.

The data storage available on the 4GB Microdrive is roughly equivalent to a full-length DVD movie or 75 hours of high-quality digital music.

Consumer product manufacturers that are evaluating the new Microdrive for compatibility with current and future products include Blaupunkt, Kodak, Minolta Co., Nikon, Olympus, Pentax Corporation, Sigma and Sony Corporation.

The 4GB Microdrive, (officially known as the Hitachi Microdrive 3K4 series), is designed to the Compact Flash Type II industry standard and is compatible with a wide variety of devices that accept CF+ Type II media. It is formatted at the factory using the FAT32 file system to remedy the 2GB limitation of the FAT16 file system. Therefore, when used in a digital camera, the camera must support a FAT32 file system.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies
Fax 1-408-256-6760
www.hgst.com