Hitachi plans hybrids, encryption for notebook drives

Notebook drives are going to get spiffed in 2007.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, the hard-drive division of the Japanese electronics giant, will sell hybrid hard drives that cut battery consumption for notebooks in 2007, as well as include a function that encrypts data automatically, said Larry Swezey, director of mobile hard-drive product strategy and marketing at Hitachi.

Capacity on notebook drives will increase as well. In the first half, the company will release a 2.5-inch-diameter 200GB drive that spins at 7,200 revolutions per minute, and follow it up in the second half with a 2.5-inch-diameter notebook drive that will spin at 5,400 rpm and hold about 250GB. Hitachi's largest 7,200-rpm notebook disk now holds 100GB, while the 5,400-rpm model tops out at 160GB.
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