Toshiba launches 750GB 2.5in hard drive

Toshiba's storage division has unveiled an ultra compact 2.5in hard drive which it claims is the world's first to provide 750GB of storage.

The MK7559GSXP has a 2.5in chassis, and is destined for use in PCs and laptops where space is a premium.

The drive has an areal density of 541.4 gigabits per square inch, and a high-internal transfer rate of up to 1,363Mbit/s.

Toshiba believes that high storage capacity, speed and reliability make the drives a potential player in the set-top box and personal video recorder markets.

The MK7559GSXP stores up to 213,000 photos, 187,500 digital music files or 300 hours of DVD quality video, according to the firm.

Toshiba also launched the MKxx59GSM, a 2.5in hard drive that delivers 1TB of storage over three platters. It is aimed primarily at gaming notebooks and mobile workstations with high storage applications.

Toshiba developed the drives with its Advanced Sector Format technology, using four kilobyte-per-sector formatting and improved error-correcting code functions to provide maximum error detection and more efficient use of the storage surface area.

"We are focused on providing OEMs with advanced capacity hard drives that are on the front-end of the adoption curve, delivering outstanding performance in terms of power efficiency, speed and reliability," said Martin Larsson, vice president of Toshiba Europe's storage device division.

"By combining this technical excellence with our commitment to environmentally sound manufacturing, we believe we can increase the value of storage as a key component in today's most popular digital devices."