Hitachi goes perpendicular with Travelstar 5K160

Hitachi has joined rivals Fujitsu and Seagate with the launch of its first perpendicular hard drive, the 2.5in Travelstar 5K160.

Based on perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology that exceeds the reliability expectations of current longitudinal recording technology, the 160GB Travelstar 5K160 is a 5,400 RPM drive designed for notebook and mobile computing.

Hitachi said that the same technology and process used to implement PMR on the Travelstar 5K160 will be replicated across its product lines, including the next-generation 1.8in hard drive scheduled for delivery in the latter half of 2006.

A number of techniques, including the use of a new PMR write head, have greatly improved soft error rates by writing smaller data bits more sharply and with greater fidelity, according to Hitachi.

"The move to perpendicular recording is a challenging but necessary one, which is required to support the increased demands in notebook capacity, especially as we see video applications gaining popularity," said Campbell Kan, head of mobile computing at PC manufacturer Acer.

The Hitachi Travelstar 5K160 is scheduled to begin shipping during the third quarter of this year.