01-06-2005, 11:00 PM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Hitachi Shrinks the Microdrive
"Hitachi will work on its one-inch Microdrive to create a 20-percent smaller version with the highest capacity at 8-10 gigabytes (GB) of storage. The new smaller Microdrive is called baby "Mikey" for its diminutive size. With a physical dimension of 40 x 30 x 5 mm, it is designed for the smallest handheld devices with needs for ample, yet, affordable storage. In addition, through an integrated chipset, "Mikey" will enable up to a 40-percent reduction in power consumption over the existing Microdrive product."
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Geekzone and Engadget both have more details about this. In addition to the reduction in power consumption, Hitatchi has also beefed up the shock-resistance of the units with a claimed 100% operating-shock improvement over current Microdrives. So, the new Microdive is smaller, uses less power and offers much higher capacities than current Microdrives. What's not to like? I'm sure you guys can think of a good use for these. 8)
Update: PCWorld are reporting that the reduction in size will mostly come from replacing the Compact Flash interface with a ZIF (zero insertion force) connector favoured by consumer electronics makers. I hope they still release a CF version though.
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01-06-2005, 11:46 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 33
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GIMMIE!
Okay, I know I'm too dang cheap to buy this kind of stuff but man, does that sound good: 8-10gigs... I have a variety of files (old emails, programs, documents, music, pictures, etc) that I would like to carry around with me. Having this drive in my PDA would be near-perfect. I say "near" because if it were perfect, my PDA would have "USB drive" capabilities to imitate a flash drive - connect it to a PC via USB and it shows up as a removable drive... No Activesync required....
The one question I have for people is: do you think large capacity drives will make MS change how their PPC OS manages files? Currently, if I open an app like TomeRaider, it will search all of my available drives (mem, SD, CF) for files it supports. This is already a slow process if you have large capacity SD & CF... If it now has to search 8-10gigs, it could really slow down opening/closing of applications. Do you think MS will change the architecture of the PPC OS so that you have to browse to find files, just like you do on a PC?
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01-06-2005, 11:54 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 133
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So how long before one of these babies is integrated in a PPC?
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01-06-2005, 11:58 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,329
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Hmmmm. Again with the integrated hard drive in devices. Am I the only one to see this as a bad thing? These smaller drives have a higher failure rate then most hard drives. I don't know about you guys but I wouldn't want to part with my PDA because the hard drive failed on it and I had to send the thing in for repairs.
I was reading on ipaqhq someone pulling a microdrive out of their PPC and it fell onto the table top and was immediately toast. That doesn�t speak highly of its ruggedness and that was from a standard microdrive. I can�t imagine the possible failure rate on one of these things. Yes I read the supposedly increase in its shock resistance. I'm still skeptical.
At that size simply the heat of a noonday sun in the car or a Minnesota winter where this morning it was 5* could be enough to shrink the platters could cause a crash. That may be a bit dramatic but still. Maybe after a couple generations of these drives I will be a believer but someone else can go and do the beta testing for me in the mean time.
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PDA History: Palm Pilot 5000 -> Apple Newton 2100 -> Casio E-11 -> iPaq 3650 (64MB Upgrade) -> iPaq 3700 -> Casio EM-500 -> HP Jornada 568 -> HP iPaq hx4705 www.spreadfirefox.com |
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01-07-2005, 12:21 AM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by JickBahTech
So how long before one of these babies is integrated in a PPC?
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Bingo! Give the man a cigar! :wink: Just what I had in mind. Now, when will they arrive.......?
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01-07-2005, 12:25 AM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jonathan1
Hmmmm. Again with the integrated hard drive in devices. Am I the only one to see this as a bad thing?
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Not at all. I know about the embedded hard disk arguments, but in the end, you can't argue with huge amounts of space for a low cost. The various flavors of MP3 players that use hard disks seem to get by just fine. Give it a bit more time and we will have 20 and 40Gb microdrives. For less than 4Gb it may not be worth going with more power hungry and fragile moving-parted media. Above that though, Flash media starts looking VERY expensive. I think that hard disks in PPCs will come. It would attract a different kind of audience into PPCs.
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01-07-2005, 01:10 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 29
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You must admit that one thing that is better than an imbedded hard drive is a removable hard drive. That is exactly what we get in the CF format, so long as you have CF slots on your PPC.
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01-07-2005, 01:27 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,183
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Milo
You must admit that one thing that is better than an imbedded hard drive is a removable hard drive. That is exactly what we get in the CF format, so long as you have CF slots on your PPC.
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So far my experience has been that microdrives EAT battery life and are slow on the PPC. If they can give perceived performance similar to my PC hard drive (i.e. no delays when poking around to find files, no unexpected delays when loading a file/application ...) AND they have no discernable effect on battery life then I will be interested.
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01-07-2005, 01:28 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,183
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Swordsman74
I say "near" because if it were perfect, my PDA would have "USB drive" capabilities to imitate a flash drive - connect it to a PC via USB and it shows up as a removable drive... No Activesync required....
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I use mine that way all the time ... when I look in My Computer my PPC appears as Mobile Device. I can browse it like another drive. I can browse attached drives - CF and SD - like subfolders. I thought that was a standard PPC thing.
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01-07-2005, 01:59 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 108
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by SteveHoward999
I use mine that way all the time ... when I look in My Computer my PPC appears as Mobile Device. I can browse it like another drive. I can browse attached drives - CF and SD - like subfolders. I thought that was a standard PPC thing.
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Browse yes, but what happens when you double click on a file? It doesn't exactly behave the same does it?
I agree that a connected pocket PC should behave like a removable flash drive. I currently carry around 5 Gs of data / music on mine, and I'd like to be able to access those files directly from my PC (playing my MP3s for example).
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