Hitachi Shrinks the Microdrive

[Jonathon Watkins]

<i>"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."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/6696037503647793 (Custom).jpg" /> <br /><br /><a href="http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?ContentId=3880">Geekzone</a> and<a href="http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000347026121/"> Engadget</a> 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)<br /><br /><b>Update: </b>PCWorld <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,119152,00.asp">are reporting</a> 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.

[Swordsman74]

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 &amp; 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?

[jickbahtech]

So how long before one of these babies is integrated in a PPC?

[Jonathan1]

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.

[Jonathon Watkins]

So how long before one of these babies is integrated in a PPC?

Bingo! Give the man a cigar! :wink: Just what I had in mind. Now, when will they arrive.......?

[Jonathon Watkins]

Hmmmm. Again with the integrated hard drive in devices. Am I the only one to see this as a bad thing?

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.

[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.

[SteveHoward999]

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.


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.

[SteveHoward999]

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....

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.

[johnm]

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.

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).

[milo]

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.
True, but I don't see that a built in hard drive will consume much less power than one fitted into a CF slot (of course it will be slightly less because you are not relying upon unsoldered connections like you are with the CF method).

[Darius Wey]

So how long before one of these babies is integrated in a PPC?

If this (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,7253) is enough to get your hopes up, then I'd be holding my breath. :wink:

[Sven Johannsen]

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....

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.

You have a false sense of capability. Clicking Mobile Device in My Computer takes you to the same place as clicking Explore in ActiveSync and uses ActiveSync to do it. Uninstall AS and see what happens. Or more reasonably, just hook your PPC to a PC without AS and see if it sees it as a drive. You are welcome to install the USB drivers off the CD, just so the device is recognized if you wish.

[24va]

kinda funny, when I worked for Hewlett Packard back in the mid to late 80's, they started this micro drive tech with a drive they called kitty hawk. They never did anything with it, then sold it off.

[marcm]

If this (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,7253) is enough to get your hopes up, then I'd be holding my breath. :wink:

All I can say to that is :drool: That IS the ULTIMATE Smartphone... and if that technology goes into Pocket PCs, which it probably will, that would be even better! :D

[SteveHoward999]

Browse yes, but what happens when you double click on a file? It doesn't exactly behave the same does it?



Hmmm - I guess since the two machines run different OSs I actually expect it to work the way it does, so I hadn't really noticed ... :roll:

[Jonathan1]

Hmmmm. Again with the integrated hard drive in devices. Am I the only one to see this as a bad thing?

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.

Yes. I would love to have such a device in my PPC as long as it reliable. Maybe a slot below the removable battery for the drive? Where you can simply take out the drive and replace it with a new one? I’m just very wary about embedded hardware that can’t be removed that has moving parts. Is there a phobia name for that? :wink:

[lorcro2000]

In a sentence: moving parts are wrong.

Personally, I'm amazed that we still use archaic rotating magnetic platters in our computers in the first place. Unfortunately it is hard to argue against cheap storage. Still, I do wish someone would come up with a better way to store large quantities of data.

[Swordsman74]

lorcro2000 - the problem is that physics dictates rotating platters should always outperform other methods. If you have a controller whose job it is to read data, rotating platters do the job of bringing the data right to the controller. Any solid-state design would rely on some electrical method of the controller accessing data stored far away on the other side of the device. It's hard to see how something like that could ever be faster than rotating platters...

[lorcro2000]

I'm sorry, but that I can't believe. Any mechanical way of storing data cannot possibly be faster than something electrical. How, in that case, do you explain that RAM (electrical) is orders of magnitude faster than hard drives? Moving parts are wrong 8) for many reasons, not the least of which is that they wear out relatively quickly and are susceptible to damage from g-forces (ie dropping) etc.

The problem is finding a way to store large quantities of data in a small amount of physical volume, and to do that affordably... I just can't help thinking that all this effort put into squeezing more data on magnetic platters would be better spent coming up with a better way to do it in the first place.

[beq]

I would love to have such a device in my PPC as long as it reliable. Maybe a slot below the removable battery for the drive? Where you can simply take out the drive and replace it with a new one? I’m just very wary about embedded hardware that can’t be removed that has moving parts. Is there a phobia name for that? :wink:
Interesting idea, a card slot/socket located (and inserted) in the same vein as a PPC's removable battery. Perhaps either:

1) a CF socket but only meant for storage cards (not IO cards with a head dongle protruding from the top)

2) a ZIF socket (more space/cost efficient)

This could be workable, perhaps even make such a card with a built-in USB connector a la the recent SanDisk SD card announcement :) But heck in that case I guess the connection to the PPC can be via USB too? Anyways doesn't seem feasible, as I can imagine these 5-10GB microdrives need every square inch for the platters themselves...