Hitachi’s Global Storage Technologies has announced a 500GB capacity hard drive intended for 2.5-inch applications such as gaming consoles, laptops and compact desktops.

According to internal sources, the new Travelstar 5K500 disk drives can hold up  to 125 hours of high-definition (HG) video, 500 hours of standard digital video, 178 feature-length non-HD movies or 125,000 four-minute songs. The 12.5 millimeter storage device can operate at speeds of up to 5,400 rpm and includes rotational vibration safeguards and a 3Gbit/sec. Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) interface.

The company says the Travelstar 5K500 model is available with either 400GB or 500GB capacity and uses a 3.0Gbps SATA interface. The company claims the unit is the world’s highest capacity mobile internal hard drive.

The Travelstar 5K500 offers some innovative features, such the Hitachi-patented Rotational Vibration Safeguard (RVS) technology, which behaves as an “early warning” system for the drive, enabling it to sense a possible disturbance in advance and take the necessary steps to stabilize the drive head and avoid any disruptions. The hard drive also features 400G shock protection.
ASUS has already made public that it has integrated Hitachi’s Travelstar 5K500 hard drive into its new M50 and M70 notebook PCs.

"Digital entertainment on-the-go is growing rapidly and notebooks are being used to run more powerful, memory-intensive applications. Our notebooks with the Hitachi Travelstar 5K500 provide the answer to users who demand systems that combine large storage capacities with desktop-class performance and features," said Tony Chen, General Manager of ASUS Notebooks Business.

Hitachi will also offer an enhanced-availability (EA) version, called the Travelstar E5K500, also available in 400GB and 500GB capacities for use in lower-transaction environment like blade servers and video surveillance systems.

The new hard drive will be available from February to OEMs for appreciatively $ 350 for the 400GB variant and $400 for the half-a-terabyte 500 GB model. The Travelstar E5K500 will be available by the end of the second quarter, 2008.