Seagate has jumped onto the hybrid revolution with the new Seagate Momentus 5400 Power Savings Drive that boasts a whopping 160GB of traditional hard drive storage as well as 256MB of flash memory. Granted, 256MB is extremely paltry by today’s standards, but it is a start and a sign of better things to come. This product places Seagate alongside Samsung Electronics where hybrid hard drives are concerned. The advantages of including flash memory are many, chiefly among them a lower power consumption (which results in superior battery life) and faster boot-up time for computers.

Sony will have the honor of being the first computer maker to include the Seagate Momentus 5400 PSD in their products, namely the Vaio SZ650. Other than Sony, three other computer manufacturers have already lined up to include the Momentus in their product line up, but no specific names were given. The Seagate Momentus 5400 will retail for $190, featuring a premium of approximately 30% over a traditional 160GB hard drive. However, it all depends on the user whether the extra dollars forked out for it is worth it or not, since the buyer will be able to take advantage of superior boot up times (faster by more than 20%) while extending the battery life of their notebook - an essential factor when you’re traveling and power outlets are hard to come by. Apparently the Momentus 5400 consumes around half the power compared to a traditional hard drive, and tests have shown that the Vaio SZ650 gets 25% more mileage with the hybrid drive.

While Samsung also offers a 160GB hybrid flash/hard drive, they also feature 80GB and 120GB variants that Seagate does not. Fans of Seagate need not fret as the company plans to offer hybrid drives as an option over the next decade, so you can start looking out for these in notebooks, desktops, and even UMPCs when you’re making your next purchase.

Source: Information Week