Western Digital has begun to roll out volume shipments as well as OEM qualifications for its very own Scorpio Blue 2.5″ notebook hard drive that comes in various capacities, topping out at 500GB. This is made possible thanks to industry-leading 250 GB-per-platter technology, and if you think that 500GB is just way too much for you to stomach, there is always the 400GB SATA hard drive model. I foresee that many notebooks in the near future will feature the Scorpio Blue, along with a whole host of other portable storage devices.

The Western Digital Scorpio Blue is able to deliver high-performance thanks to its 3Gb/s transfer rate, featuring proprietary features which enable the drive to be extraordinarily quiet despite running at cool operating temperatures. Capable of holding up to 500GB of storage space as mentioned earlier, this also makes the Scorpio Blue take top spot when it comes to the highest capacity 2.5″ standard form-factor (9.5mm) hard drive category to date, although I am pretty sure that Western Digital’s rivals won’t be sitting down just like that as they plan their next assault to take over the throne (and bragging rights that come along with it).

Some of the features found on the Western Digital Scorpio Blue include :-

• WhisperDrive - WD’s exclusive WhisperDrive technology combines state-of-the-art seeking algorithms to yield WD Scorpio Blue hard drives as one of the quietest 5400 RPM, 2.5-inch drives available.
• ShockGuard - Leading-edge ShockGuard technology combines firmware and hardware advancements to protect the drive mechanics and platter surface to meet the highest combined shock tolerance specifications required for mobile and notebook applications.
• IntelliSeek - Another unique WD Scorpio Blue 500 GB feature is its IntelliSeek technology, which calculates optimum seek speeds to lower power consumption, noise and vibration.

You can pick up the 400GB and 500GB models for $189.99 and $219.99, respectively. Each purchase comes with a 3-year limited warranty.

Press Release