Western Digital announced it is in volume production of its 160 GB WD Scorpio 2.5-inch SATA hard drives.

The drives employ perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology to achieve high capacity in the small form factor. WD Scorpio drives deliver the specifications and features that meet demands specific to notebook PCs and portable storage devices, such as WD Passport: quiet operation, high shock tolerance and low power consumption.

The new WD Scorpio drives expand the company's breadth of 2.5-inch mobile hard drive offerings to capacity points ranging from 40 GB to 160 GB. The company entered the mobile hard drive market in October 2004.

"The new WD Scorpio 160 GB drives deliver the high capacity that many mobile computing users demand with WD's implementation of PMR technology, as well as exclusive features that result in meaningful end-user benefits," said Jody Bradshaw, WD's senior director and general manager of notebook storage. "With the introduction of our latest-generation WD Scorpio drives, WD offers mobile computing and portable storage customers the same outstanding quality, reliability and performance that have already earned WD a leadership position in the desktop PC market."

Pricing and Availability

WD Scorpio 160 GB drives are available on the company's online store (www.westerndigital.com). Estimated pricing is $179.99 USD for the WD Scorpio 160 GB drive.