Toshiba today announced its newest family of 1.8-inch embedded hard disk drives (HDDs) available in 20GB(a) (single platter) and 40GB (dual platter) capacities. Digital entertainment and business devices continue to drive demand for robust storage in a mobile footprint as people want to take their digital content with them when travelling between the office, home, school and car.

Toshiba continues to build on the 1.8-inch product line to deliver high-capacity drives capable of storing everything from digital music and photos to videos and presentations," said Amy Dalphy, manager, HDD business unit, Toshiba SDD. "We've been expanding our manufacturing capabilities in an effort to address this burgeoning demand as products are selling faster than the drives can be produced."

Toshiba's 1.8-inch family is now available in 5/10/15/20/30 and 40GB capacities, providing a selection of "digital suitcases" to accommodate a range of applications. Products based on 1.8-inch technology include mobile entertainment devices, MP3 players, handheld computers, ultraportable notebooks, portable handheld GPS units, automotive jukebox systems and other specialized digital devices.

Measuring 54 mm wide and 78.5 mm deep, and weighing 51 and 62 grams, respectively, Toshiba's 20/40GB drives are smaller than a credit card and lighter than a pager -- helping manufacturers create small form factor, more portable digital products. The 1.8-inch drives can withstand operational shock of up to 250g and non-operating shock up to 1,000g, providing a rugged, durable storage solution for today's mobile devices.