Fujitsu Rolls Out Solid-State Hard Drives in Notebooks

I've written about failure-prone hard drives on many occasions, but when it comes to notebook computers, drives are an exceptionally fragile thing. If I had a dollar for every time I've watched my wife's notebook plummet from the table or couch to the floor, well, I'd have close to ten bucks. Not much, I guess, but not enough to buy her a new laptop computer, either.

A solution to the problem of damage due to drops and jostles is on the way: Solid-state hard drives, which have no moving parts. (For those unfamiliar with the term, solid-state storage works just like the flash memory cards you use in your digital camera: Data is stored electronically instead of magnetically, and thus the need for spinning disks, drive heads, and lots of power to run all of this is eliminated.)

Solid-state drives (SSDs) have been around for awhile, but Fujitsu is the first company I've heard of that's actually incorporating the technology into a computer you can buy. The company's LifeBook P1610 and B6210 ultra-portables will now have an option for SSDs in 16GB or 32GB formats. Both notebooks are very small (2.2 and 3.2 pounds, respectively), and equipping an SSD instead of a hard drive shaves off another couple of ounces. Other vendors will likely announce SSD laptops soon.

The big benefits (aside from the obvious durability): Speed should increase considerably for data-intensive uses, as flash memory can be much faster than hard drives. (Fujitsu claims an SSD can increase read speed by 200 percent and write speed by 60 percent.) Power use is dramatically cut, and you can expect battery life to increase by an hour or more in typical use.

Of course, SSDs are not for everyone, as there are some major trade-offs to consider. First is storage space: Even at 32GB, you're giving up at least half of the hard drive space you'd normally get on these notebooks. Then there's the not-so-little issue of cost: Flash memory is expensive, and the 16GB drive will add a whopping $700 or so to the cost of the notebook. The 32GB SSD: More than $1,200. Yow. Fujitsu told me in an interview that the prices are so steep you can't even buy a computer with the drive on its website; you'll have to call if you want to order one.

Cool technology, and it's been a long time coming to U.S. shores. SSD definitely has the potential to dramatically reinvent the storage world... if prices come down a lot, and soon.