Samsung ships first-ever hybrid notebook drives

Samsung this morning started shipping the SpinPoint MH80, the world's first readily available hybrid hard disk. The notebook drive includes either 128MB or 256MB of flash memory that automatically caches important system information to speed access and cut load times. The time to boot or resume a system is cut in half, the company claims. The drive also drops power consumption on Windows Vista PCs by 70 to 90 percent by using the ReadyBoost feature of the OS to store frequently-accessed files, giving notebooks roughly an extra 30 minutes of battery life.

The MH80 will be available in 80GB, 120GB, and 160GB models that are already shipping to notebook PC designers. Upgrade versions sold individually should also be available in retail stores soon.