PQI ramps up 256GB solid-state notebook drive

PQI today unveiled a quartet of updates to its flash storage, including a new champion for its SSD Turbo+ line of flash hard disks. The 256GB model stores four times as much data as the company's previous 64GB model and is larger than most any alternative while still fitting into a 2.5-inch Serial ATA drive that can slot inside contemporary notebooks. The company claims that the notebook is faster than most magnetic hard drives; while transfer rates peak at 60MB per second, the lack of rotation can speed up the overall responsiveness of most PCs. It also draws out the longevity of the drive to about 10 years and lowers power use, PQI adds.

Two external drives round out the new lineup. A 32GB ExpressCard drive provides removable storage for MacBook Pros and other recent notebooks with an ExpressCard 34 slot; the company has also released its first Turbo+ card for CompactFlash, offering 16GB of room for photos and other files. The card is one of the fastest high-capacity cards with a 226X (38MB per second) transfer rate, according to the firm's tests.

In combination with an industrial-only 32GB 1.8-inch drive, all four flash drives should be available soon through the company's worldwide channels, though pricing and availability in particular areas remain unknown.