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4GB HD in Under an Inch
werwerf writes "In need of hard disk space but not much physical space? Toshiba is developing a sub inch HD capable of holding from 2 to 4Gb.
Seems that future digicams won't need a compact flash anymore!" They expect to be in mass production by the fall. Also, News.com is reporting that Hitachi's 1-inch 4GB drive is in Apple's new iPod mini.
Can someone who has owned an IBM Microdrive comment on the reliability of ultra-small hard drives such as these?
... but, if these micro drives are reliable enough, then the storage capacity they offer would be mighty attractive.
I've had too many hard drives (of the desktop or notebook size) fail in my day to feel very comfortable about having one in a device as likely to be subject to stress and shock as a digital camera.
Solid state memory like compactflash just seems so much more elegant than a tiny spinning metal disc with teeny little motors and gears
That's good...for me personally (about average), that works out to about 26GB.
They already make microdrive CF cards in 1-2GB capacities.
Why do I still use CF cards? Because solid state devices are far more reliable than a HD. I know it won't freeze at low temperatures, seize at high altitudes, or die if I drop it.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I think we should be focusing our efforts on advancements in solid-state storage devices.
The basic technology for HDDs is very old, they're very fragile, they eat a lot (relatively) of power.
Its what you do with it that counts.
Mind you, I bet you wont be hearing "When im ready for porn, I unveil my 1 incher."
Toshiba is developing a sub inch HD capable of holding from 2 to 4Gb....Also, News.com is reporting that Hitachi's 1-inch 4GB drive is in Apple's new iPod mini.
/., no matter how unrelated.
It's nice to see comments about iPods sneak into damned near every story on
"SCO may not have bought all the IP to Unix, and this has nothing to do with the OS used on the iPod."
"Verisign Certificate Expiration Causes Multiple Problems, unrelated to the battery problems in iPod."
"Linksys DVD player w/ WiFi and ethernet, an iPod for video."
"Ask Slashdot: How Much Broadband Usage is Too Much? Sounds like a song I'd like to download to my iPod!!"
Eh? [looks over at his digicam with 330MB IBM compactflash microdrive]
Digicams and PDAs have been using microdrives for years. They're up to 4GB these days I think; 1GB is more common, the older 180 is pretty much NLA and the 330 is almost too.
Furthermore- you've obviously not understood the point of removable media. Most digicams, even if they support USB 2.0 or Firewire, can't move data very fast; one camera(the Kodak 14n) barely manages 1.5MB/sec despite costing five thousand dollars and generating 14 megapixel files(yes, 14). I can nearly max out my CF card using either a PCMCIA, USB2, or Firewire CF reader, but on-camera transfer usually blows, because the processors are very slow, using embedded solutions for JPEG/RAW image compression; the CPU is more and more just a 'supervisor'. Slow clock speeds = slow transfer speeds. More importantly, i can pop out the CF card, and pop in a new one when I fill it up. If I'm a sports or event photographer, I hand that card to a guy who sprints over to the truck and editors start downloading the images while I shoot onto another card.
And yes, the kinds of people who would need 4GB in a digicam are precisely the kind of people who need to be able to pop ANOTHER 4gb in. Top of the line Canon EOS 1Ds will generate 11+ megapixel files. They get big, fast. Leaf and Phase One now make 11-20MP digital backs for medium format, as does Kodak and now Fuji. The digital backs generate enormous files, to the point that some are tethered-operation only, or come with a unit that attaches to the bottom of the camera and houses a laptop hard drive.
Your average consumer, and even many prosumers, have absolutely no use for a 4GB hard drive in their camera, and the power requirements mean camera makers would never go for it. A solid-state card is so much more power efficient than any hard drive, it's not funny.
Please help metamoderate.
How the hell am I supposed to plug an IDE cable into that thing?!
::looks down::
... Hey, 640k is more than I'll ever need, right?
.. Right?
I got a +5, Troll
Later on I found out I shouldn't have even been using the camera at sub-freezing, but I got away with it that time. (Canon D30)
Fortunately the Microdrive heats up a lot when in use.
Seems that future digicams won't need a compact flash anymore!
Get your hard drives out of my portable devices. Devices with no moving parts are infinitely better than any that have them. Drives have the following disadvantages:
(1) Poor battery life
(2) Disk spin up time
(3) Shock / impact problems and drive crashes
You can get 4GB solid state compactflash cards right now (as recently announced by Lexar). They're merely expensive. Expend effort bringing the cost of those down and the market for 4GB mini hard drives will evaporate.
Of course, the nice thing about this is the hope that eventually we'll get that "$150 iPod mini" or some other small form factor device (like a Palm Pilot with a HDD - perfect for my NES emulator....)
;).
But what I keep seeing is that while the physical size shrinks - 1", 0.85", etc, the space it holds remains fairly constant - 1GB, 4GB, so on.
Part of the problem I see is that nobody wants to make a really cheap 2GB solution, since "nobody wants 2GB for anything by then". I believe it's why Apple has their iPod Mini at 4GB and won't go cheaper - it's hard to simply find something that small with less capacity.
Kind of like ordering hard drives these days. I checked the prices on my old Proliant box. It's more expensive to order a 9 GB SCSI drive than to buy an 18 GB. Why? Who the hell wants to make a 9 GB when "everybody" wants to by an 18?
In the end, perhaps solid state will be the answer - probably in "another year or two". No big hurry, since I already have a 30 GB iPod - but it means my wife will have to wait longer
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
"...over 350 high quality, FIVE megapixel photos onto my 512 MB CF card..."
You're right that Joe Hobbiest might not need the amazing capacity this offers, but even relatively proficient digital photographers would benefit greatly from extra capacity at lower prices. The fact that you're putting 5MP (usually 2560x1920) in excess of 350 on a 512MB card indicates you're using extensive JPG compression which is unacceptable for a lot of print reproduction once the noise becomes visible, especially in situations where large color blocks cease to gradiate smoothly because of the lossy compression.
When using the same resolution in an Olympus E-20n on a 1GB microdrive I can get 110 pictures using the camera's built-in RAW format or 70 TIFF; this absolutely faithful reproduction is quite desirable when you know you'd like to blow up a print after the fact.
Any spoon would be too big.
DV (Digital Video), the standard consumer and prosumer digital video storage, uses up 13 gigs per hour.
:)
Reference, Google for further proof.