Western Digital has announced new SiliconDrive III Solid State Disk (SSD) drives. The release is based on technology from Silicion Systems, which WD acquired in March.
The new SiliconDrive III SSD systems come in 2.5-inch Serial ATA (SATA) and Parallel ATA (PATA) as well as 1.8-inch Micro SATA form factors. Capacities range from 30GB to 120GB. The SATA drives are equipped with 3GB/s interfaces, while the PATA drive has an ATA-7 interface.
WD touts several technologies on the new SSDs, including "PowerArmor", which helps protect the drive against storage system field failures caused by brownouts, power spikes or unstable voltage; and "SiSMART," an early-warning system that detects system usage and forecasts useable life.