Samsung Electronics released last June the world's first PCs embedded with a 32-Gigabyte NAND flash-based solid state disk (SSD). This marks the first time that NAND flash has moved into a commercial mobile computing application and is a breakthrough that will pave the way for replacing hard disk drives with NAND flash-based memory disks.
The Samsung Q1, an ultra-mobile computing device and the Q30, a 12.1-inch screen notebook PC, are initially available in the Korean market.
The two new SSD-enabled PC offerings are designed for optimal portability and resolve many of the traditional challenges of mobile computers.
The data in flash memory are much more secure against external shocks that can occur when transporting a mobile computer. The SSD can withstand about twice the impact that would cripple a regular hard disk drive. In addition, stored data can be more easily retrieved from flash memory than traditional hard drives when PCs are dropped or liquid is spilled on the device. These mobile computing devices are the ideal solution for professionals and executives who are constantly on the move.
The use of flash memory will allow the computers to enjoy several advantages, according to Samsung. Perhaps the most significant, according to the company, is that the Q30-SSD will operate in complete silence, lacking the quiet chatter of the hard drive or even a processor fan. The Q30 will include a 1.2-GHz Intel Celeron M 753, which will likely be passively cooled.
In addition, the two devices will boot approximately 25 percent to 50 percent faster, reading and writing data at 53 Mbytes/s and 23 Mbytes/s, respectively
-significantly faster than a typical 4,200-RPM hard drive. But faster magnetic hard drives, such as Seagate's 5,400-RPM Momentus drive, offer burst transfer rates of 57.6 Mbytes/s.
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