Endurastar
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Hitachi to offer road-ready Endurastar hard drives
Since vehicles of all flavors are rolling out pre-pimped with such flattering amenities as iPod adapters, high-end navigation systems, and rip-n-go CD players, Hitachi apparently figured now would be an opportunistic time to offer up a few road-ready hard drive options. You're probably quite aware that even the most relaxing Sunday drive is never complete without its fair share of jostling, and the two new Endurastar HDDs are built to withstand all the unique tortures a hard drive may face when being driven daily. According to Hitachi, the N4K50 is designed to operate in temperatures from minus 3 degrees to 158 degrees Fahrenheit, and at altitudes "up to 3,000 meters." The slightly more extreme offering, dubbed J4K50, isn't fazed by heights of up to 5,000 meters, and can shake off that frostbite by spinning at negative 22 degrees, or keep its cool while operating at 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Presumably, a good bit of the stability comes from the fluid dynamic bearings used in the motors, a much more adept alternative to the ball bearings that have become commonplace. Hitachi isn't handing out release dates nor pricing as of yet, but they are stating that both factory and aftermarket options will be available in sizes up to 50GB, so we assume you modders won't waste any time in getting those creative wheels a spinning.
