Maxtor pumps it up with 500GB drive

It's not a nano-cluster pocket drive, but we'll still take it: Maxtor has joined the short-but-growing list of companies producing half-terabyte drives. Maxtor expects to ship its 7200RPM 500GB drive this quarter, joining LaCie, Seagate and Hitachi, all of which either have or have announced 500GB drives. Maxtor's drive will be marketed both directly to consumers and for use in media devices like set-top boxes and media PCs. No word on pricing yet, but LaCie's external 500GB drives (pictured) go for about $400.