Seagate announced Monday that it will soon begin shipping a 120GB laptop hard drive, which would be the largest available on the market today. The disk maker will also release a 100GB drive. The 100GB version will come in both 5400 and 7200-rpm versions, and the 120GB in a 5400-rpm model.

The company says that the two drives are in response to consumer demands. "People on-the-go need notebook computers that deliver desktop PC performance yet can withstand the rigors of travel and extend battery life," said Jeff Loebbaka, Seagate vice president of Global Marketing.

Others, according to Loebbaka, are less concerned with speed and size and are looking for cost-effectiveness. The slower, smaller drives are intended for that market.

As laptop computers are increasingly doubling as desktop systems in the home and business, consumers have begun to look for bigger hard drives to store more information, such as photos and home movies, which can eat up space quickly. "End users increasingly will demand desktop PC capabilities in notebooks," said John Buttress, IDC's research manager for hard drives.

Its "Momentus" drives are also very resistant to shock according to Seagate. The company claims the drives can withstand 900 Gs of non-operating shock and 250 Gs of operating shock without damage to hard drive data. The new drives also sport better power efficiency and near-silent operation.

The 1 are expected to make it to the market in May, a company representative told BetaNews. Several manufacturers are looking at the drives for their systems, although Seagate declined to name the companies involved in those talks.

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