Fujitsu LifeBooks Get Solid-State Drives

Fujitsu plans to offer flash-based solid-state drives as an option on its pen-based P1620 and B6120 LifeBooks.

Fujitsu has become the first major PC manufacturer to formally offer flash-based solid-state drives as an option, announcing today that corporate customers and agenices can get their LifeBook P1620 and B6210 LifeBook pen-driven ultraportable systems with 16 or 32 GB solid-state drives instead of more-traditional (and more capacious) standard hard disk drives.

The LifeBook P1610 and B6210 aren’t designed for everyday computing; instead, they’re designed for orgnanizational an institutional use in areas like aviation, health care, field service, and other vertical markets. Fujitsu is also offering a version of the P1610 with a ruggedized, flexible Santoprene case which offers additional protection.

“On-your-feet workers need to protect their tools without interfering with the product’s usability or adding significant cost,” said Paul Moore, senior director of mobile product marketing, Fujitsu Computer Systems. “By offering SSDs along with rugged cases, Fujitsu provides a superior solution for environments where rough handling of notebooks is inherent in the workplace.”

Solid-state drives (SSDs) consume less power and emit less heat than traditional hard disk drives; since they have no moving parts, they also offer greater reliability since jolts, bumps, and temperature changes are far less likely to interfere with the drive’s operation. These traits make SSDs ideal for mobile computing and storage solutions; the fact that SSDs can read and write data faster than most notebook hard drives is just icing on the cake.

Right now, the SSD option is only available for Fujitsu’s corporate and agency customers on a project basis, but it’s only a matter of time before SSD options become available to consumers and show up as standard offerings on notebook and ultra-portable systems.