Samsung compact flash-sized Spinpoint A1 hard drive

[CES 2008] Samsung will start to ship its Spinpoint A1 Compact Flash card-sized hard drives soon (that sounds as though it will be in this quarter, but definitely before 2009 rolls around). This new hard drives will come in 30GB and 40GB sizes, with the Spinpoint A1 boasting a much higher storage capacity than standard memory cards without sacrificing on physical space. Not only that, these hard drives are said to offer high shock resistance (thanks to its free-fall sensor that parks the head in a protective ramp before an impact) and low power consumption, making them ideal for use in portable devices such as MP3 players and PMPs. The Spinpoint A1 measures a mere 42.8mm x 36.4mm x 5mm in size and will come in PATA/CEATA/USB interface options, boasting a 3600rpm rotation speed, a 2MB buffer memory, shock resistance of up to 650G, a two-second drive-ready time, and nearly inaudible acoustic noise. It will retail for $199 when available. [Press Release]