Today we have another great deal for all the gadget-loving computer techies out there, or just anyone that likes to store a huge amount of data. Now this hard drive may not be as cheap as the 4-port USB hub for $1.99 or the $16 1GB USB flash drive, but it is certainly on par with them on value for money. This hard drive isn't from a cheap manufacturer, this contraption is from SeaGate, who is well known for their hard drives.

As far as price per Gigabyte goes, you are paying just over $0.37 for 1GB of data. When you consider that the USB flash drive costs $16 for just 1 GB, the scope of this deal really comes to light. The SeaGate 750GB internal hard drive features:

• World's quietest 7200-RPM drives, with 8-Mbyte or 16-Mbyte cache, and the most advanced fluid-bearing motor.
• Award-winning DiscWizard software makes installation a snap.
• SeaTools diagnostic software continuously checks your hard drive for data safety and drive performance.
• Complete with cable, disc utility CD, quick-installation guide and mounting screws.
• Compatible with Windows XP, Me, 2000, 98SE, and NT; may be used with Linux, Mac OS and Netware.

This future-proof beast of a hard drive is available from CompUSA.com for $279.99 with free shipping, but the offer ends September 23rd so get in quick! After buying it, we challenge you to fill it up with useful files - let's see if it'll take you a very long time!

A few months back, Seagate announced that the company was in the planning stages of a project for mega-capacity hard drives for non-business consumers. Now, Seagate has patented its Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology that increases disk capacity by 10 times or one terabyte of data. HAMR technology includes nanotube-based lubrication to allow the read/write head of a disk to get closer to the surface and store more information.

Decreasing the size of the data-recording areas on a disk surface means more data can be packed together, increasing the capacity of the disk. The drawback in reading and writing ever-smaller bits is that the read/write head has to come closer to the disk surface. This means a tough lubricant layer on the surface that won't evaporate is necessary.

Seagate's new technology features a reservoir inside the disk casing containing the nanotube-based lubricant. The lubricant is regularly pumped out as a vapor and deposited on the surface of the disk, renewing the layer of lubricant that evaporated. The lubricant reservoirs will be built to last the life of the disk.

The new technology is expected to boost disk capacity by a factor of 10 making it possible to manufacture 600GB 1.8-in., 1.46TB 2.5-in., and 7.5TB Barracuda 3.5-in. drives.

Hybrid hard drives (HHD) will be a main requirement for mobile systems that carry the Vista Premium logo starting June 2007. This information was revealed by Microsoft's program manager for Windows Client Performance Matt Ayres over at TechEd 2006, Microsoft's largest annual customer conference for IT Pros and developers from around the world.

The announcement has already been reflected in the Windows Logo Device Program Requirements document 3.01, which was quietly launched by Microsoft last Friday. The description of storage requirement #0005 now read: Hybrid disk drives or systems that implement a hybrid disk drive must meet the requirements outlined here... This requirement will go into effect for premium mobile systems in June 1 2007.

The public reinstatement comes just a few days after Seagate confirmed it will offer hybrid drives for laptops. Together with Samsung, Seagate has committed to produce hybrid drives in high quantity. Manufacturers who are looking to get into the hybrid drive production were given some encouragement. According to Ayres,  Microsoft is helping to make introductions between prospective drive and Flash partners. We want to see Flash get into the platform in the right way.