Computex SanDisk has added 64GB models to its growing line of Flash-based hard drives for notebooks and media players. That said, it'll be some time before you'll be able to buy any of them.

SanDisk's 64GB 1.8in and 2.5in SSDs

The memory card specialist introduced 32GB 1.8in and 2.5in drives in January and May, respectively, but this week's move to offer drives of double that capacity takes in both those form-factors simultaneously.

That said, it's a paper launch: the 64GB drives will only be made available in sample quantities next quarter, with mass production not anticipated until "prior to the end of the year", the company said - some way off, in other words.

SanDisk didn't mention prices - no surprise, perhaps, given how costly solid-state drives tend to be. Still, SSDs are only now starting to emerge as an alternative to rotating magnetic media.

It claimed its solid-state drives are fast enough to load operating systems in around two-thirds of the time it would take with a regular notebook hard drive - though the gain would be lower with desktop and enterprise-oriented drives.

SanDisk's 1.8in and 2.5in SSDs respectively consume 0.5W and 1W of power during active operation, compared to 1.9W for a "typical hard drive" - potentially making for a big battery life boost for mobile devices.

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