Seagate has announced a host of new 2.5" notebook hard drives scheduled for release in early 2007. The drives include a hybrid model with integrated flash memory dubbed Momentus 5400 PSD, or Power-Saving Drive. This hybrid drive sports 256 MB of non-volatile cache, storage capacity up to 160 GB, and a 5400 RPM spindle speed. Leaving hybrid storage aside, Seagate has also announced a Momentus 5400.2 FDE hard drive. In this instance, the three-letter suffix stands for Full Disc Encryption, The Momentus 5400.2 FDE will encrypt data across the entire disk via a 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard cipher, storing cryptographic keys right in the drive. Users will be able to unlock the 5400.2 FDE's encrypted data via a password, fingerprint, or smart card check before operating system bootup.

Momentus 5400.2 FDE provides an easy, cost-effective way to prevent unauthorized access to all notebook PC data, not just selected files or partitions, in case the system or disc drive is lost, stolen, retired or resold. The 5,400-RPM drive's hardware-based full disc encryption delivers significantly stronger protection against hacking and tampering than traditional encryption approaches by securely performing all cryptographic operations and key management within the drive. For users, only a password is needed to self-authenticate for full drive access, while third-party enhancements enable thumb print and smart card options for multi-factor self-authentication. In addition, no time-consuming disc initialization or configuration is required to deploy the encrypting drive.