Computerworld - Western Digital today announced that it has started shipping its first solid state drive (SSD) aimed at consumers.
The new 2.5-inch SiliconEdge Blue SSD comes in capacities of up to 256GB and features a native serial ATA 3.0 gigabits per second interface with read speeds up to 250MB/sec and write transfer rates up to 170 MB/sec.
The multi-level cell (MLC)-based SiliconEdge Blue SSD features advanced wear-leveling firmware which evenly distributes data on the drive to help increase drive longevity. The new SSD also contains and error correction control, as well as TRIM and Native Command Queuing command support to increase performance.
"The development of the WD SiliconEdge Blue product family leverages WD's extensive experience in designing and manufacturing highly reliable storage products and the company's worldwide sales and distribution network to accelerate SSD technology adoption by OEMs, technology enthusiasts, gamers and road warriors," said Michael Hajeck, senior vice president and general manager of WD's solid state storage business unit, in a statement. WD SiliconEdge Blue SSDs are available through select distributors and resellers.
A 64GB model has a suggested retail price of $279; the 128GB model will retail for $529 and the 256GB model will sell for $999.
Lucas Mearian covers storage, disaster recovery and business continuity, financial services infrastructure and health care IT for Computerworld. Follow Lucas on Twitter at 
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