Asus to adopt recently unveiled Hitachi-LG DS HyDrive tech in next-gen Eee Top PCs

Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS), one of the world’s biggest optical drive manufacturers for desktop PCs and laptops, recently unveiled the world’s first Blu-ray Disc combo drive with a built-in SSD specifically for use in notebooks and other types of portable devices. They’re calling it the HyDrive, and from the looks of it, it just might be our ticket to widespread adoption of SSDs in notebooks and other portable gadgets.

The HyDrive isn’t the market yet as of this time’s writing, but initial OEM shipments to South Korea-based home theater PC vendor Moneual are slated to begin in August 2010, according to a report published on DigiTimes. The same report also lists the specifications of the HyDrive as follows: it has the same dimensions as that of a slim-type ODD and the built-in SSD comes in two storage sizes — 32GB and 64GB (both of which support SATA 3.0Gbps).

It is also said that a second-generation HyDrive is in the works, one which will have a 256GB SSD and SATA 6.0Gbps interface, that will be introduced by March 2011. It’s still a bit of a long time until that one arrives, but we can benefit from the first version when it finally comes out. And where might that be, you ask? Well, in one of the upcoming new models of the Asus Eee Top nettop PC, which according to HLDS will adopt the HyDrive for a nifty combined optical drive and storage drive solution.

Via DigiTimes