In 1999 IBM will launch a miniature hard disc drive with a platter the size
of a thumbnail. It can hold up to 340 megabytes of data. The Microdrive is less
than 50 millimetres square and 0.5 millimetres thick, and plugs into flashcard
slots. It could be used to store entire telephone directories in cellphones, 30
minutes of video in camcorders or vast maps in hand-held GPS navigation
devices.
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