Intel launches smaller SSD for netbooks, mini-desktops

Intel launched a much smaller version of its Z-P230 SSDs (solid-state drive) aimed at netbooks and mini-desktops, the company said Wednesday.

The new SSD is based on a miniature card module that weighs just 8 grams, compared to 11 grams for the original Z-P230, which Intel announced in June.

The company is already profiting from the new netbook category of mini-laptop computers. The world's largest chipmaker sells the most popular microprocessor for such devices currently, the Atom, which is designed as an energy-saving, low-cost chip that takes up little space inside a netbook.

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The new Z-P230 SSDs carry the same qualities as Atom. Netbooks are built to be small, lightweight, low-cost, and mobile, so the new mini-card-sized Z-P230 SSD is made to take up as little space inside as possible, weigh little, and extend battery life. The main difference between the Z-P230 and the company's Z-P140 for MIDs (mobile Internet devices) is a focus on low cost for the Z-P230s.

The Intel Z-P230 comes is already available in 4GB and 8GB capacities, with a 16GB version coming in September, Intel said. The 4GB version costs $25 in 1,000-unit quantities, while the 8GB version is $45 in 1,000-unit quantities.