Legit Reviews

IRVINE, Calif. -- Feb. 27, 2007 Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD) today announced that it has surpassed worldwide cumulative shipments of five million hard disk drives (HDDs) for automotive applications, demonstrating the company's leadership in pioneering new markets for HDDs and enabling a new digital frontier with the integration of mass storage in the car.

As the first company to recognize the developing market for HDDs in cars, Toshiba has worked with major automobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and aftermarket suppliers for more than 10 years to develop and design digital systems for enhanced navigation, multimedia entertainment and emerging infotainment applications. Toshiba commands 85 percent of the automotive HDD market according to the latest report in Feb. 2007 from Techno Systems Research (TSR) Co., Ltd.(1)

"Consumers are demanding a digital experience in every facet of their lives, and today's vehicles offer an increasing array of entertainment and information for a safer and more enjoyable driving experience," said Scott Maccabe, vice president and general manager, Toshiba Storage Device Division. "Automotive-grade HDDs offer robust and cost-effective storage that gives car designers an open slate for serving up richer navigation, with road-condition and driver assistance information, as well as entertainment content such as, digital music, video, games and more in sophisticated in-car media centers."

Automotive electronics systems have evolved rapidly in recent years, mirroring the on-demand lifestyle afforded by portable devices and wireless technology. As a result, automobile manufacturers need more sophisticated content delivery systems in cars to keep pace with consumer demand for content and services that integrate with their digital lifestyles. These full-featured, graphic and data-intensive entertainment and navigation applications demand the field-proven, cost effective storage capacity that only HDDs can offer.

"Automotive hard disk drives (HDD) require a high degree of reliability and ruggedness for optimal performance in auto navigation systems," said Toshio Magome, senior director of TSR. "Toshiba holds the industry's benchmark in automotive-grade HDDs earning them a leadership reputation among car navigation system manufacturers around the world."

Toshiba is currently shipping 30GB(2) and 40GB automotive-grade hard disk drives optimized for extreme operating conditions including temperatures from -30 degrees to 85 degrees Celsius. Toshiba has worked with more than 15 car equipment manufacturers to integrate these automotive-grade HDDs since 2001. Automotive HDDs from Toshiba can be found inside 2007 model year automobiles in North America for a variety of use, including navigation, digital music and video, rear-seat entertainment and enhanced driver assistance systems.

About Toshiba Storage Device Division

Toshiba SDD, a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., leads the market in the development, design and manufacturing of small form factor 2.5-inch, 1.8-inch and 0.85-inch hard disk drives, as well as next-generation HD DVD storage products. Toshiba SDD markets high-quality peripherals to original equipment manufacturers, value-added resellers, value-added dealers, systems integrators and distributors in the United States. Inherent in the Toshiba storage family are the high-quality engineering and manufacturing capabilities that have established Toshiba products as worldwide leaders. For more information, visit http://www.toshibastorage.com

About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS)

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is comprised of four business units: Digital Products Division, Imaging Systems Division, Storage Device Division and Telecommunication Systems Division. Together, these divisions provide mobile products and solutions, including industry leading portable computers; projectors; imaging products for the security, medical and manufacturing markets; storage products for automotive, computer and consumer electronics applications; and telephony equipment and associated applications.

TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of information products in the United States and Latin America. TAIS is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, which is a global leader in high technology and integrated manufacturing of electrical and electronic components, products and systems, as well as major infrastructure systems. Toshiba has more than 172,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of over US $54 billion (FY2005). For more information on Toshiba's leading innovations, visit the company's web site at http://www.toshiba.com

(C) 2007 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All product, service and company names are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Information including without limitation product prices, specifications, availability, content of services, and contact information is subject to change without notice.

1) TSR Report dated Feb. 1, 2007

2) Toshiba calculates HDD capacity on the basis of one gigabyte (GB) equals one billion bytes.