NEC intros LaVie Light netbook with hybrid storage

The only netbook we have seen to date that incorporates a dual HDD/SDD storage system is the MSI U115 Wind Hybrid. Whilst expensive, the benefit of such a system is that battery life can be prolonged by disabling access to the HDD when not needed. NEC has now announced a similar system for its latest LaVie Light netbook (BL350/TA6) which will come with a 160GB HDD and 16GB SSD.

It comes with a 10.1-inch LED backlit display, 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU, 1GB RAM and Wi-Fi (draft-N). It is also slightly slimmer than its predecessor measuring 1.4-inches at its thickest point. An optional high capacity battery should be good for up to 7.4 hours. The standard battery should be good for 4.2 hours.

This latest LaVie Light (BL350) is expected to retail in Japan later this month for 70,000 Yen (£440, $729, €512). A couple of other lower-end LaVie Light netbooks were also announced. The BL300/TA6 has a non-hybrid version of the BL350 and comes with just a 160GB HDD. This model will be priced at 60,000 Yen, a reasonable saving if you don’t fancy the benefits of hybrid storage. The BL100/TA includes SSD storage and is priced around 50,000 Yen. Unfortunately, there’s no word on availability or pricing outside of Japan yet for any of these models.

Via Akihabara News.