Intel has added to the competition among solid state hard drive manufacturers with its new Z-U130 range. Based on NAND flash memory and using the USB 2.0/1.1 interface, the drive is claimed to be superior to standard flash drives because it offers faster boot times, embedded code storage, rapid data access and low-power storage alternatives. Compared to standard hard drives, solid state drives have lower seek times, faster start up times, improved read times, lower power consumption, silent operation and they normally weigh less, not to mention no moving parts which allows for improved reliability. Intel will be starting out with 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8GB versions, however the larger densities won't be available until later in the year. Although these drives aren't yet able to compete on price or capacity, as the technology develops and more efficient production techniques are found they are likely to become the replacements for current-day spinning drives.Update: this information is now available in an Intel Press Release