Hitachi has announced new technology that will double the capacity of its one-inch Microdrive to 10 GB. The tiny hard drive is typically used for small consumer devices like digital music players such as iPod and iPod mini and mobile telephones.

The vast increase in capacity without an increase in size will allow the technology to remain small while new features are added. Presently, the Microdrive can hold up to 4 GB of data. The new model will also take up less space--approximately 20 percent less. This will allow for new devices to use the Microdrive technology.

Because of its reduced size, the new Microdrives will also have additional shock protection.