New Sony VAIO Z to get quad-speed SSD and backlit keys

Being a Vaio Z owner myself this certainly caught my attention. Sony's upcoming Z11 notebook could have one of the fastest notebook storage drives ever if the rumor is true that is.

Although the 13.1-inch notebook already promises to be fast through a regular 128GB solid-state drive, it's now believed by Engadget to be getting a "Quad SSD" that would emphasize speed. It would combine four SSDs in a RAID stripe and run extremely quickly, copying a 1GB file in just 4 seconds; a typical 5,400RPM hard drive takes 25 seconds.

The four-way technology would also contribute to sheer capacity as the Z would have either 256GB (4x64GB) or 512GB (4x128GB) of space. Besides the enhanced storage, the notebook may also be Sony's first in at least that line to get a backlit keyboard, reinforcing its image as an alternative to the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Sony holds its CES keynote on Wednesday and is expected to unveil the new VAIO, along with a range of other models, at the same time as it readies the Z.