Gear

International Business Machines Corp.'s (IBM) new drive-protection technology is designed to protect the hard drive when dropped or jostled, it's included on several of the company's new notebook computers. At the heart of IBM's drive protection technology is a small accelerometer that detects abrupt movements. Users can set the accelerometer's sensitivity protection to park the head of the hard drive when, for example, the computer begins to fall. Shock-absorbing pads help to isolate the drive from typical bumps and shakes, but it's the head-parking feature that really saves valuable data from being lost when the computer takes a tumble.