Or, the company hopes, become the guts of superthin name-brand notebook PCs with 40 hours of battery life.

FORBES: The Un-PC

Available with a 6-cell battery, the Gateway EC14D notebook line provides battery life of up to eight hours, so customers can use it nearly all day to stay in touch.(1) As a result, customers reduce their energy consumption since they go longer without having to recharge.

ENGADGET: Gateway pumps out EC Series ultraportables

Write caching could allow the hard disk drive to stay in a lower power non-spinning state for longer periods of time, extending battery life for the notebook computer.

FORBES: Will A Fusion Drive Approach Become Widespread in Computers?

Citing research that consumers prize long battery life over other notebook features, Acer also announced a new series of notebooks that will last more than eight hours on a single charge.

FORBES: Acer Goes After Asus