Quantum Corp is shipping the third generation of its Bigfoot series of 5.25 hard disk drives, the Bigfoot TX, which offers up to 12Gb storage for desktop computers that need high performance, high speed storage at a low cost. The Bigfoot TX comes in 4, 6, 8 and 12Gb versions, and costs between 150 pounds and 290 pounds($253 to $490). The company says the 5.25 drive is ideal for multimedia and video applications which require large storage volumes with smooth playback. The main target for the new drives is the consumer sector, and the product has been endorsed by many of the major OEMs including Compaq Computer Corp, Hewlett-Packard Co and IBM Corp. Quantum has also recently announced its entry into retail storage in the UK and Europe, following its moves in this direction in the US and the Bigfoot will appear in its selected retail outlets in January. The company also sees the Bigfoot TX moving up into the corporate market, where companies increasingly demand storage capacity that matches the three year or so lifecycle of a personal computer