G-Sensor Shock Protection

Is there anyone who knows a bit more about the hard drive shock protection that comes built into the sz? I'm very happy to have it, but I've been a bit surprised -- either I'm much rougher with my laptop then I realized, or it's really, really sensitive. It says it's set to "medium" protection, and I'm leaving it there, but it seems to kick in when I do basic things like putting it down on a table, closing the lid...

Maybe I just grew accustomed to a laptop that could handle anything, but my old z505 lasted 4 1/2 years without it, with no trouble -- how does it work, and is the hard drive really in that much danger from day-to-day handling?

 

It's amazing how I've managed to own dozens of notebooks over the past 10 or so years and I've never had onea harddrive fail. Much less fail due to shock damage. I believe this is more of a gimmick than anything else. Sure it may reduce the number of failures but where is the evidence or tests that show that there is an issue to begin with? What's truely funny is that IBM even installs this type of sensor on their X series tabletpc. That has a 1.8" drive which can handle a multitude of more G's than a normal 2.5" drive (just take a look at the drive specs). At the default setting the drive head is parked if you look the wrong way at the machine. How many people out there with iPods have had failures due to hard drive failures as a result of shock? I don't know, but it can't be that many otherwise Apple would have installed the technology in their iPods (they have it installed in their notebooks). So the iPod is something that is always on the go and is subjected to above average shock in comparison to a notebook. Right? I would think so. So why is it that a notebook needs the technology but the iPod doesn't? I believe the word I'm looking for is "Gimmick".

To add insult to injury I've actually hosed a system due to the sensor. A few months ago I was hibernating a system that had the shock sensor. While the contents of the RAM were being saved to the harddrive I accidentally bumped the machine. The sensor parked the head and I could see the hibernation progress bars pause. It resumed after the time out and I thought everything was OK. When I powered the system back up a little while later the OS was hosed. Windows took a big dump and I wound up having to reinstall the OS. Thanks alot.

Wikipedia has a wonderful definition for gimmick:

A gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries. Product gimmicks are sometimes considered mere novelties, and not really that relevant to the product's functioning, even earning negative connotations. However, some seemingly trivial gimmicks of the past have evolved into useful, permanent features.

 

Id like to see the innards of this notebook to see what Gshock is. Maybe its just a tiny foam that coats the HD holder.

 

There is an accelerometer mounted on the motherboard. It's actually part of the hard drive wiring harness.