They’re like… family!

Flash Memory cards, whether they’re SD, Memory Sticks, etc, are a lot like our family or relatives. If we can’t choose our families then we rarely choose a gadget because of the memory card tied with it. It just comes out of nowhere. Look I need a Compact Flash!

Memory cards come to us as part of a package of particular gadget we chose to purchase. People buy electronic products like digital camera or mobile phones for specific features but rarely carefully consider the necessary memory card that comes along with it. The greatest concern will be the features and how the gadget suits their needs. However, as seen from our previous article, memory cards have different read and write performances as well.

When it comes to gadget concerns, memory cards would naturally take a back seat. As they become cheaper as time passes by, the concern on what card to use will be taken for granted all the more. The reason for this is that investment in a particular gadget like a camera phone is so much more significant than an ordinary flash storage card.

Whatever, memory card you have in your gadget, you are family here at Flash Driven.

Don’t worry about this USB Drive

ATP’s Petito USB drive is so tough it's water proof! But along with that ATP, also says that it is the smallest of its kind in the market today. The manufacturing process enables ATP to produce a device this tough.

“The industry leading SIP (System-In- Package) manufacturing process involves advanced wire-bonding, stacking, and encapsulation stages which result in several key advantages.”

“Since SIP technology can provide complete encapsulation and protection of the flash components and contacts, this give ample protection for Petito from water, shock, dust, and ESD.”

You can read all about it in the ATP Whitepaper.

How Do You Test Flash Memory Cards?

I’ve always wondered… which is the best memory card type in the market right now? Is CF better than SD, xD or Memory Sticks?

I did a little research on this and always came out with more questions than answers. There will always be issues with the device where you plug the card. Software in a digital camera for example can be a great factor in writing speed performance of a memory card. Some tested it the flash cards on different cameras but you can imagine how toher factors come into play if this is the case.

The best idea for testing these things was made in this website at Hjreggel.net. The idea was that to test the read and write speeds of the different memory card types on card readers while they download or upload on a PC. This has it’s downside as well since the performance of these cards downgrade in this process plus some use the USB flash drives for transfer. But this test is a very good one on making all things equal.

In the tests, the SD variety specifically Transcend SD 150x 4GB, was the winner plus two other SD varieties winning the silver and bronze. The closest rival was Compact Flash with another Transcend product, this one 8GB, doing a very good job.

Taking Care of Your USB Drives

Last time, we referenced a site talking about how to revive a damaged flash memory card. This time, the next link we have focuses on damage prevention so that we won't go through (at least we can try) the experience of losing important files.

The tips are practical one sbut usually forgotten due to our busy schedules or just plain negligence.

Biometric USB Drives

Reports concerning the security risks that come with USB drives have been the rage the past two weeks both in the military and in ordinary businesses.

If you are concerned and would need this technology you might want to try a few USB drives with biometric technologies embedded to it before you can access the data. Click on the products below to get some reviews.

Sandisk Cruzer Profile
Lexar JumpDrive TouchGuard 256MB
SafeBoot
Amtel Biometric FingerGear

Now You Can See What’s Inside!

The Royal EZVue Vista USB drive enables you to see what types of files you have on its USB drive. It has a scrollable LCD display where you can view the file names plus extensions of the things you have on the drive. You don’t have to plug it in a PC just to see what’s on it.

How to Fix Your Memory Cards

The Canadian Edition of PC World Magazine has some tips on how to fix memory cards when something goes wrong with your gadgets along with the memory card inside. One tip here discusses an event when the camera is dropped in the water.

1. Take it out of the camera of course.
2. Keep it submerged in water so it won’t corrode. The article says that salt water is best.
3. If you’re ready to operate on it, rinse the card in fresh water to take off the salt.
5. Air dry it but don’t use a hair dryer.
6. Clean the SD or Compact Flash Card contacts with Q-tips and isopropyl alcohol. It must be done gently.
7. Once the Cards are dry, gently rub the contacts again with a pencil eraser.
8. Try to get your data.

You can get more tips from the article.

UK Companies Concern About Flash Drives

It's not just the US military who should watch out about file security as regards flash memory drives. The Information Security Breaches Survey reports that only a handful of companies have adequate security configurations in PCs and laptops to stop file swapping in memory cards.

"The survey found that 33% of firms tell staff not to use such devices but rarely do anything to change the configuration of PCs and laptops to stop people moving data around with USB sticks."

Only 10% of the companies encrypt critical data stored on flash drive devices.

SD Cards invade the Broadcasting Industry

SD Cards are attempting to replace tape in video cameras. Now it has come into the world of high performance broadcast cameras as well. The Grass Valley Infinity Camcorder is for broadcasting purposes and uses SD Cards instead of tape. A United Press International report says that the images were broadcast quality.

I had my first brush with this when I used the Digilife camcorder of my cousin. The video quality isn’t great but it was a lot of fun since it was so easy to use. One can record about 30 minutes of video on it using a 512MB SD Card. It was convenient as well to transfer on the the PC and send the file to my relatives via broadband.

Is it a just matter of time before flash memory replaces tape?

The Tug-of-War for Lexar

It seems that based on latest reports, Lexar will be bought by Micron after the deal hurdled anti-trust investigations. It now subject for approval by Lexar shareholders.

Recently, Sandisk has also been courting Lexar.

According to analysts if you are a consumer, you would root for Micron to bag this deal. The reason for this is that Lexar and Sandisk are so similar, it will only consolidate the market and drive (no pun intended) prices up. Micron will only add Lexar’s product line to theirs and will continue to challenge SanDisk for the market.

The USB Drive Storage Space Title Belt

The title belt for the USB drive that has the largest storage space currently goes to Buslink. Their Flash Drive PRO 2 Series comes in a gargantuan 64GB variety!

Flash Driven will take watch of development in storage size and will continue to give recognition to companies that push the limit in flash memory storage and features.

A USB Flash Drive Perfect for Your Wallet

Nope. I'm not talking about the price of this USB flash drive. It's most unique feature can be found in its shape. With form and thickness like an ordinary credit card, the Wallet Flash from Walletex Microelectronics Ltd. is perfect for your wallets!

The Gadgeteer Website has a review of the Wallet Flash, complete with photos and technical specs.

Memory Cards-Cell Phone Tag Team vs. The iPod

Technology News has an interesting take on the growing use of flash memory cards in mobile phones. This technological partnership makes for interesting competition for the iPod as storage capacities of these flash cards continue to grow and improve.

The iPod is basically a media player and has a price that rivals that of high-tech mobile phones. If flash memory continues to grow in storage capacity plus drop in price, mobile phones might be the way to go if you want to bring your music, photos and files along with you. Of course, you can also use it to make a call.

A Revolution in Flash Memory

Three weeks ago, it has been reported that the upcoming Nintendo console, currently called Revolution, will not have a hard drive unlike the XBox and the Playstation. Instead the Nintendo console will be relying on flash memory cards like SD types so you can save your games.

The Revolution further embraces flash memory slots by also incorporating a USB slot. This will enable virtually a wide host of flash memory forms to be used as digital storage. Cheap USB drives with very high storage can be used. And if you use a Multi-Read Memory Card Reader, then just plug it in the USB slot and you have a variety of options for different flash storage devices. Please read the link below for more on the story.

Military Secrets in Memory Cards Still On Sale!

There are reports that military files contained in flash memory drives continue to be sold in Afghan bazaars days after the US Armed Forces spent thousands of dollars purchasing back the stolen data.

The LA Times reported on the matter about two weeks ago that these things are being sold at the black market in Afghanistan. It also states that they are being sold in flash memory cards "smaller than disposable lighters".

Leaks of Military Files Resume by Paul Watson

USB Flash Drives Market Growth

The Technology Review, an MIT publication, mentions that the market for USB flash drives has reached 2 billion dollars in 2005. Plus full linux systems can now fit on these thumb-sized gadgets.

The website also surmised that due to these capabilities, USB drives might be rivaling a different storage sector, online storage. One advantage here is that USB Drives are seen as more secure since you carry the data with you. And if you have a full-fledged OS in there, you can just pop it into a PC and now you are truly carrying all your digital data around.

Your World on a Flash Drive by Wade Roush

Flash Memory... Changing Our Lifestyle

Almost all modern consumer gadgets use flash memory. Cellphones, digital cameras, PDAs, and others wouldn't be without their primary life blood...flash memory.

Flash memory comes in different forms, sizes and formats. The most popular ones are MMC and SD cards, memory sticks and USB drives. They enable us to carry our most critical files like pictures, music and office documents.

Our world is changing and this website is basically focused on the industry and the technology of this storage format. It is probably the most important storage media today.