Wear Your Flash Drive!

Feeling a bit insecure about your flash drive data? How about wearing them?

The Imation Flash Wristband enables one to not only bring their data with them via a flash drive, but one can wear it as well. This will probably make the user more secure with his data since it is always with him wherever he maybe. It can be pretty convenient as well because you always have it handy whenever you need it.

Source: Imation Flash Wristband

Technorati tags: Flash Drive / Imation / Flash Wristband

Compact Flash Cards Test

We have referenced a test on flash memory cards in the past and it was indeed a great source of information on what types are the best out there.

This new test takes only compact flash card. This is important to people who only have this type since it is the one that came with their digital cameras (people like me). Based on the results, the winners were the Corsair 2GB, the Sandisk 1GB and Sandisk Extreme III (1 GB).

This is only a private test but it is still helpful as well based on the observation by the author.

- Compact Flash cards performance have come a long way. The author can say this since he based the performance of his new cards with old ones. (Really old ones circa 1998)

- Sandisk two Compact Flash brands have almost similar performance according to the test.

Source: Flash Memory Then and Now: How Far Have We Come?

Technorati tags: Compact Flash / Flash Memory Cards / Memory Cards / Digital Cameras

Memory Cards Taking Over: CANON May Stop Film Camera Production

It seems that flash memory cards like SD and compact flash cards, are now making a very strong case of replacing film on photo cameras. It's just a matter of time.

One evidence of this is that Canon is now considering whether they should still continue to produce film cameras.

"A spokesman at Canon, the world's largest digital camera maker, said it would consider whether it needs to continue developing both compact and single lens reflex (SLR) film models because the markets for both are shrinking."


Source: CORRECTED: Canon considers halt to film camera development

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / Flash MemoryCards / Memory Cards / Digital Cameras

Which Company Will Benefit Most from a Hybrid Hard Drive?

In my opinion, Samsung maybe the first company to incorporate the Hybrid Hard Drive, a hard drive that contains flash memory, but if this technology ever takes off, it will not be the one who will benefit the most.

There is a good chance that its flash memory rival, Toshiba, will take the cake. Why Toshiba?

Hybrid Hard Drives I feel will create their initial impact more on notebooks than on desktop PCs. Flash Memory storage benefits for notebooks are enormous and will easily be noticeable since it addresses the following needs:

- saves battery due to less spinning of the hard drive
- more durable since hybrid hard drives are less susceptible to physical shocks
- faster boot times

Based on past reports, we can see that Toshiba was number 2 in market share for flash memory and was the only company to make headway in market share last quarter.

Flash Memory Market Share (1Q / 2006)

Samsung - 48%
Toshiba - 24.6%
Hynix - 14.8%
Renesas - 5.6%
Micron - 2.9%

However, unlike Samsung it is still a big player in the notebook market. In fact, it is number 4 in market share according to Gartner Dataquest.

Laptop Market (2005)

1 Dell- 17.1%
2 HP- 16.5%
3 Acer - 12.2%
4 Toshiba - 10.5%
5 Fujitsu - 8.1%

Source: Toshiba loses ground in notebooks

Samsung maybe the market pioneer, but when Toshiba joins the fray, the latter may find this industry segment a very tough one.

Technorati Tags: Flash Memory / Hybrid Hard Drive / Samsung Toshiba / Notebooks / Laptops

USB 1.1 or USB 2.0?

When I first used a USB drive on my PC a year ago, I was surprised to see the message saying something like a High Speed USB device is connected to a NON-High Speed port or something like that. Apparently because my USB Port is 1.1 while the USB Drive is a 2.0.

What is the difference between these two and how would I know if I have USB 1.1 or 2.0? These two links will show you how and will provide a much clearer explanation.

Sources:
USB 2.0, Hi Speed USB FAQ

Ask Leo: How can I tell if I have USB 2.0?

Technorati Tags: USB Drive / USB 1.1 / USB 2.0

The Pitfalls of Flash Memory

Has Samsung's Hybrid Hard Drive solved the usage limitation of flash memory? Is there really a limitation and how does this affect the hybrid hard drive?

The website Ask-Leo, answers interesting computer problems and today we are taking a look at one of his answers. The question is that... do USB drives wear out meaning do they have limited life?

The article states first how flash memory generally works. The reason why they call it flash memory is that when memory is loaded, a signal sent to the flash memory says to "remember this type of data" It's like taking a picture or having a photographic memory. However, usb drives just like any kind of flash memory, will only have a limited amount of flashes. Some say between 10,000 and 100,000 times.

If this is the case then asking about the limitation of usage in hybrid hard drives is a fair question. Will this be viable enough in the long run?

Please remember that Flash Driven isn't and will not pretend to be a technical expert on such things. We strive to cover however the market dynamics and technology developments of flash memory. But once we get reports from experts, we will sure to post it here.

Source: Ask Leo: Can a USB thumbdrive "wear out"?

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / USB Drives / Hybrid Hard Drives / Ask Leo

The Future of Flash Memory on Mobile Phones

Today, most mobile phones are still going for NOR flash memory in their handsets. However, when memory capacity goes up to more than 512mb, manufacturers prefer NAND Flash. This is because at these levels NAND Flash is deemed a lot cheaper.

However, the article also says that like the Ask-Leo article above, it seems that limitations on how many writes and reads of files you can do on a NAND is one of its biggest technical obstacles.

"Once NOR's capacity exceeds 512MB, taking smart phones with outstanding performance for instance, manufacturers prefer to adopt NAND because NOR has a much higher cost and a relatively big-sized body."

"Concerning stability, there are hidden troubles such as bit-flipping, bad blocks and limited life in NAND. In addition, NAND adopts a non-standard interface and needs software management, which increases the cost of the system."

Source: The Average Capacity of Handset Memory is Expected to Reach 415MB by Q2, 2006

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / NAND / NAND Flash / NOR Flash

It's Not Science Fiction Anymore (We'll Almost)

Imagine you are carrying a 2GB USB drive in your pocket. You then go to your living room and stick it in a USB port at the front of your DVD Player. You can then watch a Spiderman movie. After about two hours you plug it out and off you go to see a friend at a mall.

On your way out, you remember to scribble a note to your room mate that you will be back by 9pm. So you take out the USB drive again, pulls out the cover at the other end, which reveals a built-in pen, write something on a yellow note and then stick it to the door of the fridge.

While driving your car, you again stick the very same USB drive at a slot this time at your car stereo and listen to your favorite contemporary Christian music. As you go along you may want to listen to a podcast about basketball that you downloaded from the net earlier.

Once in the mall you wait for your friend at a restaurant. While waiting you see that the restaurant is a Wi-Fi hotspot so this time you take out your PDA and use your USB drive which doubles as a wireless connector and you're on the net in no time. You can now open and respond to emails as you wait for your friend and order. When your friend arrives you talk and maybe exchange a few photos stored in your flash drive via wifi.

Technorati tags: flash drive / usb drive / music / movies / pen

Flash Memory in the Windows Vista Explained

The Implications of Samsung's Hybrid Hard Drive continues to be a buzz in the tech industry since it threatens to replace traditional hard drives. And it seems that the Windows Vista is all set to embrace this technology.

This blog from the PC World Magazine gives the basics on how Flash Memory will be used in Hybrid Hard Drives for the Windows Vista. The post says that Windows Vista uses three elements of software to maximize the power of Hybrid Bard Drives. The three tools are namely SuperFetch, ReadyBoost and ReadyDrive. Based on the explanation, it seems that there is going to be a lot of memory sharing to be done so as to limit hard drive spinning thus making processes faster. Here is a somewhat very skeletal explanation from the post.

SuperFetch - Stores the information you will need like your Word documents.

ReadyBoost - This is like buying extra RAM memory for your PC. It allocates additional memory storage on USB drives and on the flash memory of hybrid hard drives. This helps in providing more memory for SuperFetch.

ReadyDrive - This is the tool that store critical data such as those needed for booting your computers. This makes your computer start up a lot faster.

Source: WinHEC: More on Hybrid Hard Disks

Technorati Tags: Hybrid Hard Drives / Flash Memory / Hard Drives / Samsung / Windows Vista / SuperFetch / ReadyBoost / ReadyDrive

Flash Memory Makes Laptops More Durable

One more implication of the Hybrid Hard Drive is the problem of manufacturers in creating anti-shock protection for the hard disks inside laptops. Unlike desktops, laptops are much more susceptible to sudden physical shocks when they are dropped or bang a corner while being carried around. Since traditional hard drives are constantly spinning, sudden shocks will damage such drives.

Hybrid Hard have less spins because of the flash memory that comes inside which requires no moving parts when storing data.

"While notebook makers have been busy building anti-shock protection into their notebooks to protect spinning disks from the rigours of life on the move, a perfect solution has been waiting for a price point that will completely do away with the need for hard disk drives in notebook computers."

"Samsung says the Solid State Disks (SSD) can withstand about twice the impact that would cripple a regular hard disk drive"

Source: Why Samsung Got Rid Of The Hard Disk

Technorati Tags: Hybrid Hard Drives / Flash Memory / Hard Drives / Samsung

Bang and Olufsen Part 2: Their Vision for Music on Flash Memory Cards

As promised yesterday, we have part two of our feature on Bang and Olufsen and this time Thomas Reil, the company's Head of Communications, answers a some questions.

1. There is a conscious effort to incorporate flash memory convergence in the music experience. What do you think of the role flash memory will play in terms of digital music storage in the future?

Thomas Reil:
At Bang & Olufsen we think flash memory will play an important role in the future. This system makes music very easily accessible and you can also take your favourite songs wherever you go. This is why we have three products, BeoSound 2 (MP3 Player), BeoSound 4 (Stereo) and BeoSound 3 (Portable Clock Radio) that all handle the SD card, and so make the favourite music very easy accessible and portable.

2. I understand that memory card usage in portable music is an ordinary sight today but in home audio systems it isn't yet why is that and why do that in the Beosound 4?

Thomas Reil: In BeoSystem you can easily record a CD to MP3 format onto the SD card without a computer, and then port that to another unit eg the BeoSound 2 or 3.


3. Is there a big market for systems like the Beosound 4? I mean recording from audio system to CD-Rs has not caught up yet so what makes you think that with the SD-Card people will finally go to digital recording using the BeoSound 4?

Thomas Reil: Yes, we believe there is a market for BeoSound 4. The reason why people have not yet changed to record on SD-cards, is because you still need a computer and a card reader. With the BeoSound 4 recording is very easy, and possible directly from your CDs onto the SD card in a very high quality of 192 Kbps.

4. Are you going for multiple flash memory card formats in the future or are you going to stick with the SD-Card since it is the most popular form?

Thomas Reil: Bang & Olufsen is always looking for the most popular form before we start developing products integrating the new systems. This is also the case for SD card. We have chosen this system and to make it accessible throughout our products, we will use the same system in different products. As our products have a long lifespan, the SD card will be our favourite system for a longer time period.

5. Are there any plans of incorporating the Beocenter and BeoVisions with SD-Cards as well in the future so that we can watch home movies edited on the PC with these systems?

Thomas Reil: It is still too early to give any information on this.

Related Article:
Bang and Olufsen Incorporates SD Cards in its Music Systems

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / SD Card / Bang Olufsen / Beosound

Review Round-Up 3

Today we will have links to reviews of products from OCZ, Verbatim and the Iocell's Vaccine Drive. The Vaccine Drive is an interesting concept since it provides a way of safely swapping files between a PC and a USB drive as it scans incoming and outgoing files for viruses.

I thought about this idea in my wish list and it seems to answer that premise. The only thing missing there is the LCD to show which files have viruses but that's no biggie since in this situation, it isn't needed and if they decided to add one, the technology is already present. Iocell makes these products and we hope to have more of them in the next editions of Flash Driven since they do have interesting products.

GCN Lab Review | Virus killer in the palm of your hand
OCZ Ultra-Slim Mini-Kart Flash Drive
Verbatim Store 'n' Go

Technorati tags: flash drive / usb drive / iocell / verbatim / ocz / Vaccine Drive

Bang and Olufsen Incorporates SD Cards in its Music Systems

Bang and Olufsen is a company which has a different take on digital music. Yeah they have the usual products like a portable MP3 player which also accepts memory cards like SD varieties. Our first graphic here provides three music entertainment gadgets that go hand in hand with each other.



First off we have the BeoSound 4. This system is stationary in your house and you use it to listen to radio, cds, etc. Then if you want to record a radio program, you can use the Beosound 4 and you can choose what media to record on, either a CD-R or an SD Card!

On the road, you can then listen to the recording using either of their two portable products. The small disc shaped one of course is an MP3 player that you can tag along with you. You can then stick your SD Card there and listen to the music. The next one with the handle, looking like a rocket, is the BeoSound3 and is portable as well but it has an FM Radio. You also play your CDs and music on your SD Card in there as well!

This graphic from the company's website is a very good representation on how SD-Cards are used in the BeoSound Systems.

Tomorrow we will have more of the Beosound with insights from the people of Bang and Olufsen themselves.

Source: Bang and Olufsen

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / SD Card / Bang Olufsen / Beosound

Flash Memory Starts to Replace Hard Drives in PCs

First it was reported that Samsung will incorporate flash memory in its PCs. Now comes reports that Sony is in the works as well in creating PCs using flash memory as storage.

The advantage of this is that flash memory is generally faster than hard disks and saves much more power, a feature very important on laptops since it saves on battery life. But I think the biggest drawback still is that flash memory is much more expensive per MB than an ordinary hard drive.

Source: Flash memory replaces hard disks in PCs

Technorati tags: USB Drive / Flash Memory / PC / Samsung / Sony / Hard Drives

Lexar and its Secured USB Drive

Lexar is aiming a secured USB drive to be used in with the upcoming Microsoft OS, Windows Vista. The security premise seems simple enough, the USB drive can only be used on authorized computers.

"It will allow for protection against unwanted use of or access to the flash drive, by only displaying the contents when it is put into an authorized computer."

Source: Secure USB Flash Drive In Development

Technorati tags: USB Drive / Lexar / Windows Vista

Flash Memory Invention

If you are curious on who invented flash memory, then this summary from various Wikipedia articles will be of interest.

Flash Memory (NOR and NAND) : Dr. Fujio Masuoka of Toshiba (1984)

Compact Flash: Sandisk (1994)

MMC Card: Siemens AG and SanDisk (1997)

USB Drives: IBM and M-Systems (1998)

Memory Stick: Sony (1998)

SD Cards: Panasonic and Sandisk (1999)

xD-Picture Card: Olympus and Fujifilm (2002)

Source: Wikipedia

Technorati tags: USB Drive / Flash Drive / Memory Card / SD Card / Memory Stick / Compact Flash / xD Picture Card

70% of the Flash Memory Card and Drive Market in India is Fake

Whenever a new technology comes along, the least thing I think about is that it being faked (We'll that's just me of course). In India the flash memory market is doing well because of the increased sale of gadgets in that rapidly improving country. The problem however is that the market is being taken over by pirated groups by dishing out fake drives or reconditioneed devices.

"However, industry sources rue that the market is very unorganised, with fake and reconditioned products that offer no guarantee accounting for over 70%."

“'Memory cards are an emerging and discordant market in India. Organised players are trying hard to compete with the grey market. We are hedged in by the 25% tax component as well,' said Ajay Mehta, CEO, MCC..."

Source: Digital rush has memory cards going

Technorati tags: USB Drive / Flash Drive / Memory Card / India

Flash Drives for Dinner

Flash drives these days come in almost all shapes and sizes and at times they are almost good enough to eat. These kinds of USB drives are really good gifts and can be immediate conversation starters.

You have got to be amazed at how these things comes in all shapes and sizes. It is virtually impossible to do things like these on a CD-ROM or dressing up your zip disks but we have seen it time and time again for USB flash drives.

If you want to see USB drives in other shapes and sizes, Dynamism has other offerings in the link below.


Source: Dynamism

Technorati tags: flash drives / usb drives / sushi / dynamism

Flash Drive Wish List

1. Built-in anti-virus software - We now have software pre-built in USB flash drives and scrollable LCD screens. We can combine these features to add more security to our data. Providing anti-virus software inside will now be usable since thru the LCD screen, the software can now warn us if we are downloading a virus infected file.

2. DVD Player USB Slots (better yet a flash memory player) - Flash Memory drives and cards now come in much larger storage types so it is possible that we can get our movies by that form. Maybe a slot or player to stick these cards so we can watch movies through them will be a good idea.

3. Publish Games on USB Drives - Some USB drives are now built with MP3s like audio cds. Maybe it would be cool to bring in games and also have the games just run on those massive sized USB drives so as not to hog memory space on the computers. This is similar to those CD-ROMs.

Technorati Tags: flash drive / anti virus / dvd player / games / wishlist

Microsoft vs. U3?

Digitimes has a very short article on a possible Microsft partnership with the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) in which Microsoft is a member along with Intel, Apple, HP and NEC. Everythingusb.com also cites this article on its website.

Sources:
Microsoft said to develop U3-like flash disk drive platform
Microsoft Working with USB-IF on U3/Ceedo Killer?

Technorati tags: USB Drive / Microsoft / U3

Toshiba Gains in Market Share

Toshiba was the only big time NAND memory maker to establish any sort of revenue during the first quarter. It was able to get some piece of the market share from Samsung.

Market Share

Samsung
Q4 2005: 50.8%
Q1 2006: 48.7%

Toshiba
Q4 2005:19.2%
Q1 2006:24.6%

Source: Toshiba Gains on Samsung in Flash Memory Chip Sales

Technorati tags: Flash Drives / Flash Memory Market / Samsung / Toshiba

A Flash Drive and a Reader at the Same Time!

PNY Technologies has an interesting flash memory product. It looks like an ordinary usb drive with the usual storage capacities of 128mb, 256mb and 512mb. But unlike others, it can also double up as a card reader! You just insert a memory card like SD in its back and it turns into a card reader. Pretty neat!

Source: PNY

Technorati tags: Flash Drives / USB Drives / Flash Memory / Card Reader

SWOT Analysis for Workplace Usage of Flash Memory Devices

IT Business Edge came up with an interesting SWOT Analysis of flash memory usage in the workplace. If you're company is considering wide usage of flash drives instead of floppies or cd-r discs, then you might find interesting insights in this article.

SWOT Analysis Settles USB Flash Drive Debate

Technorati tags: Flash Drives / USB Drives / Flash Memory

Storing Passwords in USB Drives

You sign up for all kinds of services on the web. You also have passwords for different software. Now you can use flash drives to remember them all by storing them in encrypted form. Here is a link to a tutorial on how to do it.

How to store passwords on a Flash Drive

Technorati tags: Flash Drives / USB Drives / Passwords

Making Changes at Flash Driven

I am providing another way of looking at the archives here at Flash Driven and this time arranging them by topics. Due to the limitations of Blogger, I have to create categories manually and collect links to my past posts using different individual posts. The category pages I made are found below.

In case you missed some articles in the past and are having a hard time navigating the archives, now is good time to do so. I will not archive everything I post though, only those that can fit in these categories. You can also find these categories at the sidebar where the usual archives are located.

I hope this will be of benefit to present and future Flash Driven users.

Technorati tags: Flash Driven / Flash Memory

Fun With Flash Memory

Flash memory isn't just all about technology. It can be fun too and the posts here will show you how this gadget has been used in a creative way by imaginative people.

You will be amazed at how flash drives can come come in all shapes and sizes. It seems that the CD-ROMs and Zip Disks were not quite an inspiring undertaking for creative people.

Play Baseball With Your Flash Drive

World Cup Fever on USB Drives

A Kitty Says Hello on your SD Card

Wear Your Flash Drive!

Flash Drives for Dinner

Cute Flash Drives

The USB Flash Drive That Expands

Have Fun with Mimobot USB Drives

A USB Flash Drive Perfect for Your Wallet

Technorati tags: Flash Driven / Flash Memory

Tech News

Flash Driven aims to cover the ever changing technology of NAND flash memory. Review our past articles to get a good understanding on the developments in this storage medium.

More U3 Reviews

Sony Jumps the Gun on Flash Memory

An Assessment of Windows Vista and the Hybrid-Hard Drive

Panasonic's Own SD Card Reader

Should You Format or Just Simply Delete?

More Memory for Mobile Phones

Why are Flash Drive Storage Less Than Advertised

Nintendo Wii Will Offer Own SD Card

How To Hack A U3 Smart Drive

Flash Memory + Windows Vista = Nightmare?

Panasonic's SD Cards for Video

How Long Will That Flash Drive Last?

A USB Drive Built for Web Surfing Security

Apple Goes Flash Memory Shopping Spree

Micron Enters Flash Memory Battle Ground

Flash Drives in the Medical Industry

Toshiba Will Release its Own Hybrid Hard Drive

E-Ink's Paper-Thin Display on Flash Drives

Compact Flash Cards Test

How Do You Test Flash Memory Cards?

The Pitfalls of Flash Memory

The Future of Flash Memory on Mobile Phones

It's Not Science Fiction Anymore (We'll Almost)

Flash Memory in the Windows Vista Explained

Flash Memory Makes Laptops More Durable

Bang and Olufsen Part 2: Their Vision for Music on Flash Memory Cards

Bang and Olufsen Incorporates SD Cards in its Music Systems

Flash Memory Starts to Replace Hard Drives in PCs

Lexar and its Secured USB Drive

Flash Drive Wish List

A Flash Drive and a Reader at the Same Time!

Is the Sandisk RapidGX Memory Stick Duo the Fastest Memory Card?

More on the U3 Smart Drive

x4 4-Bit Technology Boosts Flash Memory Cards!

The Samsung Flash Memory-Hard Drive Hybrid Saves Battery Life

Sony Makes More Flash Memory Based Products

The $100 Laptop

Flash Memory on Nanoscale Size

Sony Uses Flash Memory in Latest MP3 Player

U3 and Your Flash Drive

A USB Drive that Slashes Mobile Phone Charges

The Buzz on Eye-Fi

Rip Directly to SD Cards or USB Drives

Don’t worry about this USB Drive

Now You Can See What’s Inside!

SD Cards invade the Broadcasting Industry

The USB Drive Storage Space Title Belt - April 27, 2006

Technorati tags: Flash Driven / Flash Memory / News

How-Tos

Want to get more out of your USB drives or flash memory cards? You might find these articles helpful.




USB 1.1 or USB 2.0?

Storing Passwords in USB Drives

Autorun for USB Drives

Taking Care of Your USB Drives

How to Fix Your Memory Cards

Technorati tags: Flash Driven / Flash Memory / Tutorials

Security Issues

Just like in other forms of computer technology, USB drives and flash memory card security is a concern. Read on to know how users and makers of these gadgets cope to make their data more secure.



Flash Memory Encryption Methods

Bulletproof Flash Drive

India's Classified Navy Information Available on Flash Drives

In The Pockets of a Terrorist

The Case of the Missing Flash Drive

Tracking A Lost Flash Drive

When USB Drives are Laying Around

Would You Use a USB Drive to Back-Up Data?

Is the Kingston DTE Privacy Edition The Most Secured Flash Drive?

Sandisk and Philips Take Flash Memory Security to Mobile Phones

More on Flash Drive Security

Biometric USB Drives

UK Companies Concern About Flash Drives

Military Secrets in Memory Cards Still On Sale!

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / USB Drives / Security

Review Round-ups

Want to read reviews of flash memory drives from people who actually used them? These links will be of assistance to you as we surf the web to find the best reviews.

U3 Smart Drive Showdown - June 02, 2006

May 19, 2006
May 07, 2006

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / Reviews

Market Insights Digests

On the business side, the flash memory industry is a fascinating subject to cover. As more and more people adopt them into their daily lives, we see how leaders and innovators cope with market forces related to their industry.

Micron Takes Lexar

Blame MP3 Players for the Flash Memory Shortage

In the Pockets of A Terrorist

Fujio Masuoka -The Inventor of Flash Memory

Cautious Trend in Flash Memory Movement Towards the PC

ReadyBoosting Your Windows Vista with a USB Drive

Post #100: Driven to Start and Beyond

USB Publishing

128MB Flash Memory Capacity by September?

Flash Memory Market Starting to Recover

Will Flash Memory Cards Go Obsolete?

Memory Cards Taking Over: CANON May Stop Film Camera Production

Which Company Will Benefit Most from a Hybrid Hard Drive?

Flash Memory Invention

70% of the Flash Memory Card and Drive Market in India is Fake

Toshiba Gains in Market Share

SWOT Analysis for Workplace Usage of Flash Memory Devices

A Bunch of Flash Memory Market Forecasts

39% of NAND Memory Chips Shipped Were Over 1GB in Density

Samsung Sees Flash Memory Shortage

Toshiba Will Build More Flash Memory Plants

Potential Market for NAND Adoption in Hard Drives

NOR Flash Memory Makers Now Moving to NAND

Storage Types Really Matter

The Flash Memory Inventory Glut!

Industry Snapshot: The NAND Flash Memory Market

They’re like… family!

USB Flash Drives Market Growth

Flash Memory... Changing Our Lifestyle

Technorati tags: Flash Driven / Flash Memory / Flash Memory Market Forecast

A Bunch of Flash Memory Market Forecasts

- Flash Memory will be present in 30% of laptops around the world in 2008.
- In 2007 130 million units of USB Flash Drives will be sold.
- By 2008 Flash memory Cards will be a $27 billion market.
- Flash Memory Market for Mobile Phones in 2010 will be $7.6 billion.
- Over-all Flash Memory Market for 2010 will reach $33.4 billion.

Sources:

Samsung Elec raises flash chip prices, shares climb
Semico: flash card market to top $27 billion in '08
USB Flash Drive Market
NAND flash prices drop

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / Flash Memory Market Forecast

39% of NAND Memory Chips Shipped Were Over 1GB in Density

The Purchasing.com article entitled NAND flash prices drop, references a data from IC Insights saying that flash memory in densities of 1GB and above was the preferred purchase in 2005 for the manufacturers market of mp3 players, digital cameras, etc. with 39% of the market volume. Coming in at a far second was 256mb with only 17% of the market.

It would be good to know the figures for the consumer market.

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / NAND Memory

Review Round-Up 2

As we get towards the weekend, here is another serving of review round-ups around the web, profiling different flash memory products.

Lexar JumpDrive Secure II 1GB

Corsair Flash Voyager

Kanguru Flash Drive Max 64GB

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / Lexar Jump Drive / Corsair Flash Voyager / Kanguru Flash Drive

Is the Sandisk RapidGX Memory Stick Duo the Fastest Memory Card?

Questions.... questions... questions. Our two posts today will be about questions regarding the most secured and the fastest flash memory in the market today.

The eHomeUpgrade website has an article on the Sandisk RapidGX and is considered the fastest memory stick on the market and also the fastest flash memory gaming card. You can read the article at the link below.

SanDisk Intros RapidGX, World's Fastest Memory Stick Pro Duo Gaming Card for PSP

But is it the fastest memory card in the market today?

One of my very first posts here at Flash Driven is about read and write speeds of different memory cards. You can see this test by clicking here.

The winner there was the Transcend SD 150x 4GB with 18.44mb/sec read speed and with a write speed of 11.97. The Sandisk RapidGX comes in only at 15mb/sec read and write. The Transcend SD card is still the fastest but the RapidGX is within the top 5 so not bad.

Technorati Tags: Flash Memory /Sandisk / RapidGX / Transcend / SD Card

Is the Kingston DTE Privacy Edition The Most Secured Flash Drive?

In this interview with Mark Leathem, Kingston's director of digital media business development, the company's new DTE Privacy Edition USB drive might be the most secured yet since the security is is on the hardware level.

"Kingston DTEP drive is the first USB drive that is 100 percent private. What this means is that all data saved to the device is automatically encrypted on the fly, with no additional IT or user intervention. The drive features 128-bit AES hardware encryption. The benefit of hardware based encryption is two-fold. First off, it ensures that the encrypting does not take place in what is essentially the public domain (using the CPU and RAM ) making it open to software ( Malware, Trojans ) looking for traces of the activity; further, on the hardware side, the RAM itself is a potential weak link. Secondly, it doesn’t require a user to download any special software for de encryption."

Source: Kingston Technology's Mark Leathem on USB drive security

Technorati Tags: USB Drive / Kingston / DTE Privacy Edition

More on the U3 Smart Drive

As promised we will have more on the U3 Smart Drive here at Flash Driven. I recently did an email interview for U3 and Esther Kruijver, U3 VP of Platform, answered my questions. I would also like to thank James Cortese and Tricia Arana of AR Partners for all their help.

1. In very simple terms what is U3 and what can it do for non-techies?

U3 has created a platform that transforms USB flash drives from simple storage devices into USB smart drives. A U3 smart drive hosts a "personal digital universe" -- not only a person's data and files, but software programs, personal preferences and the means for managing them -- all in a highly secure environment. Now consumers can work from any PC as if it were their own. When the smart drive is removed, the PC remains unaltered.

2. Is U3 only for Windows Systems? If yes when are you going to have U3 for Linux?

For now U3 is only compatible with Windows. But Mac and Linux support are coming in the future.

3. What is the vision of U3?

U3 unites USB drive manufacturers and software developers behind a single, best-of-breed platform for U3 smart computing. The U3 platform and accompanying development tools make it easier for partners to develop new U3 smart products. In fostering a growing community of hardware vendors and compatible U3 smart software, U3 ensures that consumers can choose from an ever-growing array of U3 smart devices and software applications.

4. What can we expect from U3 in the months or years to come?

U3 will continue to expand the functionality of the platform and ensure that our end-users have a great experience with the product.

5. I have viewed the U3 community forums, based on the concerns there such as software stability especially on the Launchpad. How are you addressing these things?

U3 continues to look for feedback from its customers and has an ongoing process in place for including enhancements in the platform driven by customer feedback.

U3 monitors the issues raised in the online community and is constantly working to improve the platform. Once problems are identified, U3 works with its hardware and software partners to resolve them. The result is improved performance and smoother hardware and software integration.

6. Since U3 is making your files and system truly portable, meaning you can carry it around, why didn'’t you make it interoperable to Windows and Linux?

Our first priority was to launch U3 addressing the needs of the broadest set of customers. We have plans to address additional operating systems and development environments, including Linux and the use of Java. We will announce more details in the future.

Visit: U3 Website

Technorati Tags: U3 Smart Drive / Flash Drive / USB Drive

x4 4-Bit Technology Boosts Flash Memory Cards!

An Israel-based company called M-Systems developed a technology that shrinks flash memory cards, quadruple their strorage capacity and if that is not enough... they will be cheaper to make! Their x4 technology is at the heart of this new flash memory cards and is set to be on the market by 2007.

"Think of a (flash) wafer like a coin,' explained M-Systems Director of Investor Relations Elana Holzman. With SLC NAND, you can put x number of cells on the coin. With MLC, or 2-bit NAND, you can put twice as much information on a coin of the same size, and with the new x4, 4-bit technology, the same coin holds four times as much information, Holzman told United Press International."

"This translates into a 30-percent cost reduction in producing a 1 gigabyte wafer (as compared to an MLC wafer), she said, and the wafer itself will be smaller."

Source: Flash memory gets boost from x4 technology

Technorati Tags: Flash Memory / Flash Memory Cards / x4 / M-Systems

The Samsung Flash Memory-Hard Drive Hybrid Saves Battery Life

It is becoming clear that the Hybird Hard Drive is the future of PC storage. Numerous benefits of this technology includes the following:

- Saves battery life since the drive won't need to spin all the time.
- It will boot-up faster.
- Less prone to break downs.

What is interesting is how this will work and the article cited here explains it in an easy to understand manner.

"A hybrid hard drive is a hard drive that contains a flash memory chip that stores data and applications. Because the processor can retrieve data from flash, the drive — which spins constantly in an ordinary computer — can stay asleep most of the time."

"The flash chips will perform a couple of different functions. When consumers write a word document, the data will go straight to flash. When the flash chips are almost full, the drive will wake up and take the data. Some PC makers will also likely embed media or music players along with other commonly used applications to ensure rapid boot time."

Source: Samsung hybrid hard drive extends laptop battery life.

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / Hard Drive / Hybrid Hard Drive / Samsung

Sony Makes More Flash Memory Based Products

First Sony will use flash memory on its new MP3 player, this time it will also adopt it to its upcoming Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs). Sony will try to challenge Samsung by coming up with their own small sized PC or UMPC. Instead of a hard drive though, they will primarily use flash memory for storage. Samsung maybe the flash memory leader but Sony may just beat them to it when it unveils its own UMPC.

Source: Sony Unveils Paperback-Sized PC, Challenging Samsung

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / UMPC / Sony

The $100 Laptop

Have you heard of the $100 Laptop?

The $100 laptop is a project by the non-profit organization One Laptop Per Child in cooperation with MIT Labs to enable every child to carry a laptop. The laptop will not be sold in the market but will be distributed directly to schools with the help of the government. This will be of great benefit to children in poor countries.

The reason why they can make such a laptop so cheap is that they won’t provide a hard drive. Instead they will use 500 MB flash memory and 4 USB ports. So any flash memory card (using card readers) or USB drives can be employed for additional memory. Linux software will also be used to drive down the cost even further.

For the first time we can see the benefits of using flash memory for a very good cause. Enabling everyone to have access to information will give a good boost to the education of kids whatever social or economic status they belong.

I am really glad for organizations like 'One Laptop Per Child' because they not only help the poor but they have the vision that will uplift their lives in generations to come. The Bible talks about helping the poor and this organization has indeed heeded this message.

"There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors." (Deuteronomy 15:11 -–The Message Bible)


Technorati tags: Flash Memory / Flash Memory Card / Card Readers / USB Drives / USB Ports / One Laptop Per Child / Bible

Flash Memory on Nanoscale Size

If you think Flash Memory cards and drives can't get anymore smaller then think again.

"Motorola spinoff Freescale Semiconductor of Austin, TX, is using nanoscale materials to develop a new generation of flash memory that will be half the size of conventional flash devices and could cost much less."

Source: Small, Cheaper Flash Memory

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / Flash Memory Cards / Nanoscale / Motorola

Autorun for USB Drives

Last week we talked about U3 and how helpful their U3 Smart Drives were. The U3 Smart Drive start automatically once you insert it in your PC plus you can synch your files as well.

If you still haven't gotten a U3 smart drive or even if you do and you need to mimic the autorun functionality with your pure storage usb drive, then this tutorial on how to do it will be useful to you.

Enabling autorun for a USB flash drive

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / U3 Smart Drive / Synch / Synching

Samsung Sees Flash Memory Shortage

We have to post some more flash memory industry news as a bunch of them were covered on the web. We will start with Samsung.

Eventhough Samsung has raised prices, it seems they are convinced that flash memory price tags in general will continue to decline and will result in a shortage by the second half of the year.

Source: Samsung Upbeat But Memory Shortage Looming

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / Flash Memory Prices / Samsung

Toshiba Will Build More Flash Memory Plants

Amidst the growing demand for flash memory products, Toshiba aggressively moves into the market by building two new plants in Japan. This news was acquired from the company's 2006-2008 fiscal business plan. A total of $19 billion is set aside for this investment.

Sources:
Toshiba to invest 2 tril. yen, expand flash memory output

Toshiba plans $9bn Flash memory investment

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / Flash Memory Plants / Toshiba

Sony Uses Flash Memory in Latest MP3 Player

Sony opted to use flash memory in its new MP3 player and its huge... 8GB. With its big storage space, the gadget is being touted as an Ipod rival. But the biggest draw for me about this MP3 player is the 20 hour battery that comes along with it.

Source: Sony NW-A1200 MP3 player has 8 gigabytes

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / Flash Memory Chips / MP3 Player / Sony

Now Samsung Raises Prices

It just pays when you have more than 50% of the market cornered.

After all the complaints of various flash memory product makers and distributors, Samsung has finally raised the prices of flash memory chips. The reason for this is that there seems to be a recovery in demand after Christmas blues has been seemingly on the decline and buyers are ready to purchase again.

"The NAND memory chip prices tumbled early this year because of oversupply and cooling demand for digital gadgets after the year-end holidays."

"Chu said demand was driven by flash memory cards and expected manufacturers of consumer electronics devices to introduce higher-density NAND flash chips in their products throughout the year."

Source:
Samsung Elec raises flash chip prices, shares climb

Technorati tags: Flash Memory / Flash Memory Chips / NAND / Samsung

U3 Smart Drive Article Correction

Our friends from U3 sent us an email and provides some correction to the terminologies used in my post yesterday.

U3 and its partners call the drive as a "U3 Smart Drive" and not just a "USB flash drive". The reason for this is to avoid confusion in the market and provide the difference between an ordinary USB drive and U3 powered USB drive.

Thanks again for the correction.

Technorati tags: USB / USB Drive / USB Flash Drive / Flash Drive / U3 Drive / U3 USB Drive / U3 Flash Drive / U3 Smart Drive

U3 and Your Flash Drive

U3 is a company established by Sandisk and mSystems. U3 provides usb drives with software inside like Firefox and Migo. The best thing about this is that your software settings and files are synched whenever you use the drive. You can then carry your drive along with your files, IE favorites and other settings. It's like carrying your computer with you at least the basic things like files and bookmarked web pages.

I recently tested the USB Flash Drives shown here specifically the 1GB version of the Memorex U3 Drive. First of all, I am not a techie so I will not pretend I know the detailed technical workings here. I just love covering this technology since it is very useful for lots of people like me. I think my point of view however, will be important since users like me will comprise a bigger share of the market for U3.

The U3 somehow treats itself as a CD-ROM and a USB drive at the same time. It launches a USB icon at the systems bar and also says that the PC recognizes a CD-ROM. When one uses the Memorex U3 drive for the first time, you will get to see an animated presentation of how the U3 generally works. A woman character talks about the U3 and the software you will mostly spend time on with which is the Launchpad.

I just told you that I am not a techie but I fairly know computers and navigating through software is generally easy for me. But if I did not listen to the presentation in its entirety, I might have miss a very important thing in interacting with the U3 Launchpad.

After you finished with the U3, unlike an ordinary USB drive, you must first click at the "EJECT" button located at the lower right corner of the Launchpad. This is to turn off the launchpad and avoid corrupting the software. I think that if I did not listen to tutorial, I might have yanked the drive once I'm done.

Next I tried downloading an application from the net and I chose the Maxthon browser. It was fairly easy and straight forward. See the graphic below.


Great things about the U3:

- Synching files with the Migo Software is really easy and can be done in a snap.
- Ability to bring important files anywhere without a laptop.
- Plugging it into another PC is also easy along with the other software and files that you put into it.

Needs Improvement
- The drive can be fairly slow when ran for the first time but its up to speed on successive runs.
- The tutorial always starts-up when you plug the drive. You need to disable autorun manually.
- The file I downloaded was also on autorun mode so I have to disable it as well.
- Migo can only synch IE favorites and not yet Firefox. I tried including the Firefox bookmark in the synching tasks but still nothing appears on my Firefox for the U3 drive. In case you know how please tell me.

Visit: Official U3 Website

Technorati tags: USB / USB Drive / USB FlashDrive / Flash Drive / U3 Drive / U3 USB Drive / U3 Flash Drive /Memorex Drive /U3 Memorex Drive

Ridiculously Priced 2

PRIVACY DRIVE 1GB USB Flash Drive - $4.95 After Rebates (Buy.com)
PNY 1GB Attache USB Flash Drive - $4.98 After Rebate (Staples)
Patriot 1GB SD Card 133X - $8.99 After Rebate (Outpost.com)


Note: Flash Driven is not responsible for the accuracy and reliability of the deals including prices, availability, terms and other specifications.

Technorati tags: USB / USB Flash Drive / Flash Drive / SD Card

It's Official the New Nintendo is a Wii and Embraces Flash Memory

Last week people were surprised and found it funny that Nintendo has officialy named its next generation console as the Wii. But there were no surprises this time as to what media storage Nintendo will embrace... flash memory. The specs on its hardware technology says it all.

"Wii boasts 512 megabytes of internal flash memory, two USB 2.0 ports and built-in Wi-Fi capability. A bay for an SD memory card will let players expand the internal flash memory. Design was optimized with state-of-the-art processing technologies that minimize power consumption, keep the console compact and enable the 'sleepless' WiiConnect24 mode."

Source: Nintendo Wii Website

Technorati tags: flash memory / USB Ports / USB / Nintendo Wii

Sandisk and Philips Take Flash Memory Security to Mobile Phones

As security concerns plagued the flash memory industry in the past few months maybe it would be nice to look at what manufacturers are doing to curb the problem. One way is with partnering with each other to provide technology that will complement each other's systems.

Sandisk and Philips has a technology called TrustedFlashCards embedded in mobile phones so that they can make secured transactions using the gadget.

"NFC is an easy-to-use, short-range wireless technology that will allow consumers to use their phones as bus or train tickets and perform secure 'contactlessÂ' payments and other contactless transactions by simply waving their phones near a contactless reader in a mass transit turnstile, checkout counters or drive-thru windows."

Source: SanDisk & Philips to Enable Mobile Payment Security

Technorati tags: flash memory / flash cards / Sandisk / Philips

Fun with Flash Memory Part 3: Cute Flash Drives

In the past few weeks you have heard about Freshly Squeezed Flash, the makers of those cute usb drives. I bet you can't get over the rubber duckey graphic we have here!

The maker of these drives, Rachel, kindly wrote back to answer some questions about her buzzing business. Here is the interview.


1. Why did you start a business like Freshly Squeezed Flash?
I made a few modified USB flash drives for friends and people kept saying I should sell them. I never really thought I could make money off of it, but then I decided to just launch a site, geared more toward the tutorials. I decided to make the site more as an opportunity to get better at doing web stuff and then since I wanted to sell the drives, I learned about e-commerce. It turned out that a lot of people were interested in buying my drives!

2. How do you get materials for the rubber duckies?
I get almost all of my materials (excluding flash drives) from the 99 cents only stores here in Los Angeles. I am addicted to the 99 cents store! They have the coolest stuff! I got my hot glue gun there, and all kinds of other cool stuff. It was there that I found the rubber duckies, crocodiles, whales, frogs, and octopuses, and they were the inspiration for starting the business.

3. What will you do if you ran out of these types of duckies or crocodiles?
I worried about that so I ran around to all of the various 99 cents stores and stocked up on all of them that I can find! I have a big plastic tub filled with rubber animals!

4. Who is the market for these kinds of drives?
Well, I feel like I can market to a lot of different people with these drives. I think that the cutesy ones are more for girls, especially the hello kitty drives and stuff. I am hoping to tap into the Japanese market (but I don't know Japanese!). I think that the hot wheels cars are pretty cool and my husband likes them a lot. They are not as geeky and can be a fun addition to a keychain. I think that everybody can find a USB flash drive a handy addition to their keychain.



5. How much time do you devote into making these things? (per drive)
I try to price my drives based on the amount of time it takes to make them. So the hot wheels flash drive, for example, costs more because it takes a bit longer to make with the dremeling out and stuff.

6. What is the reaction of people when they see this stuff for the first time?
So many people think they are the coolest thing when they see them. It inspires creativity in a lot of people and they get ideas for ones they want to make themselves. Sometimes they place a custom order with me, and sometimes they go to my tutorials and get ideas for doing it themselves.

7. Where do you usually sell these stuff? Do you also sell some at Ebay as well?
I tried selling two drives on ebay once, but it was hard because people were bidding and I didn't know exactly how much I would get for one. It's much easier to treat it like a real business with set prices (that way I can track expenses, etc.)

8. Are there anymore products or variations of these drives in the future?
I am CONSTANTLY getting ideas for flash drives! I have several things that are in a box to try and fiddle around with when I have time. I want to try putting a drive into a gold ball, into dominoes, into poker chips. I also got some little electronic game keychains and I want to see if I can fit a drive into one of those. I love the creativity of seeing what I could make that would make someone happy.

She also provides a tutorial at her website on how to make these drives. Now that's what I call sharing!

Visit her site at: Freshly Squeezed Flash

Technorati tags: flash memory / usb drives / usb memory

Will Kodak and Sandisk Make Sense?

CNN.com had an interesting article a week ago on why Sandisk and Kodak might be good partners.

According tot he network, the deal makes sense since Kodak is still having trouble adjusting in the digital world while Sandisk is looking to expand its flash memory offerings.

"By buying Kodak -- a larger company in terms of revenues, but one whose $8 billion market capitalization is a third smaller than SanDisk's $12 billion -- SanDisk could market digital cameras, photo printers, and other devices that ultimately drive demand for its memory chips. Rather than depending on digital-camera makers to create a market for it, SanDisk could make its own market."

"SanDisk already sells flash memory to cell-phone makers, where Kodak is hoping to market its digital-imaging technology for cameraphones. A merged company could offer cell-phone makers a package deal."

Source: Why a SanDisk-Kodak deal could click

Technorati tags: flash memory / mp3 players / sandisk / kodak / digital cameras

Samsung: We Will Win the Flash Memory War!

Samsung says that a big market consolidation is in the offing which will come as a surprise and will eventually leave the market with only 5 competitors. Samsung also added that among the five, they will come out as the victors.

Samsung plans to accomplish this victory by going to other markets that flash memory hasn't gone to yet. An interesting tidbit was added as well.

"To win the uphill battle, Hwang said Samsung is seeking ways to expand the use of flash chips, and a major sales contract with a global electronics maker will be the result of such efforts this year." ``We have been talking with several companies about it. Though I cannot reveal what exactly the new gadget will be, it won’t be an MP3 player. Instead, we are going `MP3-beyond’,’ he said."

A new gadget? MP3 Beyond?

Source: ‘Flash Industry Faces Shakeup’

Technorati tags: flash memory / mp3 players / samsung / flash drive

Sandisk vs the iPod (And Why No One Should Laugh)

Where others see obstacles, others see opportunities.... Sandisk feels the time to move is now.

Almost every mp3 player maker has fallen by the wayside or fell to playing second fiddle because of the iPod. Companies like Creative found that the waters are very rough against Apple. Now it is Sandisk's turn but unlike the others, Sandisk has a weapon they don't have... the flash drives themselves. You see Sandisk makes it own drives and are not dependent on other manufacturers according to Business World. They have their manufacturing partnership with Toshiba comprising about (70% of supply) in making these chips plus backup supplies from Samsung in case the market demand goes steeper than expected.

Sandisk thinks of long-term gains in joining the mp3 player industry.

"For Harari, this attack on the MP3 market isn't about short-term market-share gains. Harari takes a longer view. Ultimately, he says, the many gadgets populating pockets and purses for e-mail and music all will migrate to one universal device that does it all -- and that device will be a wireless phone. When that happens, SanDisk will be ready with its own flash-memory offerings targeting that market."

Sandisk will have its work cut out for them in this challenge but the logic to move in this segment is there and the possiblity of eating a piece of the mp3 player market pie presents itself.

Source: Will SanDisk Sour Apple's Tune?
Technorati tags: flash memory / mp3 players / sandisk / apple

Potential Market for NAND Adoption in Hard Drives

If NAND were accepted into Hard Drive hybrids or completely used as PC storage, analysts predict that the market could go as high as $600 million additonal revenues for this market segment.

"Handy estimates that NAND-based HDD cache adoption could add roughly $600 million to a NAND market that he predicts will hit $26 billion in 2007."

Source: NAND flash moves into new markets

Technorati tags: NAND / NAND Market / flash memory

Flash Memory Review Round-Up

Here is a round-up of flash memory reviews for the past few weeks.

Belkin 7-port USB Hub

Kingston U3 DataTraveler

Technorati tags: usb / usb hub / usb drive / card reader / u3 / data traveler

Ridiculously Priced Flash Memory

Ultra Secure Digital Card 512MB - $4.97 After Rebate (TigerDirect)

512 MB Ultra 40x Secure Digital Card - $4.75 After Rebate (Monarch Computer)

U.S. Modular 512MB USB - $9.95 After Rebates (Buy.com)

RITEK 66X PRO 512MB SD Card - $9.99 No Rebates (Newegg)

iRocks 12-in-1 Card Reader USB 2.0 - $0.00 After Rebate (eCost.com)

Note: Flash Driven is not responsible for the accuracy and reliability of the deals including prices, availability, terms and other specifications.


Technorati tags: flash memory / sd cards / secure digital card / usb / usb drive / card reader