SanDisk Introduces 4GB Embedded Flash Memory

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.sandisk.com/pressrelease/20050927f.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.sandisk.com/pressrelease/20050927f.htm</a><br /><br /></div><i>"SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced SanDisk iNAND, a small, easily integrated high-speed NAND flash storage device that is available in capacities and price points that make it an attractive alternative to micro hard drives. Embedded flash memory is a popular storage solution for consumer electronics products such as MP3 players, GPS devices, personal media players and mobile phones. The announcement was made at the CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment 2005 trade show in San Francisco, where SanDisk is exhibiting products in booth #944."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20050929-iNAND.jpg" /><br /><br />Smaller, lighter, faster, more durable, lower power consumption - these are just a few reasons why SanDisk's iNAND might be better than that ol' spinning drive. 1GB and 2GB versions will be made available over the next two months, with the 4GB version expected in March next year. It is technologies like this that could give way to a new breed of Pocket PCs.

[beq]

I wonder what this means:

"SanDisk iNAND also offers increased design flexibility since it is designed to work seamlessly in conjunction with a removable card slot."


As an aside, I'm wondering about the potential of SanDisk's TrustedFlash and how exactly it works (in conjunction with FairPlay/Janus DRMs, for example). Will it work in existing card readers/slots, or require new ones?

Link: http://beta.news.com.com/SanDisk+stakes+its+future+on+TrustedFlash/2100-1041_3-5884288.html

By the way is Gruvi supposed to be yet another flash card formfactor? :roll:


P.S. I'm also interested in the U3 development for USB memory keys. Is it technically possible to make an SD/miniSD/microSD portable USB reader that adds U3, and also supports TrustedFlash cards?

Heck, is it possible for that software app that adds USB mass storage compatibility for Pocket PCs (I can't recall the name) to also add U3 capability??

Link: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1861681,00.asp

[Darius Wey]

I wonder what this means:

"SanDisk iNAND also offers increased design flexibility since it is designed to work seamlessly in conjunction with a removable card slot."

Meaning iNAND has been designed to co-exist with storage card slots like CF and SD, thus improving the storage capacity of the device even further.

As an aside, I'm wondering about the potential of SanDisk's TrustedFlash and how exactly it works (in conjunction with FairPlay/Janus DRMs, for example). Will it work in existing card readers/slots, or require new ones?

Link: http://beta.news.com.com/SanDisk+stakes+its+future+on+TrustedFlash/2100-1041_3-5884288.html

I've actually got a front-page post on TrustedFlash queued to appear later in the day, so a lot of the details are explained in that post. Anyway, it's an interesting concept and one that shows a lot of potential, but I question just how many users are willing to adopt a new medium for their media and how willing they are to swap cards everytime they want to listen to their favourite song/album.

By the way is Gruvi supposed to be yet another flash card formfactor? :roll:

Sort of - but as far as I'm aware, it's still compatible with standard SD slots.

P.S. I'm also interested in the U3 development for USB memory keys. Is it technically possible to make an SD/miniSD/microSD portable USB reader that adds U3, and also supports TrustedFlash cards?

I don't see why not. We already have USB drives which sport an integrated SD slot, so bringing that and U3 together is only a matter of time.

Heck, is it possible for that software app that adds USB mass storage compatibility for Pocket PCs (I can't recall the name) to also add U3 capability??

Card Export II? Well, that's a little more complicated than a USB drive, but given the right interface commands, it could work.

[ricksfiona]

Ooh, I'm so into mega-memory capacities for my iPAQ! 4GB cards will come in handy for my flight from SF to Eastern Europe next year! I can have all the trilogies, MP3 and data with a couple of cards! Woohoo! I hope the prices will dip under $200 by then.

Any news on SD cards with more than 4GB capacity in the pipeline in the near future?

[Dyvim]

Warning: off-topic!

but I question just how many users are willing to adopt a new medium for their media and how willing they are to swap cards everytime they want to listen to their favourite song/album.

No kidding. Seems like 1 album per card is a huge step backwards. With the mp3 encoding scheme I typically use, I get about 4 albums on a 256 MB card and more than 32 albums on my 2 GB SD card. And I'm supposed to get excited about buying the new Rolling Stones album on gruvi for $40? How about I buy it on CD for $15-20, rip it in about 2 minutes and then use it how I want? Sorry - end of rant.

[Darius Wey]

No kidding. Seems like 1 album per card is a huge step backwards. With the mp3 encoding scheme I typically use, I get about 4 albums on a 256 MB card and more than 32 albums on my 2 GB SD card. And I'm supposed to get excited about buying the new Rolling Stones album on gruvi for $40? How about I buy it on CD for $15-20, rip it in about 2 minutes and then use it how I want? Sorry - end of rant.

My understanding is that publishers will be able to store more than one album per card, but restrict users to access certain albums by way of an unlock code. I'm not sure how feasible a solution this is and whether it's open to crack jobs (most likely), but I can certainly see where you're coming from with your rant. Users want the freedom of choice to play their content whenever, wherever, and being bound to a device or a card is not really a way to solve that. From an industry's perspective, I can certainly see the need to implement DRM and whatnot to combat piracy, but as you can see, you can't get the best of both worlds - so at the end of the day, it's either the customer that will be satisfied, or the industry that will be satisfied, not both.

[Cybrid]

......so at the end of the day, it's either the customer that will be satisfied, or the industry that will be satisfied, not both.Errr....My understanding is is it's almost always the customer. Simply because we can choose NOT to buy it.

[Darius Wey]

......so at the end of the day, it's either the customer that will be satisfied, or the industry that will be satisfied, not both.Errr....My understanding is is it's almost always the customer. Simply because we can choose NOT to buy it.

Yeah, it usually works out that way, after countless "trial and error" phases with the industry realising that, "Uh-oh, maybe we did the wrong thing. Time for Phase 2."