Magnetic Memory in PDA's Future?

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1986857,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,189...,1986857,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div><i>"The memory-chip industry moved one step further from its dependence on power with Freescale Semiconductor's new memory chip, released on Monday. The MR2A16A is the first Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM) device to hit the market. Magnetic power seeks to solve the problem of losing data once the power is turned off in devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones, and printers. The chip relies on a technology called magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). Prior to this product, memory chips relied on electric charge or current flows. Flash memory, which is electric, can keep data after power goes out but MRAM is faster and it will last longer than a flash chip."</i><br /><br />Faster and longer-lasting than flash is how PC Magazine describes MRAM, so do you think it will be integrated into our devices anytime soon? Aside from having to buy new memory cards (Or perhaps having it built in), any cons forseeable?

[Eriq Cook]

5-7 years (7 years bet). It sounds great but I can't see a new memory technology like that being used by manufacturers anytime soon

[egads]

The MRAM would not make good memory card memory because unlike NAND flash it has an address and data bus. MRAM would be great for on device storage that you needed to randomly access quickly. They also at this time are only 256Kx16, not anywehere near where NAND flash density is.

I hope MRAM gets enough design wins for freescale to keep developing newer bigger parts!!!

[Jason Lee]

hmmm magnetic memory.. what about all my pocket pc cases that close with very powerful magnets?
When I had a kjam the case would acrually grab ahold of file cabinets if I walked too close. lol

[Damion Chaplin]

hmmm magnetic memory.. what about all my pocket pc cases that close with very powerful magnets?
When I had a kjam the case would acrually grab ahold of file cabinets if I walked too close. lol

That's exactly what I was thinking.

There's also other things that are affected by magnetism. Take your K-JAM out of its case and run the screen across the magnet on the belt case. Watch that screen flip! That's right: The portrait-horizontal switch in my K-JAM is either magnetic in nature or succeptable to magnetic fields. Either way, when I run the screen past the case's magnet (a common thing to do while taking it out of the case), the screen flips to horizontal and then back to portrait. This was obviously something the unit's engineers didn't take into account (and niether did the case designer). I'm afraid of what else engineers won't take into account (like the powerful electromagnetic Sensormatic theft-deterrent gates where I work).

Otherwise, MRAM sounds like a significant step forward.