High Tech Lounge » Flash Memory

Samsung to produce 20nm flash memory

adina — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:31:00 +0000

Samsung has begun to produce 20 nanometer NAND flash memory by using a technology that is much denser than 30nm, significantly much faster and allowing more storage in the same space. The company estimates that an SDHC card with GB of memory should be about 30 percent faster. It should guarantee Class 10, which means 10MB per second write speed and 20MB per second read speed.

The technology will use 32 gigabit chips (4GB) that can be combined to make capacities up to 64GB. Samsung expects these cards to be used either as memory cards or as embedded memory in devices like smartphones. Although current production is dedicated only to samples for companies needing to use the extra storage, mass production is scheduled to start later this year.

PIN-controlled USB flash drive from Corsair

adina — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:43:28 +0000

Corsair has recently presented a new 8GB flash drive. Surprisingly, this is not a regular flash drive: Corsair included a keypad which allows users to secure their data by using a PIN code. The Padlock 2 comes with 256-bit hardware data encryption to ensure high security for most of the data theft types. Thieves are kept at a distance by the possibility of using a PIN up to 10 numbers long. The rugged construction of Corsair’s new Padlock is shared with the Flash Voyager line; therefore, the flash drive offers high resistance to drops and splashes.

Mac OS X, Linux and Windows are all Padlock 2-compatible; the flash drive supports various game consoles, as its encryption doesn’t rely on any software. If the PIN code is forgotten, users can simply reset their drive, with the mention that all available data is erased. Corsair’s Padlock 2 will be sold under a $59 price tag.

The 64GB NAND flash memory from Toshiba

adina — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:02:05 +0000

Toshiba has recently presented a new 64GB NAND flash memory module that is believed to be the highest capacity in the industry. It combines sixteen 32Gbit chips and a dedicated controller while using Toshiba’s 32nm technology for their manufacturing. The chip thickness is just 30 micrometers thanks to chip thinning and layering methods.

These new modules could be used to double the memory capacity of some portables such as smartphones and iPods. As for the iPhone, which is using a single module, it could have a capacity increase to 64GB by using the new components. The iPod touch could reach theoretically 128GB with two modules.

The 64GB modules will be shipped as samples this month and the volume production is expected for the first quarter of next year.

First USB 3.0 RAID Flash Drive from Super Talent

adina — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:30:45 +0000

The new SuperSpeed USB 3.0 RAIDDrive series launched by SuperTalent is much faster than the previous USB 2.0 drives, allowing an up to ten times faster data transfer. The company is using a special technology involving multiple RAID pairs containing differential serial data lines. When a system is equipped with both a special USB Attached SCSI driver and USB 3.0 ports can run at up to 200MB per second with no optimization.

The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 RAIDDrives are portable and also backwards compatible with the older USB 2.0 ports. In this case they operate at 480 megabits per second i.e. 60MB, a standard speed for USB 2.0. There are three versions of the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 RAIDDrives – capacities of 32GB, 64GB and 128GB – that will be available in December this year, but there is no information about their prices yet.

Unusual Deal – Movies on Flash Memory

adina — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:45:05 +0000

Movies available on SD cards or USB flash drives may sound strange enough but this is the subject of a most recent deal concluded between Kingston and Paramount. The latter’s movies could be sold on such media in the near future. The two partners didn’t provide any details on the formats but it’s certain that the movies will come both in bundles and individually.

Providing movies on other storage than optical could contribute to a wider spreading of video productions to systems not provided with DVD or Blu-ray drives, such as handhelds or netbooks. In order to fit into 2GB of memory or even less, movies will be in standard definition.

The two companies didn’t mention the release date yet.

Samsung Will Brand Its Own Memory Cards

adina — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:14:59 +0000

Recently released in Taiwan, the first memory cards self-branded by Samsung are meant to be used in electronic devices such as smartphones, digital cameras and other portable devices. The reason for doing this is, according to the Korean company, the exponential growth of the mobile storage market in the next future, as revealed by recent researches. Samsung has been selling memory cards to third parties by now but now wants to brand its own products.

The new cards branded by Samsung comply with the Secure Digital class 6 ratings for performance and will appear in SD, microSD and CF (Compact Flash) formats. The SD card will be available in 4GB and 8GB versions, running at 6MBps speed. A 16GB SD plus card will have a read access speed of 17MBps. The Compact Flash cards have speeds of 45MBps.

Designed to prevent valuable data to be lost, Samsung memory cards are resistant to shocks and water and protected from damages caused by magnetic interference.

The cards will be available in Taiwan in October and will follow soon in other markets but prices were not announced yet.

Corsair Launches an Upgraded Version of Flash Voyager GT

adina — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:39:13 +0000

The newest addition to the Flash Voyager memory sticks family, the Voyager GT 128 breaks through with a spacious 128 GB of storage and amazing speed. The Voyager GT uses a unique dual-controller design, delivering read and write speeds close to the limits of the USB bus. Other three versions also keep the increased resistance to shocks, since they have no moving parts, and to water, due to the rubber housing and sealed construction. The speed is 32 MB/second for reading and up to 28 MB/second for writing, making them the fastest USB flash drives. The design is compact and they are 75% smaller than a typical hard disk drive. They are the most convenient way to transport large amounts of data, such as high-resolution photos and artwork, massive databases, HD video footage, and even entire collections of music.

All four versions work with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems. The Voyager GT models are already available at prices of $380 for the 128 GB, $180 for the 64 GB, $87 for the 32 GB and $37 for the 16 GB version, including a $20 mail-in rebate.