World's smallest storage module for mobiles released
World's smallest storage module for mobiles released
SanDisk Corporation has introduced SanDisk T-Flash, the world's smallest removable flash memory storage format. It is similar in size and function to embedded flash memory but can also be readily removed and upgraded to allow for a range of memory capacities as well as interoperability with other consumer electronics devices.
Approximately the size of a fingernail, T-Flash is designed for new mobile phones that are compact yet fully-featured with storage-intensive multimedia applications such as digital cameras, video capture and playback, MP3 players, video games, personal organisers, Multimedia Message Service (MMS), email and voicemail capabilities.
The exceptionally small size of T-Flash (11mm x 15mm x1mm) represents approximately one quarter of the volume of the smallest removable flash cards available on the market today and allows handset manufacturers to incorporate significant amounts of removable storage capacity into their progressively smaller handsets without changing the physical size of the phone. To realise the small form factor, T-Flash uses advanced packaging technology and SanDisk's latest NAND MLC flash memory and controller technologies. This technology is already employed in SanDisk's miniSD and TriFlash products and is a proven low cost/high volume production technology.
Eli Harari, President and CEO of SanDisk, said: "The T-Flash product family that we are announcing today is, we believe, a revolutionary product that will be an important enabler for the rapid adoption of vastly more exciting multimedia cell phones, to the benefit of consumers worldwide. The accelerating rollout of third generation (3G) cell phones starting this year will have a profound effect on consumer electronics, similar to what we saw a decade back with the advent of the web. The vastly improved wireless transmission rates of data and multimedia content of 3G networks will completely transform the usage pattern of handsets. For example, consumers will be able to send wirelessly 10 high-resolution digital images in less than one minute of airtime. Such cell phones will become the dominant form of portable music playing, and will offer the capabilities not only of digital cameras but also of good quality video camcorders. All this will require substantially more flash storage than is available with the majority of today’s handsets. While these new storage needs are being met more and more with removable flash cards such as our miniSD, what T-Flash offers is all the low cost and small size benefits of embedded flash with all the flexibility benefits of removable cards.
Motorola announced at the 3GSM Congress in Cannes, France that its E1000 and A1000 3G phones will use the 32MB T-Flash. These two phones are expected to be available in the second half of this year.
"T-Flash memory offers us the flexibility to pursue smaller, sleeker designs without sacrificing the capabilities of our new handsets," said Chris Swambar, product line manager, Personal Communications Manager, Motorola. "Even with the compact design of these phones, many of these models are capable of still image and video capture, music replay, and Internet messaging."
"We have been developing T-Flash based on the numerous inputs that we have received in the past few years from the top tier handset manufacturers," added Harari. "We are particularly gratified by the very important endorsement and support that we have received from Motorola, our first major announced customer for T-Flash. We plan to accelerate our T-Flash design-in activities with other leading handset manufacturers globally, to make T-Flash a de facto standard for transportable flash storage in multimedia cell phones."
Randy Giusto, Vice President of Technology and Services at IDC, said: "As cell phones add new features, storage becomes increasingly important. The worldwide market for cell phones is growing from 536 million in 2003 to 745 million in 2007 and the anticipated capacity needs for embedded memory will grow as well. Handset designers require a cost-effective and flexible alternative that combines the benefits of embedded memory - in terms of size - with the benefits and flexibility of a card that can be removed to add more capacity or new applications. Mobile phone users will continue to demand more applications as next generation phones begin to offer enhanced audio and video capabilities which will increasingly drive storage requirements higher."
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