Craig, you're partially right. 512MBytes flash drive is not enough for most Window 95 application but these flash drives can be served as add-on drive to be plugged onto the PCMCIA or IDE interface of notebook computers. See sandisk.com for a quick look at one of Sandisk's drive. The only disadvantage about this type of drive is cost (about $1700 for a 240M drive). Currently, they're used in industrial applications where heat and vibration are
too high for the hard disk drives to sustain, and cost is not a topmost consideration. Power consumption is about 5% of regular hard disk drives, a plus for notebook computers.
If the cost of flash card goes down dramatically, I can see it replacing at least the floppy and zip drives.
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Summary of all Sandisk's press releases:
sandisk.com
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I would like to make some correction and addition to my earlier posts today and yesterday:
- Toshiba and Hitachi have already cross-licenced with Sandisk.
- The 64Mb flash to be shipped this year is in work jointly with Matsushita (not NEC).
- The 256Mb flash and 500Mbytes flash drive to be released next year are worked jointly with NEC.
- All Sandisk's flash drives are compatible with MS-DOS file format, therefore they act just like another drive D:
This company seem to have Japan written all over it.
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From Sandisk's web site:
Breakthroughs With 32 and 64Mbit Flash
SanDisk's first products were shipped in 1991. These were based on
SanDisk 4Mbit flash chips developed in cooperation with AT&T Bell
Labs. Since that time, the company's research and development staff
in cooperation with MEC has made technology breakthroughs which have
allowed the company to build higher-performance and higher-capacity
products at a significantly lower cost. This, in turn, has reduced
flash prices and will continue to do so in the future. Today, SanDisk
is shipping production flash devices based on 32Mbit flash chips it
has developed. With each new flash generation, SanDisk is achieving
higher capacities per chip and lower cost. The company's 32Mbit chips
also operate at either 5 or 3.3 volts, simplifying system design and
greatly reducing power consumption and system size. This also allows
devices to work and exchange data in 3.3 volt only and 5 volt only
systems. SanDisk has announced 64Mbit flash chips and in 1997 expects
to start shipping products based on that technology manufactured for
SanDisk by MEC.
SanDisk also is developing 256Mbit flash technology with NEC. Advanced
0.35 micron semiconductor process technology will be used in the
manufacturing of the 256Mbit chips. This development will dramatically
reduce storage prices and significantly expand flash storage capacity.
The development will enable the production of 500MB FlashDisk cards in
1998 which will incorporate sixteen 256Mbit chips and an intelligent
controller chip in a Type II PC card. With smaller form factors and
lower prices, flash storage devices will be used in many existing
consumer electronics products and will enable the creation of new ones
including audio, image and video systems. |
