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Technology Stocks : WDC/Sandisk Corporation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: rjk01 who wrote (16537)	11/11/2000 1:34:59 AM
From: rjk01	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 60323

M-Systems on Monday revealed the “DiskOnKey”, a device to transfer information between PCs independent of the operating system. The device was entirely developed in Israel. It includes an independent processor and a Flash memory chip, which can be erased and overwritten. The DiskOnKey will initially be available in capacities of 8MB, 16MB and 32MB. M-Systems states that if it becomes clear that the market demands higher capacities, it will develop a 256MB model. The new device is similar in size to a standard marker, and can be carried in a shirt pocket. It can store files directly from PCs and laptops without the need to install any software. Data transmission is through the Universal Serial Bus (USB), which has become a standard port in almost every computer. The device directly connects to the port, which identifies it and relates to it like a diskette, transferring data on most formats, including music, PowerPoint and Word files. The rate of transmission through the USB takes place within seconds. Competition M-Systems is not the first company to develop portable data storage devices. SanDisk has developed “Smart Media” and “Compact Flash” (diskettes for the storage of digital photographs), and Sony has been aggressively pushing its Memory Stick (a kind of memory storage placed in adapted equipment, mainly musical instruments and Sony’s new palm pilot, “Clie”). Since then, Sony has had trouble having other companies adopt the Memory Stick as a standard. M-Systems Director for Marketing and Sales for DiskOnKey Yariv Avisar points to this as the key failing of Sony’s product. “Data can be transferred only between devices that have the niche for the Memory Stick. Our device ignores the limitations of operating systems, computer speed and special ports. Every computer sold today has a USB port, regardless if it PC or Mac, uses Windows or LINUX. It doesn’t matter to our device.” Avisar said that DiskOnKey will not be marketed to end-user consumers at the moment, but through OEM agreements. At next week’s Comdex exhibition in Las Vegas, M-Systems is expected to announce cooperation with one of the five largest computer companies – in the company’s own words – which will sell DiskOnKey under its own brand name. Partnership with Apple? One of the candidates is Apple, as the DiskOnKey appears to be suitable for Apple’s conceptual and design themes. Apple tried to shock the world with its iMac computer several years ago. iMac totally eliminated the disk drive, claiming that the diskette’s storage capacity was inadequate, making them too restrictive for the multimedia age. Avisar refused to confirm or deny the story, but noted that Apple has been enthusiastic about the DiskOnKey. Apple’s VP Worldwide Developer Relations Clent Richardson defined the product, “DiskOnKey is an innovative and simple-to-use USB product that advances data storage to meet the needs of on-the-go computing users.” Avisar says, “The uses of the DiskOnKey use almost limitless. They might be marketers who store their presentations on it without the need for lugging a laptop around. It could be patients carrying their medical histories with them. The market segment is huge. I personally carry music files and pictures of my children on my own DiskOnKey.” In future, M-Systems plans to develop products for different markets with specially adapted operating systems based on this technology

To: rjk01 who wrote (16537)	11/11/2000 7:08:25 PM
From: Starlight	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 60323

I was at the e.Digital shareholder meeting this past week where they announced the deal to produce two Data Play-enabled devices. The electronics firm refered to in the press release is Samsung. (We were told that at the S/H meeting - transcript available at the EDIG website - edig.com). I visited the company yesterday and had a chance to listen to the Maycom music player (which uses CF) and also the Treo jukebox (which contains a 6.4 GB embedded hard drive). This device is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket - slightly bigger than a deck of cards, but not as thick. The sound quality on both was excellent. EDIG is one of the founding members of the CF Association, but it appears that their technology is now getting away from using CF. They are very excited about DataPlay and have been working with them for a year. They feel that there are many possibilities for DataPlay's technology - especially considering the 500 MB storage per quarter-sized disk, and the low price of around $10 per disk. This disk can't be rewritten, but at this price, you can afford to have many disks for different things. That seems to me to be a big competitor for FM. Betty