Domain: sandisk.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to sandisk.com.
Stories · 7
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SanDisk Made an iPhone Case With Built-In Storage (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader writes: SanDisk has made its iXpand Memory Case to alleviate the problem that Apple creates when they release an iPhone in 2016 with only 16GB of on-board storage. The iXpand Memory Case is an iPhone case with flash storage built directly into the case itself that connects/charges via the Lightning port. You won't need a new phone and you won't need to carry around an extra charging dongle, which is the case for many other third-party cases and accessories. Since Apple doesn't make expanding your storage with third-party devices easy, you will need to download/install the companion SanDisk iXpand Memory Case app on your iPhone, which will automatically back-up your camera roll and password-protect your photos and files. If you need some extra juice, you can spend an extra $40 to receive a 1900mAh battery pack that attaches to the case. The iXpand Memory Case is only available with the iPhone 6 and 6s and is available with 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB of extra flash storage for $59, $99, and $129, respectively. Oh, and of course there are varying color options: Red, Grey, Sky and Mint. Maybe your phone battery is running low (God-forbid it is dead) and you just so happen to be nearby a KFC in Delhi or Mumbai, KFC has you covered. They have introduced a meal box that doubles as a smartphone charger. -
SanDisk Releases 512GB SD Card
Lucas123 writes: SanDisk has announced the world's highest capacity SD card, a 512GB model that represents a 1,000-fold increase over the company's first 512MB card that it shipped a decade ago. The SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I memory card has a max read/write rate of 95MB/s and 90MB/s, respectively. The card is rated to function in temperatures from -13 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. The 512GB model retails for $800. The card also comes in 128GB and 256GB capacities. -
SanDisk Releases New iPod rival
codemachine writes "SanDisk has released its new iPod rival: the new Sansa e280 music player. It has twice the capacity of the iPod nano at a similar price. Even better, it can be expanded through its mini-SD slot, and comes with an FM tuner. The device is said to work well with both Windows and Linux, without adding any drivers. Some work on reverse engineering this product line has already begun. Might this be a great alternative MP3 player for Linux users?" -
Secure Digital vs. Multimedia Cards
n1ywb asks: "I recently cajoled myself into buying a Dell Axim. Since the compact flash slot is obviously taken up by my 802.11b card, that leaves me with the OTHER slot for adding additional storage. This other slot is billed as a 'Secure Digital Card' slot, although I understand it is backwards compatable with the 'Multimedia Card' standard. The name 'Secure Digital' is somewhat misleading it seems. It has some kind of digital rights management technology onboard, which nobody seems to want to elaborate on. It has hardware encryption, which sandisk.com touts as 'Cryptographic security for copyrighted data based on proven security concepts from DVD audio.' Hah! DeCSS anyone? Magic markers? There isn't a lot of REAL information about SD cards out there. I like cheap and fast storage, but I'm paranoid of DRM. _I_ am god here; my hardware is slave to me. I don't want my PDA telling me I can't play my Grateful Dead bootlegs because they aren't digitally signed. Should I buy MMC or SD? Where can I find more info? Any real world experiences? What do you think is the bottom line?""Here are a couple of other choice quotes from the Sandisk page:
'...included are unique and proprietary security features implemented within the card's controller which facilitate the secure exchange of content between host devices and the card.'
I read somewhere (trying to find the link) that the DRM technology in the card consists of a chip similar to what would be found in smart cards. It can limit, for example, the number of times a file can be copied off the card.
'The SD Card is designed to comply with all three levels of SDMI security requirements. Both non-protected (category 1) and copy protected (categories 2 & 3) material can be stored on the card. The copy protected material can be secured either by a unique card bound identification (category 2) or by an active cryptography algorithm (category 3), that involves challenge/response protocols against a private key. The SD Card security features also have the capability to revoke non-compliant SDMI components using a Media Key Block if security is breached. Under this security scheme, a content provider's data (music, books, software applications, maps, schedules, etc.) can be Checked-In (moved to the card), Checked-Out (moved from the card) or copied to other SDMI compliant cards with necessary copy restriction. The Check-In/Check-Out feature gives the content owners the confidence that their content is protected.'
SD does have some real technical advantages over MMC. It is much faster, up to 10 megabytes per second. The cards have a physical write protect switch, and they have a very high ESD tolerance of +/- 10K volts for contact discharge and +/- 15K volts for air discharge. They also seem to be slightly cheaper now." -
Leveraging Cheap PC Hardware?
dsginter asks: "Now that PC hardware is dirt cheap (under $100 for a Duron 700, motherboard, LAN, modem, sound, etc), I would expect to see more in the way of leveraging this sort of hardware for uses outside the home and office. Is there any vendors out there who address the need for cheap 12 volt DC power supplies? How about vibration tolerance (besides Flashdrives how are you getting the processor and accessories attached reliably)? PC/104 is comparatively expensive so it would be nice if there were some solid-state, 12-volt, embedded (and possibly even real-time) Linux projects out there. Example: with RAM as cheap as it is, you could make a portable digital video camera for very cheap. Are there packages out there or is this strictly DIY?" So where can you go if you are looking to purchase decent hardware for your embedded projects? Are any of you attempting to assemble projects like this? If so, what kinds of things are you working on? -
Alternatives To The Floppy Disk?
ArcticChicken asks: "I work for a university with about 20,000 students. Despite our efforts to educate people about making backups, and to start considering floppy disks as being semi-disposable, I still get a number of people every week who have their only copy of some critical document on a damaged floppy disk. My question is: what are the real alternatives to floppy disks for low-capacity, high-reliability, RW media? So far I've been looking at a variety of flash memory media. What are these things like for general data storage? Is that use even recommended? Just how reliable are they? How long do they typically last? Are there any leading standards emerging?""I'd like to experiment with something with at least 4 to 8MB capacity. I'd also obviously need a "drive" to allow reading / writing to the media. Ideally it'd be something you could mount inside a computer in a 3.5 inch drive bay. Regardless, as far as interfaces go USB is probably the best option. Cost-wise, the "drives" should be out there for $40 or less. (I've noticed Sandisk offers their USB CompactFlash drives for $29.99.) I'd prefer that the cost of the media be the "heavier" end of the solution.
CD-RWs are not an option for a few reasons, the main one being that CD-RW capable drives are still quite expensive. I'd like to avoid anything that includes as many mechanical components as the antique floppy disk / drive combination. We offer our students space on several file servers, but for many, many reasons the use of floppy disks remains commonplace. We are not a tech-heavy institution: the majority of the students could probably be considered "average" for their age group in terms of computer use. I guess in that sense, part of the reason floppy disks have stuck around is that they offer enough space to save a few documents, and do so in a small, easy-to-use package. However, after all these years, it would be nice to think that someone out there is pushing forward with a standardized, low-capacity, high-reliability alternative." -
New Flash Memory Chip for MP3 players
The Conkman writes "In a press release released today, Japan-based companies Toshiba and Matsushita announced their partnership with California-based Sandisk in the manufacturing of a new flash memory chip for portable mp3 players. The release states that the flash memory chip ( approx. the size of a postage stamp ) is anticipated to have an initial size of 32MB to 64MB and a data throughput of 2Mbs per second working towards a goal of a 256MB chip with a data throughput of 10Mbs per second. The mass production of the chip ( and the player I assume ) is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of next year. "