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coMMITTED To MEMory
kingstn.m.fas
Fas Mem Gide
Portable Flash memory or computers, digital cameras, cell phones and other devices
Kingston
®
, the world’s leading independent manuacturer o memory products, oers a broadrange o Flash cards and USB Flash drives (collectively called Flash storage devices) that employFlash memory chips or storage. The purpose o this guide is to explain the various technologiesand Flash memory oerings that are available.
Note: Due to Flash technology changes, specifcations listed in this documentare subject to change without notice.
coMMITTED To MEMory
kingstn.m/fas
1.02.0
Its enduring commitment to service and supportmakes Kingston an easy choice or Flash memory.
Fas Mem: Empeing A Ne Geneatin FasStage Deies
Toshiba invented Flash memory in the 1980s as a new memory technology that allowedstored data to be saved even when the memory device was disconnected rom its powersource. Since then, Flash memory technology has evolved into the preerred storage mediaor a variety o consumer and industrial devices.
IN coNSuMEr DEvIcES, FlASh MEMory IS wIDEly uSED IN:
• Notebook computers • Personal computers• Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) • Digital cameras• Global Positioning Systems (GPS) • Cell phones• Solid-state music players such as • Electronic musical instrumentsMP3 players • Television set-top boxesFlash memory is also used in many industrial applications where reliability and data retentionin power-o situations are key requirements, such as in:• Security systems • Military systems• Embedded computers • Solid-state disk drives• Networking and communication products • Wireless communication devices• Retail management products • Medical products(e.g., handheld scanners)
Fas cad uSB Fas Die capait
Some o a Flash storage device’s listed capacity is used or ormatting and other unctionsand thus is not available or data storage. When a Flash storage device is manuactured, steps are taken to ensure that the deviceoperates reliably and to permit the host device (computer, digital camera, PDA, cell phone,etc.) to access the memory cells — i.e., to store and retrieve data on the Flash storage device.These steps — loosely called “ormatting” — utilize some o the memory cells within thedevice and thus reduce the capacity available or data storage by the end user.Formatting includes the ollowing operations:1. Testing each memory cell in the Flash storage device.2. Identiying all deective cells and taking steps to ensure that no data will be writtento or read rom a deective cell.
2
coMMITTED To MEMory
kingstn.m/fas
3. Reserving some cells to serve as “spares.” Flash memory cells have a long but nitelietime. Thereore, some cells are held in reserve to replace any memory cells that mayail over time.4. Creating a File Allocation Table (FAT) or other directory. To enable Flash storage devicesto conveniently store and access customer les, a le management system must be createdto allow any device or computer to identiy the les stored in the Flash storage device.The most common type o le management system or Flash storage devices is the File Allocation Table (FAT), which is also used on hard drives.5. Reserving some cells or use by the Flash storage device’s controller, e.g., or storingrmware updates and other controller-specic inormation.6. Where applicable, reserving some cells or special eatures. For example, the specicationor Secure Digital (SD) cards requires reserved areas to support special copy protectionand security eatures.
Feates Kingstn’s Fas Stage Pdts
Kingston’s Flash storage devices oer many advantages or both consumer and industrialapplications:
• Flash Storage Device Warranty:
Kingston warrants that its Flash storage devices areree rom deects in material and workmanship or the period specied below:
• SD, MMC, CF Flash Cards:
Lietime
†
• DataTraveler
®
USB Flash Drives and 15-in-1 Reader:
5 years
• TravelLite SD/MMC Reader, K-PEX:
1 yearFor urther details, see
kingston.com/company/warranty.asp
• Solid State:
Flash storage devices, as semiconductor storage devices, have no moving partsand thereby are not subject to the mechanical ailure issues o hard drives. Their overalldata reliability enabled them to dominate the convenience-oriented portable memoryproducts market, operating silently with a zero decibel noise level.
• Small Physical Size (or Form Factor):
Flash storage devices are designed to be easilytransported. Convenience is an important criterion, especially or consumer and corporateapplications.
• High Data Reliability:
Flash memory is very reliable and many o the Flash storage devicetypes also include Error Correction Code (ECC) checking to detect single-bit errors.
Kingston’s CompactFlashcards have a rated error specifcation o less than one (1) bit in1,000,000,000,000,000bits read, or one (1)bit per 1015 bits read.
3.0
3
†
10-year warranty in France, Germany and Austria.
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