Hitachi flashes its cards
Hitachi will begin sample marketing of high-data-capacity PC cards using 64-megabit flash memory technology in October.
Hitachi says it is the first company to make commercial products using 64-megabit flash memory. The cards will be compatible with PC Card (formerly PCMCIA) slots and boast capacities as high as 75MB, the company said.
To date, flash cards have used only 16-megabit or 32-megabit flash chips and therefore could muster capacities only as high as 40 megabytes, the company said. Though more expensive, flash memory has some distinct advantages over PC card-based hard drives.
Namely, flash has no moving parts, uses less power, and boasts higher access speeds. In addition, flash memory cards are becoming increasingly popular for use in digital cameras.
Sample shipment prices will begin at about $300.