If you need to recover files from a Compact Flash card then try Flash Memory Toolkit. This software package is a free download for most features and will perform functions like read/write benchmark tests and recover files from a flash card or flash drive.
USBPerformance software will allow you to recover a file from a Compact Flash card. This is how it works.
The utility will make a binary image of your Compact Flash card…it doesn’t matter if you can’t read the data or not, it’ll still make an image file.
Then the utility will mount the image file as a drive letter on your computer [PC only].
From here you can browse your content and recover that file from your Compact Flash card.
In most cases, when a flash card goes bad [either CF, SD, microSD or USB] the problem or error is from the partition table or the File Allocation Table. Since this mounting of an image gets past those issues, you can get into where the files are stored…from here you can copy them out to a normal working part of your hard drive or another removable media.
Give it a go. USB Performance website with a link directly to the file recovery page.
RiDATA introduces the ultra fast speed Compact Flash memory card at 300X normal data transfer speeds. The Supreme Compact Flash card is a 16GB haven for data storage. President Harvey Liu claims the CF card was designed for photographers needing high performance flash memory for those ultra large digital files the pros are taking, but he might be missing one critical target market - embedded designs.
As solid state memory is becoming cheaper and performs better, many embedded products are going the route of Compact Flash. These embedded designs and products need large capacity and high performance.
For example, did you know that most slot machines use either CF or SD solid state media to run the graphics you see when sitting at the slots? The display screen with graphics and information which come from your registration card are powered from a solid state drive. This is just one example of how embedded products are going more towards Flash Memory for data storage and processing.
RiDATA Supreme Compact Flash card is available through the retail channel with a 2 year warranty. Pricing is “competitive” but no price point was given in the press release or the RiDATA website. (more…)
A Swedish soldier has been convicted of negligence and fined 21,000 kronor - about $250 US Dollars - for leaving a USB memory stick with military secrets in a public computer.
The Stockholm court says the memory stick contained classified information about improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan. The Sony Memory Stick was found by an university student in Stockholm and luckily for us, handed over to authorities.
Are you kidding me? Only $250 dollar fine for misplacing such valuable information. The only conclusion I can draw is the bomb schematics probably didn’t really work. After all, when was the last time we heard of a Swedish bomb going off?
The Swedish soldier admits accidentally leaving the memory stick in the computer, but claims he wasn’t aware the information was classified.
Wednesday’s ruling says he acquired the information while serving as a peacekeeper in Afghanistan in 2006 and was supposed to have handed it in when his mission ended.
Source: Independent UK.
Samsung is looking to strengthen their digital memory storage line with a possible purchase of SanDisk. SanDisk is currently the #1 supplier of solid state flash memory, world wide [such as Secure Digital, miniSD, microSD and many more]. Samsung is the top producer of flash memory chips.
Through an acquisition, Samsung would strengthen it’s channel for supplying it’s flash chip to retail and channel sales of end-user flash memory.
With weak chip prices and fluctuating buyer habits, a move like this could strengthen Samsung’s position and would put Samsung at over 50% of world wide control of production, distribution and sales of NAND flash memory.
Avi Cohen of Avian Securities said it was an “unlikely prospect” due to SanDisk being unwilling to sell at the bottom of the cycle, and Samsung becoming a direct competitor to many of its customers and regulatory concerns. “Regulators in the US, Korea and Europe among others will likely have issue with one player controlling north of 50 per cent of NAND [Flash memory] supply,” he said.
Another option is Samsung reducing it’s royalty license to SanDisk to gain synergy with the top seller, reduce SanDisk’s bottom line and secure channel distribution of flash memory.
However if a deal goes ahead, it could block efforts by Samsung rivals Toshiba and Hynix Semiconductor to topple Samsung’s market leadership. Toshiba runs joint production lines with SanDisk and Hynix is also conducting joint re-search with the US group. Samsung controls 42.3 per cent of the NAND flash memory market, trailed by Toshiba with 27.5 per cent and Hynix with 13.4 per cent, says market researcher iSuppli.
Source: Financial Times.
KoolSpan is offering up an encryption solution for cell phones, PDAs, smartphones and the like for end-to-end security. For mission critical applications, say government or defense contract work, a simple and convenient security system for cell phones is serious business.
KoolSpan has made encrypted cell phones simple. With any device that has microSD support the KoolSpan system will work. The solution is simple - just dial the number. If the other phone is KoolSpan enabled, then both phones automatically go [256bit] secure.
The KoolSpan encryption process is based off their TrustCenter management center. Here administrators can create security groups and permit / deny users based off security clearance protocols. All the necessary authentication keys, identity codes and crypto algorithms are pre-loaded into the KoolSpan TrustChip™. From that point on, mobile devices find each other through normal phone calls, and then transparently and automatically authenticate and encrypt sessions for secure end-to-end communications.
The KoolSpan encrypted cell phone solution is plug-n-play with the microSD TrustChip with no further configuration required. The TrustChip runs about $300 USD and isn’t clear on whether a monthly service is required.
KoolSpan TrustChip product page.
What is Rockbox?
Rockbox is an open source software replacement for a larger number of MP3 players. Since Rockbox is open source this means an infinitely larger number of developers are constantly working on Rockbox…kinda like WordPress blogging software.
Rockbox aims to provide more functionality and efficiency to MP3 players.
In addition, Rockbox is a great management tool for flash memory. For example, I just found out Rockbox may be used to run microSDHC cards on microSD compatible devices. Although the Rockbox solution might not work for all devices, it’s a great place to start when looking for possible solutions.
Here are some key features of Rockbox:
With the recent announcement from The CompactFlash Association (CFA) to develop an SATA interface for CF memory is another positive sign that solid state memory for laptops and computers will become the normal.
Despite the fact of Mr. Shigeto, chairman of the CFA board, indicates this move is to further solidify CompactFlash memory as the primary memory storage for non-consumer, embedded and single board products, I think the writing is on the wall for gaining a larger market share of the PC market.
So what is the advantage of SATA interface? Speed. Currently the PATA specification is about 133MB/second and having SATA interface will greatly increase that speed(althogh no target speed was given - just “faster”).
With CompactFlash card slots are in over 360 digital cameras, over 165 handheld/palm-size PCs and over 705 other electronic platforms including embedded systems, single board computers, data recorders, heart monitors, defibrillators, etc. the faster transfer speed will ensure performance to the user with out a bottle-neck of memory.
Press Release: SATA Interface to Compact Flash
We tried to escape the iPhone buzz, but recent information came to light after some folks unscrewed the iPhone to see what’s inside. This is what flash memory they found.
The Apple iPhone flash memory is comprised of two technologies. NAND flash and NOR flash. Without knowing how Apple used these technologies we can easily conclude (without certainty) how the flash memory is being used.
Since NAND flash memory is best suited for re-write and allows an operating system to view the flash memory as a hard drive type storage space, the iPhone most likely uses NAND memory to store MP3 files, photo’s, video and other ‘come-n-go’ files.
The NOR flash memory is best suited for storing code where re-writes aren’t as frequent. NOR would be used for storing application information, such as web browser, OS, Viewer files and other ’stable’ code which wouldn’t change too often.
It was also reveled that Samsung is supplying Apple’s iPhone with the main microprocessor chip and NAND flash memory. Intel is supplying the NOR flash memory to the iPhone.
For the guys in Europe and Australia who already have a copy of HotPXL handy, we’ve got something for you. The game’s official site is announcing they’ve just released a download pack containing 70 extra mini-games for your playing pleasure. This is how you make the grab:
That’s the latest update from Atari and zSlide’s minigame for the PSP. More details should be available in the read link below (the Hot PXL site). Hot PXL for North America is expected to land later on this year. (more…)
The Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface (NVMHCI) Working Group, as it’s being called, will be chaired by Intel and will provide a standard software programming interface for nonvolatile memory subsystems.
The group says the interface will be used by operating system drivers to access NAND flash memory storage in the applications such as hard drive caching and solid-state drives. Today, PCs already use this technology; “ReadyBoost” is what Microsoft calls its Vista disk caching technology that makes computers running the OS more responsive by using flash memory on a USB 2.0 drive, SD card, or other forms of flash memory.
There are two main types of flash memory today, NAND and NOR gate chips. The former was developed by Toshiba a year after Intel debuted its NOR flash. NOR is typically used for code storage inside of cell phones and other devices, while NAND flash is used to store data inside of MP3 players and other devices. (more…)
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