Say Goodbye To The Audio Jack?

Cyrus October 3, 2016 Cell Phones

To the confusion and frustration of many iPhone 7 users, the lack of an audio jack is being seen as a step forward rather than back. With the advent of USB Type-C, audio will no longer require a 3.5mm headphone port. Instead, that data can be transmitted, along with videos and power, through Type-C. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) recently announced its awaited audio specifications for USB Type-C to end the reign of our beloved headphone jack so lets take a look at the new standard.

Re-imagining the Modern Phone Charger

Cyrus March 3, 2016 Cell Phones

StoreDot Demonstrates Ultra-Fast Charging with Modified Galaxy S6

At trade shows worldwide, StoreDot has been showcasing a Samsung Galaxy S6 fitted with a modified battery and charging port. The result is striking: the device charges from 10% to 100% in just 5 minutes and 25 seconds. This isn’t simply a faster charge cycle—the underlying physics use a new generation of lithium-ion batteries that distinguish StoreDot’s approach from other fast-charging competitors.

One of the most impressive aspects is how the charger manages heat. At Nexcopy we engineer temperature management into our own devices to ensure safe, long-term performance. In the same way, StoreDot’s system prevents the handset from becoming hot to the touch during or after charging. The difference lies in the connector: rather than relying on a simple cable between phone and wall, the system uses a solid, wall-mounted charging unit designed to distribute power more evenly and control thermal load.

The bigger question is what this technology means for the industry. The science to make charging delays nearly vanish is already here. What’s required next is coordination between device makers, standards groups, and charger manufacturers to bring it to consumers at scale. A specialized connection port is needed to enable maximum speeds, and StoreDot’s 150W charger is part of the equation. Samsung, along with several other investors, has already backed StoreDot, signaling that we may see these ultra-fast charging capabilities migrate into mainstream smartphones in upcoming product cycles.

Source: StoreDot

Read and Write CID Values From SD Media

Mike McCrosky May 24, 2012 Cell Phones, Flash Memory News, MicroSD, MicroSDHC, SDHC, Secure Digital

How to Read and Write CID Values on SD and microSD Media

UPDATE (Feb 16, 2023): The company that manufactures this product now offers the ability to write the CID value as well as write protect the Secure Digital media.

GetUSB.info recently published an article on how to read the CID (or PSN) from an SD card, also known as the product serial number. Some call this simply reading the CID number from an SD card. The CID number is a unique identifier created on the SD or microSD card at the time of manufacturing. It cannot be changed or manipulated by the host computer.

The CID number is most often used by vendors or manufacturers to lock software to a specific device. Because the CID number cannot be altered, it serves as a secure way to prevent unauthorized distribution of software or content.

Some manufacturers require reading the CID number from SD media before releasing software, and this is what GetUSB.info explains in detail. For a full description, see the article: How to read CID number from SD media.

Here is a snapshot of the CID reading tool for 20 SD devices:

CID reading tool for SD cards

The CID number is composed of the following values:

Manufacturer ID: An 8-bit code that identifies the manufacturer of the SD card.
OEM/Application ID: A 16-bit code that identifies the OEM or the application for which the SD card was designed.
Product Name: A 32-bit ASCII code that specifies the product name of the SD card.
Product Revision: An 8-bit code that specifies the product revision of the SD card.
Serial Number: A 32-bit code that specifies the unique serial number of the SD card.
Manufacturing Date: A 12-bit code that specifies the manufacturing date of the SD card.
CRC: A 7-bit code used to verify the integrity of the CID number.

The CID number is typically used by SD card host devices to verify authenticity and ensure compatibility with the host system.

Nexcopy Inc., based in Southern California, specializes in developing and manufacturing USB duplicators, SD card duplicators, and other digital media equipment. Founded in 2008, the company has built a reputation for high-quality, reliable solutions used across education, government, military, and commercial sectors.

Nexcopy’s products are recognized for their speed, reliability, and ease of use. For example, its USB duplicators can copy up to 60 drives simultaneously at transfer speeds of up to 33 MB/s per port. Its SD card duplicators can handle up to 40 SD cards at once with speeds reaching 90 MB/s per port.

In addition to hardware, Nexcopy provides software solutions for USB and SD duplication and offers custom programming for clients with specialized requirements.

Overall, Nexcopy remains a trusted leader in the digital media duplication industry, known for reliable products and strong customer support.

Where Are 80 Million USB Modems Going?

Mike McCrosky June 30, 2010 Cell Phones

Into your home, work place, car and everywhere else, that’s where.Â ABI Research company has forecasted over 81 million USB wireless modems will be sold in 2010.Â Currently over 50% of those sales figures are from cellular companies pushing their services for hotspots and instant wifi connection when out-n-about.

USB modem on PC

The biggest reason for the USB modem is lack of required drivers, as it’s either preinstalled on the device or installs directly from the device.Â In addition, the USB modem is portable and easily swapped between work and home locations. ABI asks whether embedded modem modules in new computers or the recent interest in personal hotspot routers (a la MiFi) can overtake the popularity of USB dongles. Research associate Khin Sandi Lynn points out that, â€œIn the long run, more devices are looking for a network to connect to. The wireless modem market can solve this in many ways â€“ different form-factors, air interface protocols, and increased attention to style and cultural interests.â€ ABI webpage. Continue Reading

Clickfree Traveler Service Backs Up Your Computer To SmartPhone

Mike McCrosky January 8, 2010 Cell Phones, MicroSD

With microSD cards getting so large, we have seen some create uses.Â This years CES 2010 is no exception.Â Take for example, the new data backup service from Clickfree.Â Clickfree now offers the ability for you to backup PC files directly to your Blackberry smartphone. The new Clickfree Traveler Micro-SD card for BlackBerry comes with pre-installed Clickfree software.Â This enables you to easily backup important files to your BlackBerry.Â The Traveler is tailor made for the business users who are constantly on the go and searching for a better way to backup their data. Once Clickfree is installed your BlackBerry will automatically backup your files every time you connect to the computer via USB cable.Â It also keeps files secure with password protection which is encrypted.Â The Clickfree Traveler works with Windows 7, Vista, XP and Mac OS X 10.5+.Â It will release in February for a price of $89.99 (16GB) and $149.99 (32GB). Continue Reading

Connect Any USB Device To Your Cell Phone

Mike McCrosky May 27, 2009 Cell Phones, MicroSD, USB flash

Elan is launching an adapter to connect any USB stick to your mobile device via the microSD slot.

mobidapter elan

Elan is a UK based company who developed the “Mobidapter” for mobile power users.Â The connector does not require drivers and will allow any USB device to be seen by the mobile host.Â Further, the Mobidapter doesn’t require a PC, so important tasks like backup, sync or accessing files will be much easier. Unfortunately, there is no word on price and expected ship date is mid June 2009. Continue Reading

Blackberry Storm Ships with 8GB microSD Card

Mike McCrosky December 2, 2008 Cell Phones, MicroSD

The highly anticipated Blackberry Storm is shipping with an 8GB microSD flash memory card – but there’s only one problem.Â The phone has gotten horrible reviews and lacks the functionality most require for a quality MP3 experience.Â So now the problem – what to do with 8GBs of flash memory.Â Sure you could find something to store up that card, like snaps shots from the 3.2mpix camera or store the entire yellow pages of phone numbers and address,Â but the reality is – without a good MP3 player mechanism the storage isn’t all that necessary.

blackberry storm usb

Sorry for the rant, but to boost the value of the phone with a $20 8GB microSD card isn’t all that impressive. Interested to hear more about the Blackberry Storm?Â You can read the following reviews:

Phone spec: Verizon Storm. Continue Reading

Open Source Linux Phone by Trolltech

Mike McCrosky September 19, 2007 Cell Phones, neo1973

So we did flips for the open source Neo1973, now we’ve got a simplified software platform. Trolltech has introduced the Qtopia Phone Edition for the Neo1973.

The Qtopia Phone Edition is fully accessible under the open source GPL verison 2 license and supports the Greenphone reference platform for mobile development. Up until now, Qtopia has been ported onto 90 different devices, including 25 phones. There are over 9 million Qtopia-based handsets in the market that also includes mobile devices from Motorola, ZTE and Cellon. Source: TechGadgets photo via Flickr Continue Reading

First Open Source Linux Cell Phone On Sale

Mike McCrosky July 9, 2007 Cell Phones, Flash Memory News, MicroSD, neo1973

Update: More info here The other day (literally) a fellow blogger and I where talking about why cell phones are so damn proprietary and if someone could develop a phone with the same open-source mindset as say WordPress (this blogging platform) than our world would be much better off. Well apparently I’ve been living under a rock.

From OpenMoko comes the Neo 1973 open-source cell phone based off the Linux kernel.

We selected chips that have complete documentation publicly available, such as the ARM-based Samsung S3C2410 SOC. We added a debug port with complete access to JTAG and a serial console. This phone is designed for open-source development.

With a sporty 640×480 LCD that holds a beautiful 283 dpi the visual from the Neo 1973 should be amazing. Unlike the first version of the iPhone the Neo 1973 will have 128MB RAM with 64MB NAND flash and an expandable microSD slot (bonus 512MB card ships with the phone). So hackers, gadget hounds and side project guru’s I think this is worth a closer look. At just $300 – what a deal. This first run of release units is more geared towards developers so don’t expect any retail phones to hit BestBuy just yet. OpenMoko Neo 1973 home page Continue Reading

Flash Memory Inside the Apple iPhone

Mike McCrosky July 3, 2007 Cell Phones, Flash Memory News, Mobile Audio, MP3 Player, PMP Units

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. Continue Reading