MUNICH, Germany, Nov. 17, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- SimpleTech, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEC), today announced the introduction of the Industrial Grade Small Card family, including Secure Digital (SD), MultiMediaCard Plus (MMCplus), miniSD and microSD. The Small Flash Card family provides a unique set of options for the increasing number of OEMs which need high performance and high reliability in small form factors. SimpleTech is showcasing the new Small Card Flash products at the Electronica 2006 conference, November 14-17, 2006 at New Munich Trade Fair Center in Munich (Hall 6, Stand 754).
Storage demands from high-reliability applications are getting extremely complex, resulting in a complicated combination of stringent constraints including the need for small form factor, high capacity, high reliability, and extreme temperature performance. These applications have significantly increased the data processing power and available data, so the systems demand more storage. Additionally, the reliance upon storage is exceptionally high due to the invaluable data that is stored on these Flash devices. Applications such as defibrillators, test equipment, automotive infotainment systems, radio-frequency systems, GPS tracking systems, point-of-sale terminals and wearable PCs need to perform without fail and must have high quality storage in a small form factor to do so. This is a combination that was historically impossible to achieve without SimpleTech's Small Card product family.
Flash-based storage provides infinite flexibility. Unlike traditional hard disk drives which have large fixed form factor, Flash storage can fit into significantly smaller packages. System design engineers are taking advantage of this distinction and now demanding that storage be space conscious, power conscious, and weight conscious. The SimpleTech Small Card family is optimal for these new demands of storage. The form factors for these small cards range from 15mm x 11mm x 0.7mm on the smallest side to the 24mm x 32mm x 2.1mm on the largest.
"Through the application of our core competencies in Flash management, subsystem design, manufacturing and testing expertise, we are providing our customers the most reliable small form factors of removable storage media," said Patrick Wilkison, vice president of marketing and business development at SimpleTech. "With this Small Card product family, system designers now have access to widely supported interface standards which require minimal number of pins, creating a very efficient design-in process."
Reliability
As with all SimpleTech Industrial Grade Flash products, the Small Card family products are specifically designed, manufactured and tested to withstand extreme environmental conditions and to improve system reliability and endurance. At the heart of each small card is an advanced microcontroller that performs elaborate Flash management including on-the-fly Error Detection and Correction (EDC/ECC), bad block management (BBM) and extensive wear leveling. SimpleTech selects the highest reliability Single Level Cell (SLC) Flash for its superior endurance.
To assure that each card shipped meets the rigorous threshold set by the OEM customers, each card is extensively tested at SimpleTech's manufacturing facility to guarantee perfect functionality in extreme conditions. SimpleTech provides rigorous bill of material control as an additional guarantee for the customer, ensuring long term product stability and support.
Product Details
Currently SimpleTech is supplying SD cards from 64MB up to 2GB compliant with the SD physical layer specification v1.1. The 4GB and 8GB SD High-Capacity cards will be released in 2007 based on the 2.0 specification. The SD card comes with a mechanical switch to lock and unlock the device and 9 pins to manage the communication with the host.
SimpleTech offers the Mini-SD from 128MB up to 512MB. The 1GB and 2GB Mini-SD will be released in 2007.
MicroSD, the world's smallest removable storage media measuring only 11mm x 15mm x 0.7mm, will be offered in early 2007 with densities ranging from 128MB up to 2GB.
MMCplus is available in capacities ranging from 64MB up to 512MB. 1GB MMCPlus will be added in 2007. The MMCPlus has 13 pins to allow 8bit interface on top of the standard 1bit and 4bit.
About SimpleTech
SimpleTech, Inc. designs, manufactures and markets custom and open-standard memory and storage solutions based on Flash, DRAM and hard disk drive technologies. With headquarters in Santa Ana, California, the company specializes in developing high performance and high-density memory modules, memory cards and storage products. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.simpletech.com.
The SimpleTech logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1079
Safe harbor
This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, statements concerning the performance of SimpleTech's Small Card products, and concerning increase in SimpleTech Inc.'s revenues and profitability. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements are detailed under "Risk Factors" in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission made from time to time by SimpleTech, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and its current reports on Form 8-K. Other factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements include the following risks: SimpleTech Small Card products may not perform in the manner anticipated, customer demand for such products may not grow as projected and new technological advancements in the field might produce more competitive products. SimpleTech undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
SimpleTech is a registered trademark of SimpleTech, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks referred to herein are the property of their respective owner