SAN JOSE, Calif., April 3, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- STEC, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEC) today announced availability of the industry's first true Industrial Grade USB Flash Drive. An unparalleled combination of security, high reliability, operation in extreme environments, and consistency in Bill of Materials makes this Industrial Grade USB Flash Drive vital to industrial applications such as networking, gaming, medical and embedded systems. The addition extends STEC's USB product offering for embedded and industrial applications, making it the broadest in the industry. STEC will showcase the new Industrial Grade USB Flash Drive at the Embedded Systems Conference, April 3-5, 2007 at McEnery Convention Centre in San Jose, CA (Booth 2345).
"High reliability OEMs are now looking to USB Flash Drives as the product of choice for portable solid state storage. STEC continues to expand its product portfolio to meet these evolving needs with true Industrial Grade solutions that can provide both security and reliability. The future in industrial portable storage is all about making sure your data is stored in a reliable way in a secure area," said Patrick Wilkison, vice president of marketing and business development at STEC. "Engineered to meet the stringent requirements of security, reliability and endurance, the Industrial Grade USB Flash Drives are ideal for the most demanding applications."
Storing data in a secure area on the Industrial Grade USB Flash Drive is ideal for applications that contain sensitive data that cannot be tampered with. This is an important consideration for design engineers that need to be able to store their OS, log data or any other data in an area in the flash that cannot be touched.
STEC's Industrial Grade USB Flash drive combines high reliability, superior performance in extreme environmental conditions and precise quality controls through lot traceability. A standard USB 2.0 interface is combined with the latest Single Level Cell NAND Flash technology in a portable form factor, with an enclosure that is rated for Industrial Temperatures and NEBS Level 3 ESD compliancy, an important consideration for network applications that require reliable devices operation in the most demanding environments.
The USB Flash Drive incorporates a proprietary STEC USB Flash controller and the latest SLC NAND flash technology to meet stringent market requirements for portable solid-state storage device. Features include:
* High Reliability: The built-in ECC engine can detect up to 5-byte errors and correct up to 4-byte errors, while sophisticated wear leveling algorithms guarantee 2,000,000 Write/Erase Cycles per flash block; * Secure Partitioning: The USB flash drive can be partitioned with up to two partitions, of which one can be secure, allowing confidential information to be stored on the device; * Traceability: Manufacturing information is laser etched into the enclosure during manufacturing, allowing for lot traceability and full access to the Bill of Materials; * Extreme Temperature: The USB Flash drive is graded for both Commercial and Industrial Temperatures, allowing device use in extreme temperatures, ranging from -40 degrees C to +85 degrees C; * High ESD rating: The Industrial USB Flash Drive is ideal for customers that require a storage device that is immune for high Electrostatic Discharge. The heavy-duty metal enclosure is NEBS Level 3 compliant for ESD ratings, tested and approved for 15KV air and 8KV contact; * Unique Serial Number: A unique serial number is written to the device during manufacturing, making it possible to implement this feature into applications that need serialization.
The drive is available in two enclosures. A lightweight enclosure is ideal for customers requiring Industrial Grade portable storage. A heavy-duty enclosure is available customers requiring NEBS Level 3 compliancy for ESD Rating. The heavy-duty enclosure is rated for 15KV air and 8KV contact.
STEC ensures long-term product availability and non-obsolescence. All Industrial Grade USB Flash Drives carry a standard five year warranty. Extended warranties are also available. All Industrial Grade USB Flash Drive products are made in the United States at STEC's ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified manufacturing facilities.
Pricing and Availability
Industrial Grade USB Flash Disk Drive is available in capacities from 128MB up to 4GB. OEM pricing is available upon request. Sales information is available at http://www.stec-inc.com, via email at info@stec-inc.com or by calling (949) 476-1180.
About STEC
STEC, Inc., with headquarters in Santa Ana, California, designs, manufactures and markets high performance memory and storage solutions based on Flash and DRAM technologies. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.stec-inc.com.
The STEC logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1079
Safe Harbor Statement
This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, statements concerning the performance of USB Flash Drive products, and concerning increase in STEC 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 STEC, 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: USB Flash Drive 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. STEC 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.
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