Axiz announces range of flash products for improved data storage capacity

Axiz has announced the launch of a range of flash memory products that target the data storage requirements of a variety of users, from digital camera and MP3-player users to those with a need to transfer large chunks of data between devices.

Bruce Murphy, memory product manager at Axiz, says that the products are available in the Samsung and Kalliba brands. "The ranges include Compact Flash and SmartMedia products that are targeted at the growing PDA, MP3 and digital camera markets," he says. "In addition, we provide a USB Flash range in a variety of megabyte sizes, which replaces the stiffy drive with an improved product containing a range of features such as security - with personalised passwords - and bootability."

A flash memory device is a small storage medium used to store data such as text, pictures, audio and video, for use on small, portable or remote computing devices. Most available devices have constantly powered non-volatile memory, which means that data is stable on the card, is not threatened by a loss of power source, and does not need to be periodically refreshed. Because these flash memory devices are solid state media, they have no moving parts, and therefore, are unlikely to suffer mechanical difficulties. Flash memory devices offer a number of advantages over the hard disk drive: they`re much smaller and lighter, extremely portable, completely silent, allow more immediate access, and are less prone to mechanical damage.

Murphy points that that in recent years, the prices of gadgets such as PDAs and digital cameras have come down, making these products more accessible to the average user. With the increased availability and use has come a need for higher data storage, and this requirement is easily fulfilled with the addition of more Compact Flash or SmartMedia cards.

"For example, as the overall quality of digital cameras improves, the size of the files created has increased," he says. To create higher quality photographs, the cameras generate more pixels per picture and therefore increase the size of the file. In order to get more files on one device, the need for increased capacity on the data storage devices has resulted and users require more flash memory.

"USB Flash products are also coming into their own, as the average size of many data files has grown to the point where they no longer fit onto a standard 1.4MB stiffy disk," Murphy adds. "With the Kalliba USB Flash drive, you can store large amounts of data for transportation from one device to another, then simply delete it as you would with an ordinary disk and start again."

Kalliba USB Flash devices are available in sizes ranging from 16MB to 512MB, and are approximately the same size as a highlighter pen - making them easily transportable.

The Samsung flash products are designed specifically for the retail market, with a focus on the focused reseller - such as camera and PDA specialists. Kalliba flash products, including the USB Flash devices, bring quality and affordability, reliability to South African channel markets.