Kingston Technology Flash Memory Manual page 5

• High-Capacity: Flash storage devices can provide large storage capacities in a very small
form factor. This flexibility makes them ideal for consumer uses, such as digital film or
storage for MP3 music, where portability and convenience are important.
Please note: Some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other
functions and thus is not available for data storage. Please see Section 2 for details.
• High-Performance: Kingston' s Elite Pro/Ultimate Flash cards and Hi-Speed DataTraveler
USB Flash drives are faster than many standard Flash products and many competitive
products. Kingston' s engineers test and select high-performance controllers to ensure that
Kingston' s Flash cards are among the performance leaders. Please see the Appendix for
information about USB and Hi-Speed USB performance. Kingston standard Flash products
offer moderate performance levels for general purpose applications.
• Low Power Consumption: Unlike standard DRAM memory that needs to be constantly
powered on to maintain its data, Flash memory is non-volatile and does not require
power to maintain its data. Flash memory' s low power consumption results in longer
battery life for the host device.
• Plug-and-Play Support: Kingston' s Flash memory line supports plug and play. With
plug-and-play technology and compatible computer operating systems, a Flash storage
device can be inserted into a computer or a Flash media reader and be quickly recognized
and accessed by the computer.
• Hot-Swapping Support: Hot-swapping allows for plugging or unplugging Flash storage
devices into a compatible computer or reader without needing to power off and restart the
computer. This feature enhances the portability and convenience of Flash storage devices
for transferring data, pictures or music between two computers or devices.
4.0
Non-volatile Nor and NAND Flash Technologies
Unlike Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Flash memory is non-volatile. Non-
volatile memory retains data even without being powered-on. For example, when a computer
is turned off, all data that was in the computer' s DRAM memory is lost; however, when a
Flash storage device is removed from a digital camera, all data (and pictures) remains saved
on the Flash storage device. The ability to retain data is key for Flash memory applications
such as digital film for digital cameras, cell phones, PDAs and other transportable devices.
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