New innovative smartphone from Aliant Mobility

HALIFAX, Nov. 25 /CNW/ - Aliant Mobility today announced that the palmOne
Treo(TM) 600 smartphone, and corporate email solution, are now available to
customers, building on its reputation as Atlantic Canada's leader in wireless
communications.

The Treo 600 combines a world-class phone with email, messaging,
organizing and web-browsing capabilities and a Palm(R) OS-based handheld
computer in a compact device with a phone-like look and feel. In addition to
the smartphone, Aliant is offering customers a corporate email solution and
software, OneBridge Mobile Groupware, that enables customers to view various
attachments including Word and Excel documents.

Aliant's corporate email solution, in partnership with their software
provider Extended Systems, makes email access easier than ever before.
Corporate email is sent directly to the device enabling customers to easily
manage their calendar, contacts, tasks and other data using push technology.
"The Treo 600 and OneBridge Mobile Groupware are welcome additions to our
suite of wireless solutions," said Chuck Hartlen, Vice-president, Aliant
Mobility. "We're pleased to offer this simple-to-use smartphone, along with a
corporate email solution, to customers across the region."

"The combination of OneBridge Mobile Groupware and Treo devices provides
customers with a powerful communications tool combining wireless voice and
data capabilities," said Jeffrey Siegel, chief marketing officer, Extended
Systems. "With OneBridge Mobile Groupware, Aliant can give customers a
flexible wireless e-mail solution with access to Microsoft Exchange, Lotus
Notes or Novell GroupWise today, while also providing a comprehensive platform
upon which to mobilize other enterprise applications in the future."

The smartphone has a built-in keyboard and seamlessly combines a
full-featured mobile phone; wireless communication applications (email,
messaging and web browsing); a Palm OS organizer; speakerphone; and even a
digital camera to simplify customers' business and personal lives. The
keyboard, five-way navigation button and other design features make it
possible to get more done - in fewer steps - without having to swap back and
forth between applications. The device features a bright color screen and an
integrated SD Card/multi-media card slot that lets users add memory and
content.

The smartphone is now available throughout Aliant's dealer network in
Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova
Scotia.

About Aliant
From its home base in Atlantic Canada, Aliant delivers a wide variety of
innovative and traditional communications services, including local and long
distance telephony, wireless, Internet, e-commerce, interactive multimedia,
data and managed network services, to more than two million consumers and over
80,000 enterprises. Aliant complements its industry-leading telecommunications
business with strengths in information technology solutions and knowledge-
services applications. The Company's approximately 8,600 employees build on
Aliant's 100-plus year history by collaborating to deliver the highest quality
of customer service, choice and convenience. Aliant is a TSX 100 company with
a market capitalization of approximately $3.5 billion.

To view the palmOne Treo 600 please visit www.aliant.ca/treo600

For further information: Peter Murchland, Aliant Communications and
Public Affairs, (902) 487-3165, 1.877.487.3165, peter.murchland@aliant.ca;
Archived images on this organization are available through CNW E-Pix at
http://www.newswire.ca. Images are free to members of The Canadian Press.

Sony Introduces One-Inch Removable HDD - 2GB & 4GB

PARK RIDGE, N.J., Nov. 22, 2004 -- Rounding out its line of removable media, Sony Electronics is introducing the Sony Microdrive®, a one-inch removable hard disk drive that will meet the increasing storage needs of many portable digital devices such as digital cameras and PDAs.

Designed to fit the Compact Flash+ Type II interface, Sony Microdrive offers a cost-effective solution for expanding consumer storage needs such as high-resolution digital photos and MPEG video. Microdrive also features a high-performance 97.9 Mbps data transfer rate to accommodate rapid shooting and moving picture data.

"As consumer data storage needs become more diverse and demanding, we aim to provide a full range of removable storage solutions," said Michael Lucas, director of consumer and convergent media for Sony Electronics' Media and Applications Solutions Division. "Many consumers are expecting a lot more from their devices, and Microdrive adds another format to our line of high performance media solutions that will help carry these devices to the next level of applications."

Sony Microdrive will be available in 2 GB and 4 GB capacities. Both are compatible to the Compact Flash+ Type II Standard. With a PC adapter, the Microdrive can also be used in devices that have a PC card type II slot (Windows Me, 2000 or XP are required for use with PC).

The Sony 2 GB Microdrive (Model RHMD2G) is available now for a suggested retail price of $179, and the 4 GB Microdrive (Model RHMD4G) is available for a suggested retail price of $279.

Specification Summary:
* Capacity: 2 GB* and 4 GB*
* Interface: CF+ Type II Micro Drive (ATA Compatible with AV Mode)
* Data Transfer Rate: 97.9 Mbps
* Voltage: 2 GB: 3.3 Volts; 4 GB: 5 Volts
* Dimensions: Approximate 1.75 inches wide x 1.5 inches high
* Temperature: O degrees to 35 degrees C; 32 to 67 degrees F
* Humidity: 8 percent to 90 percent

Toshiba Hi-Speed SD Cards reach Australia

As small as a postage stamp, the Toshiba Hi-Speed Secure Digital (SD) Memory Card is compact and portable as well as robust and reliable. With incredible storage capacity in a small form factor, the SD memory card has been adopted as the media of technology convergence. SD ports are provided as the standard in all current models of Toshiba notebooks, pocket PCs, MP3 players, and the new line of digital cameras in addition to other brands of cell phones, notebooks and PDAs.

The Toshiba Hi-Speed Type SD Card is around 5 times faster than normal SD Cards! It reads and writes data at around 10MB per second!

The SD memory card makes it easy to share files between devices, so you can stop worrying about cables, drivers and compatibility. The same card can be used in all devices that are SD compliant.SD memory cards have an ultra-fast average transfer rate at 10MB per second. Because of the speed, compatibility for many devices, and the secure storage media to protect commercial copyright content, the SD memory card has been accepted as a means to share and distribute intellectual property.

These cards are made in JAPAN and have lifetime warranties! Excellent value!

Advanced Features of the Toshiba SD card:
- This Toshiba SD/secure digital memory card has a capacity of 256MB
- Cryptographic security for copyrighted data based on proven security concepts from DVD audio
- High digital data transfer rate of 10MB per second for fast copy/download
- High digital storage capacity
- Non-volatile solid-state; no moving parts maximizes battery power. Data is not lost when power is turned off
- Low battery consumption to maximize battery life in small portable devices
- User selectable mechanical write protect switch on the exterior card casing
- New devices with SD Card slots will accept existing MultiMediaCards
- Operating shock rating of 2,000Gs, equivalent to a 10-foot drop to the floor
- Security level complies with both current and future Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) portable device requirements

You can get your hi-speed Toshiba SD card 256MB here at Mr.Gadget!

Sandisk Announces the MobileMate Card Readers

Good news users on the go wanting portable card readers - SanDisk today introduced two Hi-Speed USB 2.0, multi-card MobileMate™ card readers. The sleek, stylish, silver-metallic readers are about the length and width of a stick of gum and slip easily into any pocket.

The MobileMate SD+ 5-in-1 reader supports SD™, MiniSD™, MultiMediaCard™, RS-MMC™ and TransFlash™ while the 4-in-1 MobileMate MS+ reader has one slot for Memory Stick™, Memory Stick PRO™, Memory Stick Duo™ and Memory Stick PRO Duo™. The flash memory cards can be plugged directly into the readers. No card adapters are required. Also, MobileMate readers are true “plug and play” due to USB Mass Storage Class (MSC) compliance.


Source: Shuttertalk.com

New Flash Memory by AMD Spansion

Tom Krazit, ComputerWeekly.com (03/11/2004) Spansion, the flash memory joint venture between Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Fujitsu, unveiled two products that introduce a new design into Spansion's lineup and expand the density of its current products, the company said.

The company now manufactures a 512Mbit flash memory chip, as well as serial flash memory chips ranging from 1Mbits to 16Mbits. AMD owns a controlling interest in the joint venture, which contributes almost half of AMD's revenue on a quarterly basis.

Flash memory is usually found in mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and removable media cards for consumer electronics products. It can store data without a constant supply of electricity, unlike RAM memory used in PCs and servers.

Most flash memory is based on a parallel design, but AMD's new Spansion FL Flash chips are based on a serial design. A serial design means that bits of data travel one at a time through the chip, while in a parallel design bits of data travel in groups of eight or 16 bits.

Serial designs require less pins to connect the chips to the system board, and lower the cost and complexity of devices that use serial flash memory, Spansion said.

Serial flash memory products will be used in lower-level devices such as hard drives, DVD players, and printers, Spansion said. The company is currently selling 1Mbit and 2Mbit chips, and has samples of 4Mbit chips and 16Mbit chips, it said.

Spansion has also increased the density of its flagship Mirrorbit flash memory chips to 512Mbits. Those chips will be used in cars, telecommunication devices and mobile phones, the company said.

The new chips, like all AMD's Mirrorbit chips, are based on the NOR architecture.

NOR chips are based on the "not or" logic gate and are typically used in PDAs and other devices that do not require frequent updates to stored data.

The other popular type of flash memory is called NAND flash memory. It is based on the "not and" logic gate and used primarily in devices that are often updated, such as expansion cards for peripheral devices.

Play DVDs on your Nokia!

Pocket-Lint (04/11/2004) Makayama has today released a DVD to mobile Nokia Edition of its popular software. The software will allow users to convert a DVD to a Nokia phone and watch in landscape mode.

With the compression software, the Makayama suggest you will be able to store a full length feature film on a 128Mb SD card.

The Nokia Edition will also support Symbian Series 60 Based phones, such as the Siemens SX1 and the Sendo X alongside Nokia models like the 6600.

The software installs an encoding package on a PC with Windows XP, users insert a DVD in the drive of their PC and with only two clicks, the software turns it into a super small movie file, which will play on a custom mediaplayer on the phone.

The headset or the built-in speaker can be used to listen to the sound. Subtitled and foreign language DVDs are also supported.

Those skeptical of the capabilities of the software can try out a free version which allows users to convert 5 minutes of a DVD. The retail price for the software is $24.99, available through all major online distributors, such as Handango, Nokia Software Market, Symbiangear, Smartsam, Mobile2Day and Clickapps.

The following phones that are supported: NOKIA 3620, 3650, 3660, 6260, 6600, 6620, 6630, 6670, 7610, N-Gage QD, SIEMENS SX-1, SENDO X, PANASONIC X700, SAMSUNG D710

Samsung to Produce Highest Density Smart Card IC

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 2004--Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today that it is preparing to mass produce a smart card IC with 1-megabyte (MB) of embedded NOR Flash memory (S3FJ9SK) -- the highest density available today. The IC's higher data storage will enable the first widespread use of multimedia message service (MMS), as well as improved Internet access, increased phone book storage, more online games and other applications for 3G mobile handsets.

The new 1MB embedded NOR Flash smart card IC will be demonstrated in Hall 3, Booth No.3 C 29 at the CARTES 2004 exhibition held in Paris, France from November 2 through 4.

The embedded 1MB NOR Flash memory smart card IC utilizes an ARM-based 32bit SC200 secure core, a 3-DES encryption standard and a crypto processor, enabling enhanced reliability, faster subscriber identification and more security to prevent the leakage of information.

Samsung also has an embedded 16Kilobytes (KB) SRAM to enable code designers to apply diverse programs, while simultaneously attaining significant performance enhancements. A built-in JAVA accelerator facilitates a JAVA-based platform, improving the speed up to 8 times.

The high-density embedded NOR Flash memory smart card IC supports operating voltages from 1.62V to 5V. The low power feature fully complies with the power consumption levels of the GSM standard. Moreover, memory management has been optimized because data programming and updating processes operate independently of one another.

With the introduction of this highly efficient smart card IC, Samsung now supports a full line of embedded NOR Flash memory smart card ICs from 192KB to 1MB. The S3FJ9SK is available for sale in Europe.

About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2003 parent company sales of US$36.4 billion and net income of US$5.0 billion. Employing approximately 88,000 people in 89 offices in 46 countries, the company consists of six main business units: Corporate Technology Operations, Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is the world's largest producer of color monitors, color TVs, memory chips, and TFT-LCDs. For more information, visit www.samsung.com.

New Sandisk Memory Sticks and SD Cards

Press Release: SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today introduced the world’s largest capacities of Memory Stick PRO™, Memory Stick PRO Duo™ and SD™ cards with 4-gigabyte (GB), 1GB and 2GB capacities respectively. These new cards are double the current maximum capacities and are designed to fit into a broad range of digital cameras, digital camcorders, music players, games, mobile phones and other consumer electronics devices. The announcement was made at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2004 trade show at Moscone Center where SanDisk is demonstrating products in Booth 924.

“SanDisk is leveraging to the fullest our leading edge flash memory and advanced controllers to once again raise the bar by introducing the highest capacities of Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick PRO Duo card and SD cards in the industry,” said Nelson Chan, executive vice president and general manager of the consumer and handset business. “These new capacity points will allow our customers who need maximum storage in their digital cameras, mobile phones and other electronics devices to use these new cards to store as many digital pictures, songs and other personal data as they desire.”

With higher performance and embedded MagicGate™ technology, the SanDisk Memory Stick PRO and Memory Stick PRO Duo feature high capacity, high-speed data transfer and built-in security for the secure transfer of copyright-protected content and real-time recording of high-resolution images and video. The introduction of the 2GB SanDisk SD cards makes it possible to store hundreds of high resolution digital images, JPEG compressed video clips and many hours of digital music on a single card.

To achieve these industry-leading capacities, SanDisk employs its highest density 90-nanometer 4-gigabit NAND/MLC (Multi-Level Cell) flash memory, chip stacking technology and latest generation of 32-bit controller architecture. These are coupled with high performance algorithms to maximize MLC performance while benefiting from the lower cost-per-megabyte of MLC memory.