Is Flash Memory finally going to get a uniform card format?
By Sean P. Aune
After all these years, a dozen camera memory cards in your desk drawer, and just about as many readers, are manufacturers finally looking at coming out with a uniform standard?
According to the Wall Street Journal, a number of manufacturers are discussing the possibility of finally doing away with their proprietary memory formats to do away with the confusion that exists in the marketplace.
Current information says the change is being backed by Nokia, Micron Technology Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Sony Ericsson, Spansion Inc., STMicroelectronics NV, and Texas Instruments Inc., but no mention of companies such as Olympus, Fuji, and Kodak.
The new format, said to be named “Universal Flash Storge” (UFS), may not appear until 2009 at the earliest. This would hopefully reduce the need for 13-in-1 memory card readers so many computers come with nowadays, and would also allow people to switch brands of cameras without having to dump all their current memory cards when they do.
In other good news, not only will the new format standardize the industry, but it will also reportedly bring faster read and write times.
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