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memory

Forget your meds? Try an Internet pillbox

Due to a combination of aging and parental amnesia, we've often noted our appreciation for anything that improves our failing memory. (At least, we think we have.) So even though this device may have been intended mostly for the elderly--we're not there yet, thank you very much--it's something that just about anyone could use.

"MedSignals" is a pill container that automatically keeps track of when you take your medication, beeping when it's time for a dose and making note of each time a lid is opened to avoid duplication, according to Medgadget. The portable … Read more

Report: Microsoft eyes server memory to cut PC crashes

Microsoft is apparently telling computer makers that they may need to start putting in PCs the same kind of error-correcting memory commonly used in servers to avoid crashes due to memory errors.

According to a report in EE Times, the software maker has been privately circulating a white paper that claims errors from standard memory are now among the top 10 causes for system crashes.

The issue was discussed at last week's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Los Angeles, though the EE Times report said memory chip makers and computer manufacturers were not necessarily all in agreement about … Read more

No matter what it looks like, hold the jam

Sorry, Caroline, it's not a real toaster. At least, we don't think it would be a good idea to try to cram an English muffin into one of its slots, much less one that requires delicate handling for a skull-and-crossbones branding.

What it is, however, is a clever design and marketing ploy for a 27-in-1 memory card reader by Boynq. Technabob says the "Toastit" is a USB flash memory reader that will work with Windows and Mac machines. Despite its decidedly utilitarian function, the $30 Toastit does look nice as an accent for the desktop, if … Read more

Newegg.com has the Mushkin 2GB 240pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory for $105.99, after a $20 mail-in rebate.

NewEgg has the Mushkin 2GB 240pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory for $105.99, after a $20 mail-in rebate. >> Regular price $125.99 >> Deal price $105.99 >> Save $20 >> Deal ends May 18,2007 Click here for deal.

Intel cutting 1,000 jobs from New Mexico plant

An older Intel flash memory factory in New Mexico will be shut down later this year, and up to 1,000 people could be looking for work as a result.

The plant, one of two factories Intel operates in Rio Rancho, N.M., makes flash memory chips based on 135-nanometer manufacturing technology. Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy told InfoWorld that the company wants to make its flash memory division profitable, and cutting older technology from the ranks is one way to make that happen. Intel and Micron announced last week that they are sampling flash memory chips built using 50-nanometer manufacturing … Read more

Flash news: Sony announces its first removable-media HD camcorder

And then there were four: quadruplet Sony HD camcorders, that is. When they ship on June 27, the $1,200 Memory Stick Duo-based Handycam HDR-CX7 and $1,400 hard-disk-based HDR-SR7 will join the tape-based HDR-HC7 and DVD-based HDR-UX7 to provide consumers with an almost bewildering array of HD options.

They differ primarily by storage media. All use the same 1/2.9-inch, 3.2-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor, recording video at 2.3-megapixel (HD) or 1.7-megapixel (SD) resolution before downsampling and encoding to 1080i HD (1,920x540) or SD (720x480), respectively. They also shoot photos at native 2.3-megapixel (16:… Read more

Toshiba announces 16GB flash memory chip; iPhone winces

Toshiba announced today that it has created a 16GB flash memory chip intended for consumer products such as cell phones and MP3 players. This is the highest capacity NAND flash memory chip to date, doubling the existing ceiling of 8GB. The 16GB chip is set to ship in the fall, just in time to make Apple's flash memory-based 8GB iPhone seem cramped.

The chip is designed around eight 2GB elements and boasts a copy speed of 6MB per second, with a 15MB per second read speed. Expect a wave of tiny 16GB flash MP3 players for the holidays.

Via … Read more

Mini-SD? T-flash? Oink, oink...

Most computer peripherals are already available in tons of wacky incarnations: speakers, mice, keyboards, and of course USB storage drives. But memory card readers have, at least until this point, remained pretty boring. Cue Brando's USB Piggy Card Reader, which really does look just like a piggy bank. It can handle, according to ProductDose, SD, CF, XD, MS, Mini SD, and T-flash/Micro SD cards. And it connects to your computer via a USB 2.0 "tail." Sure, it might be taking the definition of "memory hog" (oink, oink) a little too literally, but it'… Read more

iPod surgery in a flash

Want an iPod Nano, but stuck with a fourth-generation player? One DIYer has figured out a way to remove his iPod's hard drive and replace it with with an adapter that can accommodate plug-in flash memory cards.

Make Magazine spotted the most recent efforts of Mark Hoekestra, who posted his tips on Geektechnique.org. He took two iPods, a 40GB photo model and a 20GB regular model, and replaced the hard drives with a homemade adapter. After getting well-acquainted with his soldering iron, he produced a working iPod capable of storing songs on flash memory.

Flash memory is more expensive … Read more