sandisk

SanDisk's SlotMusic strategy puzzled me at first. I didn't understand why anybody would pay almost the same price as a CD for an easily misplaced microSD card with lower-quality audio. The release of the $19.99 SlotMusic player, which is basically an MP3 player capable of playing these cards, changed my opinion a little bit. But I suggested that the real strength would come in curated cards containing, for example, a selection of songs from the Billboard charts. Given that a regular album cost $14.99 on this format, I figured that a curated card for the same … Read more

The widespread proliferation of sensitive data via USB thumbdrives demands a need for data encryption, and SanDisk is stepping up to bat. Their newest Ultra Backup USB flash drive uses both password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption to reduce holes in vulnerability across the board.

Sandisk's entire line of USB flash drives, including their Cruzer series, is also getting a much-deserved makeover. The new designs use a capless design and have a convenient LED that glows amber while the drive is in use. In addition, all the drives will continue to use U3 Smart technology that lets users … Read more

What can I say? I'm a big fan of gadgets that play into my inherent laziness. You may have figured this out while reading my various accounts of Slacker's Internet radio service and MP3 player. Now, SanDisk is following Slacker's line of thinking, albeit with a much more basic premise that involves simplicity and a low-cost device, rather than fancy wireless technology and the capability to tailor music to your liking. Instead, SanDisk's new MP3 player, dubbed slotRadio, uses preloaded microSD cards filled with 1,000 handpicked songs arranged into playlists. The device is clearly not … Read more

Both SanDisk and Samsung announced solid-state drives on Tuesday--though that's where the similarity ends. SanDisk's SSDs are aimed at Netbooks, while Samsung's new SSDs are for the high-performance server market.

SanDisk is debuting its new 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB pSSD-P2 and pSSD-S2 solid-state drives at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. Samsung's 100GB SS805 drive, on the other hand, is being introduced on Tuesday at the Storage Visions 2009 Conference, also in Las Vegas.

The second-generation SanDisk drives, designed as drop-in replacements for hard-disk drives, use the Serial-ATA or SATA interface. First-generation … Read more

A federal judge in Rhode Island has postponed a hearing in a case that may test the legal underpinnings of the Recording Industry Association of America's suits against file swapping. CNET News' Declan McCullagh explains what's at stake.

Today's stories:

Report: Mac sales hit a slowdown

Judge postpones hearing in key RIAA lawsuit

Toshiba, SanDisk to cut flash chip output

Mobile phone market to shrink in `09

Analyst predicts Apple will unveil Netbook

Intel's twist on the Classmate PC debuting at CES

Toshiba plans to cut flash memory chip production starting in January, citing the global economic slowdown. SanDisk, which operates manufacturing lines jointly with Toshiba, said it will follow suit.

Toshiba announced on Monday that its Yokkaichi Operations plant in Japan's Mie prefecture will cut NAND flash memory production by approximately 30 percent, effective from January 2009.

"Recession in the global economy and the slowdown in consumer spending are having a significant impact on demand for semiconductors," Toshiba said in a statement. "This is particularly notable in NAND flash memories, where decreased demand for applications such as … Read more

SanDisk is evaluating a production halt over the holidays at its manufacturing facilities in Japan, reflecting an overall slowdown in the flash memory chip industry.

"The joint venture is evaluating plans for operations over the holiday season, including a possible stoppage of some production lines," a SanDisk spokesman said Friday. "We constantly consider manufacturing schedules in light of market requirements and this is particularly true during the holiday season," he added.

Milpitas, Calif.-based SanDisk and Toshiba have joint production lines for NAND flash chip manufacturing in Japan.

This follows a Bloomberg report that said Toshiba … Read more

Normally I wouldn't recommend buying directly from a manufacturer's Web site unless that was the only way to buy a product. However, it looks like "Cyber Monday" may be an exception to that rule--at least in the case of SanDisk, which is offering some significant discounts on its flash memory.

For example, an 8GB Ultra II SDHC card that regularly goes for $49.99 is cut to $20.99. The price of a 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo is cut in half, down to $19.99.

If you take more pictures with your phone than your … Read more