Out in Front: July 4, 1996

SanDisk's new IDE FlashChip integrates as much as 4 Mbytes of flash memory onto one IC with an IDE disk controller, creating essentially a solid-state disk drive on a chip. The chip targets PC Card and CompactFlash (CF) packaging schemes. Moreover, major operating systems, including Windows, DOS, OS/2, and Apple System 7 automatically support devices based on the IDE FlashChip, because the chip's controller supports the PC Card ATA interface standard. SanDisk offers 2- and 4-Mbyte versions of the chip, and samples are available for $53 and $75, respectively. You can also expand the capacity of IDE FlashChip-based products with 4- or 10-Mbyte flash ICs.

In related news, SanDisk has announced that Canon (Lake Success, NY) is the first to offer a digital camera ($950) for consumers based on Sandisk's CF storage modules. The CF modules act as digital film, storing as many as 72 images on a $229, 4-Mbyte module.

—by Maury Wright

SanDisk Corp, Sunnyvale, CA. (408) 542-0500.