Sansa Nation

Last September, SanDisk announced that they were developing a new microSD and Memory Stick Micro flash memory cards with storage capacity reaching up to 16GB. Well that day has finally arrived. It has been reported that SanDisk has finally released the 16GB MicroSD and M2 flash memory cards in Canada at participating Best Buy retail and Best Buy Mobile stores. Although they are mostly used for mobile phones, a number of other electronic devices have begun using the microSD card. And with technology progressing, the need for higher capacity microSD cards increases.

“Handsets have become far more than just phones; they’ve become mobile jukeboxes, mobile offices, even mobile movie theatres,” says Avi Greengart, Research Director for Mobile Devices at Current Analysis. “There is an acute need for more mobile storage capacity.”

Now it is important to remember that not all phones will be able to utilize the 16GB MicroSD card. The mobile phone must compatible with high-capacity memory card media (SDHC format) as well as have support for 16G memory cards. Newer Sony Ericsson mobile phones are compatible with the 16GB M2 flash memory cards. Just be sure to check your phone’s manual if it is compatible with these high capacity flash memory cards. The 16 GB microSDHC card has a price tag of $119.99, while the M2 will sell for an MSRP of $169.99. Both types come with five-year limited warranties.

- Geoff

[Source: MarketNews]

Popularity: 39% [?]

Flash memory car maker SanDisk Corp survived many buy out attempts this past year only to be hit hard, just like many other companies, by the slowing economy. They announced that will cut production at their manufacturing facilities in Japan because of slowed projection demand for 2009. They plan to stop all production from December 31 to January 12 at their facilities in Yokkaichi, Japan. The facility is run by SanDisk and Toshiba Corp of Japan. SanDisk also says that they are in talks with Toshiba to restructure their joint venture for 2009

-Ray

[Source: postchronicle]

Popularity: 31% [?]

Buy.com is currently selling a refurbished SanDisk Sansa e260 MP3 plyaer for only $37.99. If you are thinking of buying your loved one a MP3 player, but are not looking to put a down payment, the SanDisk Sansas are perfect for you. For a cheap price, you can get a MP3 player that offers an FM Tuner, FM on-the-fly recording, a built-in microphone, plays videos, and has the option for expandable memory. It is very easy to use as well. When navigating through the files, one can navigate by title, album, genre, and playlist. The Sansa e260 supports MP3s, WMA, Audio formats, and have up to 20 hours of battery life. But the one feature that catches every consumer’s eye is the ability to drag and drop files onto the Sansa player. So if you are in the market for a cheap MP3 player, this player is the one for you. Get your refurbished SanDisk Sansa e260 while supplies last.

- Geoff

[Source: DealScan]

Popularity: 100% [?]

Today, the SanDisk corporation has announced that their founder, chairman, and CEO Dr. Eli Harari will be receiving the Global Semiconductor Alliance’s Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award. He will be receiving the award at the GSA Awards Dinner Celebration tonight at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California. The prestigious award recognizes individuals whose contributions to the semiconductor industry exemplify a transformative vision and global leadership. Dr. Harari founded SanDisk back in 1988, and since then has transformed the company into the world’s largest supplier of flash memory cards. Through Harari’s leadership, SanDisk invented flash mass storage cards and helped pioneer USB flash drives. In addition, SanDisk developed CompactFlash, SD and microSD, and co-developed Memory Stick PRO and Memory Stick PRO Duo card formats. SanDisk also invented Multi-Level Cell technology, which  greatly increasing the capacity of NAND flash memory. Congratulations to Dr. Eli Harari for his well deserved award.

- Geoff

[Source: MarketWatch]

Popularity: 32% [?]

Buy.com is currently offering a refurbished SanDisk Sansa Express Digital MP3 Player with a 2GB flash hard drive for only $15.99. The Sansa Express Digital includes many features such as 15 hours of play with one charge via lithium polymer battery, microSD slot to expand memory, a digital FM tuner with recording, a built-in microphone for voice recording, and a high-speed USB 2.0 slot. The best part is, there is no need for additional software to upload music. You can simply drag and drop music files into the player. Go check out Buy.com for more details.

- Geoff

[Source: Buy.com]

Popularity: 24% [?]

SanDisk has just introduced their new Cruzer Enterprise USB flash drive that SanDisk claims is “the first secure USB flash drive to fully support Apple Mac OS X computers”. With the Cruzer Enterprise, SanDisk implemented “a hardware-based 256-bit AES USB encryption solution that puts mandatory access control on all files as protection against theft or loss of the drive”. With the new implementation, the Cruzer Enterprise USB flash drive will allow users to log in/shut down access to the encrypted storage area, change/manage passwords, edit contact information (among other preferences), launch online support and view current firmware and drive information. The Cruzer Enterprise comes in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB storage sizes and will run you anywhere from $60 to $300. It is fully compatible with bot Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and 10.5 (Leopard), as well as work with the Microsoft Windows platform.

- Geoff

[Source: Engadget]

Popularity: 14% [?]