Based on the Miniature Card standard, which is endorsed by over 50 leading high technology and consumer electronics companies including Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Philips, Olympus and Konica, these cards have the ability to store and exchange image, text and voice data.

"With the market for digital handheld consumer products gaining momentum, we are ready with high-volume production quantities to meet the accelerated demand for small-form-factor cards," said Walid Maghribi, vice president and general manager of AMD's Non-Volatile Memory Division. "We believe that with AMD's flash technology, increasing capacity, and commitment to the market, the AMD Miniature Card will be the solution of choice."

AMD's Flash Miniature Card
AMD offers both 2.7-volt-only and 5.0-volt-only cards. The 2.7-volt-only cards are based on AMD's Am29LV081 flash devices while the 5.0-volt-only cards are based on AMD's Am29F016C flash devices. AMD's flash Miniature Card is designed as a low-power, cost-effective, durable memory solution that is targeted at the needs of the consumer market. Unlike other competing small form-factor standards, the Miniature Card does not require complex control logic that adds to the cost and power consumption of the solution. The Miniature Card connector is designed to be user friendly, easily serviceable and lower cost than today's pin-and-socket-type solutions. The stainless steel Miniature Card case is similar to existing PCMCIA card technology and can withstand rugged handling by consumers. Since Miniature Cards accommodate more than one flash device, OEMs have more flexibility in the range of densities available than with single-chip solutions.

AMD Flash Miniature Card Features and Benefits
The AMD flash Miniature Card is compatible with the Miniature Card Implementers Forum (MCIF) standard that ensures interoperability between handheld consumer devices and the PC. Key features of the card include:

• Multi-Sourced Industry Standard: An open-industry standard supporting multiple memory technologies, including flash, ROM and DRAM.
• Low Power Consumption: The 3V Miniature Card operates over the full 2.7V - 3.6V range for read, write and erase operations, extending battery life in portable systems. A separate Vpp supply is not required for programming operations. The card has an automatic low-power sleep mode that consumes less that 1uA per device (typical) and allows the card to resume operation within the standard read-access cycle time.
• Reliability & Endurance : Based on Am29LVxxx and Am29Fxxx flash devices the Miniature Cards offer a typical write/erase endurance of 1 million cycles and data retention times of more than 10 years. There is no requirement for complex error correction or bad sector mapping schemes to achieve this level of performance.
• Performance: Standard read-access times are 150ns and write performance is up to 250Kbytes/sec which is ideal for the requirements of handheld applications. Data can be randomly accessed, allowing direct execution of code from the card and reducing the system RAM requirements (unlike ATA-type cards), thereby lowering the overall system solution cost.
• Elastomeric Connector: A single elastomeric connector per host system is required, eliminating the need for an expensive connector on each memory card. The elastomeric connector is extremely durable and can be easily replaced if necessary.
• PC Compatibility: Maintains backward compatibility with PCMCIA and the PC installed base through the use of a PCMCIA-to-Miniature Card Type II adapter and the DOS/FAT file format. Data can be transferred from a handheld unit to the PC through the use of the adapter if a PCMCIA slot is available, or via a serial connection such as RS232 or USB.
• Software & Other Third-Party Support: Miniature Card sockets and connectors are available from Augat, and PCMCIA-to-Miniature Card adapters are available from SCM Microsystems and other third-party vendors. Miniature Card software solutions are available from a number of third-party vendors, including M-Systems and SCM.
• Small Form Factor: The Miniature Card measures 38 mm (width) x 33 mm (length) x 3.5mm (height), making it approximately one-fourth the size of PCMCIA cards and ideal for handheld applications.

Price and Availability
AMD's Miniature Card is now shipping in both 2.7-volt-only and 5.0-volt-only versions. Pricing starts from $30 for a 2Mbyte card in 10,000 unit volumes.