Data Matters - A blog about flash memory » Consumer Other http://blog.datalight.com Datalight's blog on flash memory, device data storage, data reliability and the embedded industry Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:59:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 Datalight XCFiles File System for SDXC Removable Storage Helps OEMs Get Consumer Devices to Market Quickly http://blog.datalight.com/datalight-xcfiles-file-system-for-sdxc-removable-storage-helps-oems-get-consumer-devices-to-market-quickly http://blog.datalight.com/datalight-xcfiles-file-system-for-sdxc-removable-storage-helps-oems-get-consumer-devices-to-market-quickly#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:06:38 +0000 michele http://blog.datalight.com/?p=326 Earlier this week we announced XCFiles, a design-ready exFAT-compatible file system for next-generation extended capacity SD (SDXC) cards. Visit Datalight.com to read the full announcement or learn more about our exFAT implementation

]]> http://blog.datalight.com/datalight-xcfiles-file-system-for-sdxc-removable-storage-helps-oems-get-consumer-devices-to-market-quickly/feed 0 Datalight Chosen for Blackboard Campus Card Reader Systems http://blog.datalight.com/datalight-chosen-for-blackboard-campus-card-reader-systems http://blog.datalight.com/datalight-chosen-for-blackboard-campus-card-reader-systems#comments Thu, 20 May 2010 14:26:23 +0000 michele http://blog.datalight.com/?p=317 Blackboard is the standard-bearer for student ID systems around the world. Their contactless cards serve as campus ID, building access, and point-of-sale accounts for meals and other services, and are rapidly replacing the old magnetic stripe systems. The cards and readers use a Windows Embedded CE-based platform. When Blackboard’s BSP provider learned that the systems would be responsible for keeping track of sensitive financial transactions, they recommended Datalight software to make certain that the system will function with bullet-proof reliability. To read more about our work with Blackboard, check out the full success story.

]]> http://blog.datalight.com/datalight-chosen-for-blackboard-campus-card-reader-systems/feed 0 Datalight Cuts Boot Time in Half for New LG Navigator http://blog.datalight.com/datalight-cuts-boot-time-in-half-for-new-lg-navigator http://blog.datalight.com/datalight-cuts-boot-time-in-half-for-new-lg-navigator#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:36:05 +0000 RobHart http://blog.datalight.com/datalight-cuts-boot-time-in-half-for-new-lg-navigator The Challenge
Recently, LG Electronics, a well-known Korean-based manufacturer of consumer electronics, created a multimedia-enabled portable navigator for the North American market. The LN790 features a 4.3” LCD screen, Bluetooth hands-free functionality, and video-enabled playback. Ruggedness and fast access to data are important to consumers in this market, so the device was designed to boot directly from a NAND mass storage environment using Windows CE. Unfortunately, LG product engineers had a difficult time getting the device to boot fast enough using CE’s FAL/FMD flash drivers.  At just over two minutes, the startup time did not match LG’s reputation for high-performance consumer devices.

The Datalight Solution
As LG engineers went searching for solutions to the boot speed problem, they discovered that Datalight FlashFX® Pro uses a more efficient approach to managing bad blocks than CE’s standard FMD/FAL drivers, which can speed boot time significantly.  This difference is especially apparent when the device is using a large NAND disk, because boot time is somewhat proportional to the size of the flash.
Why is FlashFX Pro more efficient? Startup with FAL requires the driver to read more data as part of its mount sequence, a lengthy process particularly if the disk is large. In contrast, FlashFX Pro requires a much simpler check of the media to complete the initial mount.

The Customer Payoff
After implementation of FlashFX Pro, LG engineers were delighted to discover that the device’s boot time was cut by more than half. By using FlashFX Pro instead of the native Windows CE drivers, LG designers were able to achieve the performance their customers expect from a premium-quality personal navigator.  There was also an additional benefit they hadn’t counted on – FlashFX Pro support for over 200 flash parts means that the LN790 will be future-proof from flash parts going on allocation, unexpected price fluctuations, and end-of-life issues.

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