Kingston Technology Digital Media Guide specifications NOR Flash Memory, Nand Flash Memory

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(and pictures) remains saved on the flash storage device. The ability to retain data is key for flash memory applications such as digital film for digital cameras, cell phones, PDAs and other transportable devices.

There are two major technologies of flash memory: NOR and NAND. Each technology has its strengths that make it ideal for different kinds of applications, as summarized in the table below:

	NOR Flash	NAND Flash
High-speed Access	Yes	Yes
Page-Mode Data Access	No	Yes
Random Byte Level Access	Yes	No
Typical Uses	Cell Phones	PDAs
	BIOS Storage for PCs	Digital Cameras
	Networking Device Memory	MP3 players
		Solid State Disk Drives
		Set-Top Boxes
		Industrial Storage

4.1 NOR FLASH MEMORY

NOR, named after the specific data mapping technology (Not OR), is a high-speed Flash technology. NOR Flash memory provides high-speed random-access capabilities, being able to read and write data in specific locations in the memory without having to access the memory in sequential mode. Unlike NAND Flash, NOR Flash allows the retrieval of data as small as a single byte. NOR Flash excels in applications where data is randomly retrieved or written. NOR is most often found built into cellular phones and PDAs and is also used in computers to store the BIOS program that runs to provide the start-up functionality.

4.2 NAND FLASH MEMORY

NAND Flash was invented after NOR Flash, and is named after the specific mapping technology used for data (Not AND). NAND Flash memory reads and writes in high- speed, sequential mode, handling data in small, block sizes (“pages”). NAND Flash can retrieve or write data as single pages, but cannot retrieve individual bytes like NOR Flash.

NAND Flash memory is commonly found in solid-state hard drives, audio and video digital media devices, television set-top boxes, digital cameras and other devices where data is generally written or read sequentially.

C O M M I T T E D TO M E M O R Y

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