Micron NAND Software Solutions for Mobile Applications

Micron Technology, Inc. introduced a suite of NAND software solutions for mobile handset designers looking to simplify the development process of NAND technology into their applications. The NANDcode family of software solutions supports all major mobile operating systems including Windows Mobile 6, Linux, and Symbian, and is optimized to derive the greatest benefit and full feature set of Micron’s ONFI-standard single-level cell (SLC) NAND technology. Aside from mobile applications, the NANDcode software is also designed to work with consumer applications, such as GPS systems, that leverage these popular mobile operating systems.

Largely recognized as the storage medium of choice for today’s handsets, NAND is currently used to store a range of data’from boot code, simple call logs and contact information, to web caching, photos, music and other media-rich content. Ultimately, there is a fundamental change happening in the mobile industry with devices becoming more sophisticated and laptop-like, requiring a greater need for improving the lifespan of NAND and the ability to leverage all the higher performance benefits of the memory. To ensure today’s handsets reap the full benefits inherent in Micron’s NAND, the NANDcode software contains an advanced flash translation layer (FTL) and flash drivers.

• The FTL dramatically extends the lifespan of the NAND by employing advanced wear leveling techniques to evenly allocate the data throughout the NAND.
• The flash drivers work closely with the device’s processor to deliver greater performance through data caching schemes and dual-plane operations.
• The NANDcode software also contains unique security features that allow the NAND flash to restrict access to certain sensitive pieces of information held within the device that are very well suited for mobile applications.

"We have specially designed the NANDcode software to work with our flash memory, delivering better performance than competing solutions in the market," said Eric Spanneut, director of mobile memory marketing for Micron. "In addition to supplying customers with our trusted NAND technology and expertise, we are now also enabling mobile handset manufacturers to streamline their design process by utilizing Micron’s NANDcode software."

Availability
Additional information is available on Micron’s website where Micron is offering engineering services for developers designing mobile applications with Micron’s NAND memory. Along with the NANDcode software offering, the site also features Tech Notes and System-Compatibility Reports to help handset developers optimize the integration process with Micron’s NAND and today’s most popular mobile chipset platforms. As a package, these offerings enable handset developers to considerably simplify the integration process of the chipset and Micron’s NAND into their devices.