Oki Launches P2ROM™ MultiMediaCard™
- Read Only Card Compliant with MultiMediaCard System Specification Version 3.1 -

"With this MMC based on Oki's unique P2ROM, customers can benefit from the convenience of a shorter turn around time and no extra charges for mask charges or additional programming costs," said Atsushi�@Takasugi, Senior Manager, System Memory Marketing Department at Oki Electric. "This card is suitable for content storage use for equipments such as electronic dictionaries and PDAs. As it is already available, we plan to actively deploy the P2ROM MMC to our customers worldwide."

MMC is one of the small memory card standards that is widely used for storing and retrieving digital information. While the square measure is the same as an SD card, the height of the MMC is thinner. An SD card has 9 pins, 7 of which are the same as the 7 pins in an MMC, which enables an MMC to be read in an SD slot for equipment that does not use the SD card security function.

Basically, there have been two types of MMC: one type that uses mask ROM and the other that uses flash memory. With a flash memory-based card, programming costs occur and mask charges occur when using a mask ROM-based card. However, using Oki's original P2ROM that does not use a mask when programming user data, this MMC needs no additional charge for programming data because content programming is done within the regular process. Furthermore, the time consumed from receiving data to shipment is much shorter than with a mask ROM-based MMC because P2ROM MMC can write data after assembling the MultiMediaCard.

Oki will provide this ROM MultiMediaCard to the worldwide market, targeting content storage applications for equipments such as electronic dictionaries.

Block diagram of the P2ROM MMC

Features of P2ROM MMC:

• Compliant with MultiMediaCard system specification version 3.1
• Capacity: 4/8 MB
• Operating voltage: 2.7V-3.6V
• Card size: 32(D) x 24(W) x 1.4(H) mm
• Short turn around time after receiving code data
• No mask charge: Unlike mask charge that occur in every code
• No customer stock: Customers are free from keeping unwritten cards in stock
• No programming charge: Unlike flash memory-based MMC, no need for additional costs for programming

*1 P2ROM (Production Programmed ROM)

Oki's original fully tested programmed ROM ready for production. Unlike mask ROM that is programmed with a mask during the wafer process, P2ROM can program data during the final test process, which significantly shortens the turn-around-time.

About Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Founded more than a century ago in 1881, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. is Japan's first telecommunications manufacturer, with its headquarter in Tokyo, Japan. With the corporate vision, "Oki, Network Solutions for a Global Society," Oki Electric provides top-quality products, technologies and solutions to its customers through its telecommunications systems, information systems and electronic devices segments. All three segments are integrated into one effective organization that functions as a collective force to create exciting new products and technologies, including information and telecom converged solutions. Through its business activities, Oki Electric satisfies a spectrum of customer needs in various markets.

Notes:

• P2ROM is a trademark of Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
• MultiMediaCard is a trademark of Infineon Technologies AG.
• Names of companies and products are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.