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 SANDISK TO SHIP UNITS OF ITS FIRST “U3 SMART” FLASH DRIVE THAT CREATES A PORTABLE SECURE PERSONAL WORKSPACE
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA, SEPT. 19, 2005 – SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced its first USB smart drive using U3™ technology, a powerful new platform that enables users to store and manage their “personal workspace” -- including files, programs, passwords and settings -- on a tiny device the size of a pack of gum. The announcement was made at DEMOfall, where SanDisk’s first U3 production units were demonstrated. The event at the Hyatt Huntington Beach is showcasing 70 of the world’s most promising new technologies.
SanDisk Cruzer® Micro smart drives will offer a private, securely protected experience on any PC with Microsoft Windows XP or 2000 without leaving the user’s personal information on the host machine at the end of a session when the drive is removed. These smart drives will be able to launch a variety of U3-compatible (called “U3 smart”) software programs, including anti-virus, security, communications, audio, video, gaming and photo-editing, to name a few.
“U3 technology provides a new dimension in personal mobility,” said Yoram Cedar, SanDisk’s senior vice president of engineering and the emerging markets business unit. “Now, anyone who moves between different locations and PCs can carry their personal files and programs, in a pocket or purse, and work with them in a highly protected environment,” he said. “SanDisk’s U3-powered smart drives also provide private computing on any PC, whether the user is at home, in a hotel or at an Internet café.” Private computing, said Cedar, means that after a user disconnects the U3 smart Cruzer Micro from a computer, no personal data is left behind. For example, with a U3 smart Internet browser, cookies are stored on the Cruzer Micro smart drive instead of on the computer.
Cruzer Micro capacities are large enough to accommodate numerous U3 smart software programs as well as large files such as music, digital images, charts, graphics presentations and word documents, said Wes Brewer, SanDisk vice president of consumer products marketing. “We think that the U3 platform will have wide appeal to users of all kinds, from businesspeople to soccer moms,” he said. “You gain an extraordinary level of freedom and productivity when you can carry your programs and content together, on a single U3 smart drive, and access them on any PC.” The U3 smart drives, he added, create a viable alternative to traveling with laptops or PDAs.
SanDisk Cruzer Micro smart drives with U3 technology, which are identified by the U3 smart logo on the product as well as on the package, will be available from most U.S. retailers in October in capacities of 512 megabytes and 1 gigabyte*. Suggested retail prices are $54.99 and $99.99, respectively, and the devices will be sold in markets outside the U.S. later this year and in the first quarter of 2006.
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