TOSHIBA ADDS 512-MEGABYTE SECURE DIGITAL CARD

New Card Offers Increased Capacity and Fast Data Transfer Rate for High Resolution Digital Cameras, PDAs and other Mobile Devices

NEW YORK , June 17, 2003 -- To address the continuing demand for greater file storage capacity in digital cameras, MP3 players and PDAs, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC)* today announced the introduction of its 512 megabyte (MB) Secure Digital (SD) Memory Card. Developed by Toshiba Corp. (Toshiba), the new high-density card features a maximum data transfer rate of 10 megabytes per second (MB/s). The device is being showcased today at Digital! Experience, the official media event of CeBIT America, a technology trade show to be held June 18-20 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York.

Designated SD-M5124BX, the new 512MB SD Card consists of two of Toshiba's 2 gigabit (Gb) NAND flash memory devices, packaged in the postage stamp sized SD card format, which measures 32mm x 24mm x 2.1mm.

"Demand for higher capacity SD cards continues to increase, fueled primarily by growing use of higher resolution digital still cameras, and consumers who want to store as many photos as possible without changing cards or downloading the pictures to their computer," said Brian Kumagai, business development manager for NAND flash memory at TAEC. "With a 512MB card, users can store approximately 200 high resolution jpeg photos from a 5 megapixel camera on a single SD card¹."

Toshiba offers a complete line of SD Cards, ranging in capacity from 32MB to 512MB, for use in wireless and portable communications devices including car navigation systems, cellular phones, digital still and video cameras, electronic books, handheld PCs, MP3 players, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). These new higher density cards are targeted primarily for use with high-quality four-megapixel to five-megapixel digital still cameras.

The industry standard SD-M5124BX SD card employs Toshiba's advanced security technology to provide key enhancements over traditional flash cards such as cryptographic security, improved protection of copyrighted data, high data transfer rate for fast copy/download, and high storage capacity. The new card complements Toshiba's comprehensive line of solid state storage cards which also include CompactFlash™, SmartMedia™ and PC ATA form factors, bringing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers a range of solutions to meet their removable storage requirements.

Features

High storage capacity
High transfer rate for fast copy/download
Lightweight and compact at 1.8 grams (g) and 32 millimeters (mm) long x 24mm wide x 2.1mm thick
Low battery consumption for longer life in portable electronic devices
Includes a user-selectable mechanical write protect switch on the exterior casing
Compliant with Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) portable device specification requirements

¹The actual number of photos that can be stored on a 512MB card may vary, depending on the camera model and the scene being photographed.

Key Specifications

Part Number SD-M5124BX

Packaging SD Physical Layer Spec. V1.0 Compliant; 32mm x 24mm x 2.1mm (length x width x height)

Power Supply Operating Voltage 2.7 volts (V) to 3.6V

Pricing and Availability
Samples of Toshiba's 512MB SD Card will be available in June, priced at $200 each in OEM quantities.

SD Card Background
The SD Memory Card is a revolutionary universal flash memory storage device designed to meet the security, capacity, ergonomic and performance requirements of emerging audio, video and multimedia consumer electronics markets. SD Memory Card packaging includes a high-performance, nine-pin SD interface that enables data transfer rates of up to 10MB/s. The SD Memory Card is ergonomically designed to enable current and future devices to realize competitive form factors of hardware while demanding increased storage space. The card is 32 millimeters (mm) long, 24mm wide and 2.1 mm thick, approximately the size of a postage stamp, and weighs two grams. The SD Memory Card specification was defined by the Secure Digital Association (SDA), which founding members include Toshiba, Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic) and SanDisk Corporation.

NAND Flash Background
As a recognized pioneer in flash technology, Toshiba was a principal innovator of NAND- and NOR-type Flash technology in the 1980's. Toshiba maintains leadership in flash technology today, with the industry's broadest selection of 1Gb NAND flash devices and a complete line of NAND devices in densities from 64Mb to 2Gb to meet various application requirements. NAND flash is becoming one of the leading technologies for solid state storage applications because of its high-speed programming capability, high-speed erasing, small block size and low cost. The sequential nature (serial access) of NAND-based flash memory provides notable advantages for these block-oriented data storage applications. Toshiba's NAND flash memory products are optimized for general solid state storage, image file storage and audio for applications such as solid state disk drives, digital cameras, audio appliances, set-top boxes and industrial storage.

*About TAEC
Combining quality and flexibility with design engineering expertise, TAEC brings a breadth of advanced, next-generation technologies to its customers. This broad offering includes semiconductors, flash memory-based storage solutions, optical communication devices, displays and rechargeable batteries for the computing, wireless, networking, automotive and digital consumer markets.

TAEC is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba, the third largest semiconductor company worldwide in terms of global sales for the year 2002 according to Gartner/Dataquest's Worldwide Semiconductor Market Share Ranking. Toshiba is a world leader in high-technology products with more than 300 major subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. For additional company and product information, please visit TAEC's website at chips.toshiba.com. For technical inquiries, please e-mail Tech.Questions@taec.toshiba.com.

Information in this press release, including product pricing and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice.

SmartMedia is a trademark of Toshiba Corporation. CompactFlash is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation. All trademarks and tradenames held within are the properties of their respective holders.

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