Samsung Electronics today announced that it is sampling Gigabyte (GB) MultiMediaCards (MMCs) with customers: 1GB and 2GB MMC plus cards, and the industry's first 1GB MMC mobile card. The higher densities and faster speeds of Samsung's Version 4.1 memory cards will allow consumers to gain higher performance from advanced mobile consumer devices, such as mobile phones, digital still cameras (DSCs), PDAs, MP3 music players and PMPs (portable multimedia players).

The new cards are capable of transmitting data at 52MBytes per second, up to 20 times faster than previous MMC versions, by supporting wider (4x and 8x) bus widths and faster clock speeds (up to 52MHz).

The industry's first gigabyte-density MMC mobile devices are targeted at mobile phone applications . The memory card is half the size of the MMC plus and capable of dual-voltage support (1.8 or 3.3V), satisfying both the low voltage and the low power consumption requirements for mobile phones.

The new MMC plus devices , which run on 3.3V and are up to three times faster than SD Memory Cards, are well-suited for digital cameras, which require fast response times for manipulating advanced features.

The new gigabyte cards add to Samsung's original line-up of 64MByte, 128MByte, 256MByte and 512MByte MMC cards. The 1GB MMC mobile, as well as the 1GB and 2GB MMC plus cards are available now for customer sampling with mass production slated for next month. Each MMC device is compatible with existing MMC (Version 4.1) specifications, established by the MultiMediaCard Association (MMCA).

The MMCA (www.mmca.org), a global association formed in 1998 to develop international MMC standards for memory, is addressing market demands for smaller form factors, higher performance and lower power consumption in the enactment of those standards.

According to market research firm Gartner, the global MMC market is expected to grow from $796 million this year to about $1.6 billion by 2008, at a 26 percent compounded annual growth rate.