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Flash memory is a type of EEPROM that stores information without a power source. It’s used in portable electronics and removable storage devices. Flash memory can erase data in whole blocks, making it faster than regular EEPROM. It’s non-volatile, solid-state, and highly portable, but has less capacity and is more expensive than traditional hard drives. Its price has decreased and capacity has increased, making it popular in portable electronics. Flash memory is not the same as flash RAM, as it doesn’t require a continuous power source to maintain its contents.
Flash memory refers to a special type of electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). It is a computer memory chip that holds stored information without requiring a power source. It is often used in portable electronics, such as digital music devices, smartphones, and digital cameras, as well as removable storage devices. This technology is also useful for basic computer input/output systems (BIOS), Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) cards, modems, and game cards.
Speed advantage
Flash memory differs from regular EEPROM in that EEPROM erases its contents one byte at a time. This makes the update slow. Flash memory can erase its data in whole blocks, making it a preferable technology for applications that require frequent updates of large amounts of data, such as a memory stick for a digital electronic device.
Inside the flash chip, information is stored in cells. A floating gate transistor protects the data written to each cell. Tunneling electrons pass through a low-conductivity material to change the gate’s electronic charge “in a flash,” ridding the cell of its contents so it can be rewritten. This is how flash memory gets its name.
Non-volatile and silent
Flash memory used as a hard drive to store data on a computer has many advantages over a traditional hard drive. It is non-volatile and solid-state, meaning there are no moving parts. It’s also quiet, much smaller than a traditional hard drive, and highly portable, with a much faster access time. A traditional hard drive has the advantage over a flash drive in terms of price and capacity. Hard drives are many times larger at a cheaper price per megabyte of storage.
Advances in technology
The price of flash memory has continued to decline and its capacity has continued to increase. This makes it a prime candidate for an ever-growing set of applications. It is especially popular in portable electronics. A memory stick can store pictures in a digital camera, for example, then be removed and inserted into a computer, where the pictures can be accessed.
Flash memory is not the same as flash random access memory (RAM). Flash RAM, like any type of RAM in a computer, requires a continuous power source to maintain its contents. When power is interrupted or turned off, flash RAM is cleared. Flash memory, on the other hand, will remain on the chip or memory stick even when it is not connected to a power source.
