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Removable flash memory, such as Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Secure Digital, miniSD etc., continues to shrink with each new platform. SanDisk today set the bar even smaller with the announcement of T-Flash.

According to the company, T-Flash is similar in size and function to embedded flash memory but can also be readily removed and upgraded to allow for a range of memory capacities as well as interoperability with other consumer electronics devices. Approximately the size of a fingernail, T-Flash is designed for new mobile phones that are compact yet fully-featured with storage-intensive multimedia applications such as digital cameras, video capture and playback, MP3 players, video games, personal organizers, Multimedia Message Service (MMS), email and voicemail capabilities.

SanDisk said the goal of the exceptionally small size of T-Flash (11mm x 15mm x1mm) is to allow handset manufacturers to incorporate significant amounts of removable storage capacity into their progressively smaller handsets without changing the physical size of the phone.

T-Flash is designed to store personal content such as digital images, MP3 music files, video games and other applications, phone settings and personal data. Due to its very small size and substantial storage capacity, SanDisk said T-Flash is likely to remain in a handset for extended periods; however, it can easily be removed and inserted into another phone when consumers want to upgrade their phones.

This usage model is similar to the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards used in most mobile phones that can be transported by the subscriber from one handset to another. However, SIM cards have very limited flash memory storage and suffer from a very slow data transfer rate that is not suitable for tens or hundreds of megabytes stored. T-Flash has approximately half the footprint of SIM cards.

When inserted into an available SD adapter, T-Flash converts into an SD card for interoperability with standard SD devices, so consumers can exchange data between their T-Flash-equipped mobile phone and any SD compatible host, such as a digital camera, PDA or laptop PC.

Volume production of T-Flash is expected to commence in the second quarter. Pricing ranges from $14 to $39 for capacities that range from 32MB to 128MB. Availability of T-Flash at retail outlets is expected later in the year.

The Motorola E1000 and the Motorola A1000, two 3G smartphones announced last week at the 3GSM Congress, will use 32MB T-Flash. These two phones are expected to be available in the second half of this year.