06 Jan With Larger Storage Capacity Comes Smaller Devices
Cornice Inc. has a new device that holds 33% more data than the previous product generation.
Just six months after the June 2003 launch of the 1.5 GB Cornice Storage Element (SE), Cornice Inc., has introduced the 2.0-gigabyte Cornice Storage Element. These storage devices are used in consumer electronics, portable devices, and other applications that demand large amounts of reliable, inexpensive storage in a small space.
The 2.0-gigabyte Storage Element will allow electronics device manufacturers to build new pocket-able products that store more music, video, and pictures, as well as more office productivity files such as presentations and word processing documents. “The debut of this two-gigabyte device demonstrates that we are committed to supplying our customers with increasingly high storage capacities at an extremely competitive price,” said Kevin Magenis, president and CEO of Cornice.
The 2.0 GB Cornice Storage Element (SE), is one-inch in size, has the capacity to hold 40 CDs worth of MP3 music, three hours of VHS-quality MPEG digital video, 100 video games on a handheld player, or 180 four-megapixel very-high-quality digital camera images. It is currently embedded inside a new generation of high-capacity, moderately-priced, mobile digital audio and video consumer products from such global brands as Digitalway, iRiver, Rio, and Thomson.
Though the Storage Element shares some architectural kinship with hard drives — it features a spinning platter and a read/write head — the SE is not a drive. Hard drives feature elaborate caching and buffering mechanisms to serve the needs of PCs and servers. These have been stripped from the SE since they are not necessary in consumer electronics. In addition, other components that are typically found in drives are not included in the SE’s design.
Launched in June 2003, the first generation of Cornice’s Storage Element was a component in some of the most innovative MP3 players, video camcorders, and USB keychain drives introduced last year. Leading consumer electronics infrastructure providers like Texas Instruments, PortalPlayer, and SigmaTel announced their continued intent to optimize their offerings for use with Cornice’s Storage Element, providing consumer electronics manufacturers an easy way to incorporate the Cornice Storage Element within future products.
“With the highly successful introduction of Cornice’s Storage Element in June of last year, it was evident that our company and its technology struck a chord within the consumer electronics community that reliable, low-cost, high-capacity data storage within very small electronic devices was a near-term, achievable reality,” said Kevin Magenis, president and CEO of Cornice. “The debut of this two-gigabyte device demonstrates that we are committed to supplying our customers with increasingly high storage capacities at an extremely competitive price.”
Early investors in Cornice include the company’s founders, management team, and Texas Instruments. In August 2002, the Company received its first venture investment from CIBC Capital Partners, Nokia Venture Partners, and VantagePoint Venture Partners. Cornice is privately held and maintains headquarters in Longmont, Colorado.