Samsung Software To Boost Smartphone MemorySamsung Software To Boost Smartphone Memory

As customers increasingly use their smartphones to surf the Internet and play music, it can be a major drain on the mobile system.

With this in mind, Samsung announced Thursday it will roll out software that's designed to improve the efficiency of its embedded flash memory in smartphones.

The company said its software would optimize data transactions within its memory chips as it interacts with a Windows Mobile, Symbian, Linux, or real-time operating system. Samsung said this leads to faster booting, downloads, and searches, which can greatly increase the power performance of handsets.

The new embedded software's file systems include UniFS, PocketFS, and RFS, and these execute typical file operations like reading, writing, creating, and deleting files. Samsung said the flash drivers -- UniStore, PocketStore, XSR, and FSR -- can also prolong the device's lifetime. This is achieved by converting file system requests into low-level flash operations and by wear-leveling and bad-block replacing.

"The new software, which upgrades performance of our embedded memory solutions, is expected to make OneNAND and other high-performance, high-density memory solutions such as the 16-GB movieNAND desirable for advanced handsets," said Young Joon Choi, VP of Samsung's memory division, in a statement.

The software should also help developers, Samsung said, as it is expected to shorten application design times. The company said it will be particularly effective for programs that manage or edit high-speed video images or high-resolution still images.

Samsung's embedded flash chips are also used in digital cameras, digital camcorders, memory cards, and digital TVs. The company did not say when the new software would be implemented.