Compact Flash Association is a noncommercial association based on mutual benefit of its members and deals with promotion and integration of CompactFlash media as a global ultra miniature removable data media. It also strives to serve as an international standard for digital data transfer and record, audio files and images as well as data send/receive functions for such devices as modem, Ethernet, Bluetooth, and functions of laser scanning and so forth. With its headquarters located in Polo Alto, California, it provides its CompactFlash and CF(as a logo) trade marks and CF & CompactFlash performance specifications to companies, members of the Association for free.CFA members of the board
Members of CFA board include Canon, Hitachi, Lexar Media, SanDisk and Socket Communications. Integration of new computer, multimedia, communication and consumer electronics on the basis of CF memory and I/O standard will make an essential impact on target markets of these corporations.
CF standard makes possible creation of a new design
Several leading consumer electronics manufacturers, including companies-founders of CFA, are engaged in integration of CF technology into consumer products of next generation. The CFA corporation believes that CF technology will be widely used during manufacture of such products as portable and desktop computers, digital cameras, hand scanners, PCS phones, pocket computers, PDA, handheld terminals, personal communicators, audio recorders, MP3 players, surveillance systems and subscriber streaming video receivers. CF technology will allow users to use an extended memory and I/O functions with all abovementioned devices and at the same time enjoy a compact and light design.
CF de facto becomes a standard
CFA corporation will focus its efforts on education of end user, helping him/her to understand that CF technology in fact has features of РС ATA card, adapted to more compact shapes, plus features of TrueIDE compatible with ATA/ATAPI-4. CFA tasks complement the work carried out by the PCMCIA/JEIDA committee, its PC Card ATA subcommittee and IEEE T-13 committee (ATA/ATAPI).
CFA licenses the CF standard
CFA Corporation provides CompactFlash features for free with a possibility of downloading them from its website. It also provides the members of association with free licenses to use CompactFlash and CF(logo) trade marks. This fact has encouraged the manufacturers to include the CF technology into a large number of new devices.
