Matrix Semiconductor claims to be the world's only manufacturer of 3-D integrated circuits. This new way to build memory chips was the impetus to creating the company back in 1998. Now Matrix ships a high capacity, low cost, one time programmable memory, a memory that is cheaper than Flash and much more flexible than Mask ROM.

"As we are seeing more powerful portable devices, developers are being offered the capability to create more engaging software," says Dan. "And more capable software needs more capable memory. Device manufacturers will always constrain the device memory to keep their bill of materials down. So a developer who needs 32MB or 64MB of memory needs an alternative memory option. This is where Matrix Memory comes in."

Matrix 3-D Memory is effectively a writable CD ROM in chip form. When manufactured the cards are empty, applications and data can then be added until the card is full. The first wave of uses saw memory cards delivered fully programmed. Dan expects that the next wave of applications will deliver partially programmed cards with additional capacity to store additional or updated information.

The technology was first delivered in MMC format. Dan indicated that announcements of additional formats would be following shortly.

Typical examples of the types of applications that are making use of Matrix 3-D Memory include mapping applications and games. "If a map application developer worked within the constraints of device memory and what could be downloaded over the air, their applications would be very limited," says Dan. "To be able to deliver the application and user experience to satisfy the market, these developers need to use a memory card."

Much of the application market for mobile devices is concentrated on downloadable software, because of the network traffic it generate. Dan sees applications delivered on memory cards being as much an enabler for network traffic growth as downloadable applications themselves. "We saw the first networked PC games back in the 1990s," says Dan. "With the features developers can deliver on a memory card we are seeing mobile games becoming connected. The truly compelling connected mobile games need a rich interface, something developers can deliver cost effectively with a Matrix 3-D Memory card. So we don't see our technology as a replacement for network usage but an enabler to network usage."

Another example of driving network usage comes from the additional programmable memory on partially full cards. A mapping application user could store details for new areas or map updates, while a game player could add new levels or characters to a game downloading them over the air and using the cards spare storage capacity.

Longer term, Matrix Semiconductor may also provide users with ability to store more general content. "Obviously someone who subscribes to a music service will typically buy tracks with the intention of keeping them," says Dan. "Matrix Memory will provide them with a permanent storage capability at a much lower cost than Flash memory."

High capacity, end-user applications are not likely to emerge in the short term, so Matrix Memory is focusing on lowest cost rather than raw capacity. "We can build very high capacity memory but the products we are offering at the moment are focused on capacity at the right cost point", says Dan. "Our cards currently start at 16MB and we can build cards up to 256MB today. Our customers don't ask 'how big' but 'how much memory can I get for my budget' and in dollar figures they are all well below $10 US."

As a result Matrix Semiconductor currently ships the worlds lowest cost 64 MB memory card.

So where does the Symbian Platinum program fit into all of this? "As a memory manufacturer we have to be concerned with more than making the chips we are obsessive about product compatibility," says Dan. "That means creating the best drivers as well as understanding how to integrate our road map with future development in platforms like Symbian OS. To deliver the best solutions we need to understand the future applications for our memory and ensure we have the tools available for any developer to take advantage of our memory products. The Symbian Platinum program is an important part of this process as it gives us significant access to Symbian's technical resources." Dan also acknowledges that the Symbian Platinum program offers some extensive marketing opportunities too, but the main appeal is the technical support.

For developers who have found their application has outgrown software downloads, or even the memory capacity of their target devices, Matrix Semiconductor will provide either blank cards or a full programming service. "We benchmark ourselves on being able to turn a customer order for memory cards in under a week from receiving a software image," says Dan.

For more information on Matrix Semiconductor see it web site: www.matrixsemi.com