Book excerpt: Can you imagine life without your cell phone, laptop, digital camera, iPod, BlackBerry, flat-screen TV, or DVD player? The skyrocketing demand for devices that provide simple, immediate access to large amounts of content is driving required digital storage capacity to unprecedented levels. Designing digital storage into consumer electronics is crucial to the performance and cost of these devices. However, as our requirements for digital content storage grow, so does the formidable difficulty of implementing design solutions that are rugged, long-lasting, power-miserly, secure, network-accessible and can still fit in the palm of your hand!This book provides the background necessary to understand common digital storage devices and media. It helps readers decide which methods of storage work best for which kinds of devices, and then teaches designers how to successfully integrate them into consumer products. - Presents best practices for selecting, integrating, and using storage devices to achieve higher performance, greater reliability and lower cost - Teardown photos provide rare visuals of the "guts" of the devices discussed - Covers hot topics including flash memory, DVRs, Apple iPods, home networks, and automotive electronics, from basic layouts to standards, advanced features, and exciting growth opportunities