SDXC

Transcend's CompactFlash cards go high-speed

Transcend, which makes flash memory cards for budget-minded buyers, announced on Wednesday two new high-speed CompactFlash models with transfer speeds up to 90MBps.

The Transcend Ultimate 600X cards are at the top of the line, able to read and write data at 90MBps by using the UDMA (Ultra Direct Memory Access) mode 6 interface. This line tops out at 32GB.

The Transcend Premium 400X cards range from 16GB to 64GB capacity and can write data at 60MBps and read data at 90MBps, the company said. The 400X and 600X cards use "premium" flash memory chips and employ error … Read more

SanDisk goes conservative with first SDXC card

While some people are clamoring for higher-capacity SD cards, few need--or want to pay for--the extra video-recording speed. Panasonic, for example, will be issuing its first 64GB SDXC as a Class 10, 22-megabyte-per-second version card for almost $600; however, SanDisk announced its first 64GB card at a slower Class 4, 15MBps for the more attractive price of $349.99.

True, only products announced since January--and only some of those--support the new SDXC standard, but even in a lot of the newer cameras and camcorders, Class 4 is sufficient for video recording. However, that 15MBps speed might slow you down when … Read more

Toshiba plans 64GB SDXC memory cards for 2010

The new SDXC specification for faster, higher-capacity flash cards emerged in January, and Toshiba now promises the cards themselves will begin arriving about a year afterward.

Toshiba said Monday it expects to be the first to bring SDXC cards to market, with testing samples of a 64GB version shipping in November and the real thing shipping in the spring of 2010. Those dates will be key moments in what doubtless will be a gradual transition away from the prevailing SDHC standard.

SDXC backers promise higher capacities and data transfer speeds for SDXC, which is important for devices such as video … Read more

Lexar to boost CompactFlash speed, capacity

LAS VEGAS--Lexar plans to introduce faster, higher-capacity CompactFlash cards using a new generation of the flash memory technology, a company executive said Wednesday.

Lexar's current top-end 300X-rated CompactFlash cards use a standard called UDMA (Ultra Direct Memory Access) to transfer data at 45MB/second, and their capacity tops out at 16GB. But using a new generation of the standard, UDMA 6, Lexar will release cards that have significantly faster transfer speeds and larger capacity, Jeff Cable, director of marketing, said in an interview here at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) show here.

Cable wouldn't be pinned down on precise details, but he said the new cards' capacity "probably" would be 32GB, and their transfer speeds likely would "pretty close to" UDMA 6's threshold of 100MB/sec, which is more than double that of today's UDMA.

Only newer SLR (single lens reflex) cameras support current UDMA technology, but it's spreading, and there are benefits. For example, cameras can take longer continuous bursts of photos, and photographers can zoom faster to check focus when reviewing shots on the camera LCD. Video, which is arriving in new SLRs, also can saturate data-transfer pathways. … Read more

Next Generation SD card specifications announced

First there was just SD, then SDHC (high capacity), soon there will be SDXC (extended capacity). The SD Association has announced the next generation SD card specification, the SDXC. This new SDXC specification provides for up to 2TB storage capacity and brings the SD interface speeds up to 104MB per second by the end of 2009, and with a future road map of 300MB per second. Specifications for this new SDXC standard will be released in the first quarter of 2009. The new SDXC specifications make some major jumps in capacity while retaining the standard SD card interface. Their proposed … Read more