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BERLIN--The SD Card Association is working on a revision to its widely used flash memory card technology that should nearly triple the data-transfer speeds of mainstream SDHC and larger-capacity SDXC cards.

The specification should be complete in the first quarter of 2011, with products coming about a year afterward, said Akihiro Kasahara, a member of the association's marketing committee, in an interview at the IFA electronics show here.

Today's SD cards have data-transfer buses with a maximum speed of 104MB per second, though actual read and write speeds are somewhat slower. The new specification, just called SD 4.0 for now, will increase that to 300MB/sec, said Kevin Schader, the association's director of communications.

Faster data-transfer speeds aren't necessary for everyone, but newer uses make them important. Flash cards are functioning more like solid-state drives in modern gadgets such as Android smartphones and now tablets, too. High-definition videocameras or video SLRs have a tremendous appetite for data. Writing to a card faster frees cameras up for the next shot or take sooner, and of course means it can be faster for people to transfer files to their computers once those support the higher speeds as well. … Read more

As expected, Huawei unveiled an Android 2.2 smartphone Thursday at the IFA trade show in Berlin.

Dubbed the IDEOS (Industrial Design Evolution Operating System), we're looking at an entry-level device with a 2.8-inch (240x320) touch display and 528MHz processor. There's also a 3.2-megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an microSD slot.

Though this certainly isn't the most powerful stuff on the market, Huawei could be forgiven, thanks to the handset's expected $150 to $200 price tag (that's unlocked and in U.S. dollars).

Making high-end Android phones that compete with … Read more

Digital map maker Navteq is launching a service designed to add the human element to GPS navigation, the company announced Thursday at IFA in Berlin.

Dubbed Natural Guidance, the service ditches traditional GPS navigation instructions and provides users with directions that they would otherwise receive from friends or family. Rather than say, "turn right in 150 feet," as current GPS devices do now, Navteq's system gives directions based on landmarks. The instructions will include "turn right after the yellow shop," or "turn right at the traffic signal," the company said in a statement. … Read more

BERLIN--In 2011, Sony plans to join the small set of companies that offers laptops that can display 3D video and games at 1080p resolution.

The company showed off prototypes of a forthcoming Vaio laptop at the IFA electronics show here Wednesday, models that come with a "3D" button and active-shutter glasses to separate what the right and left eyes see.

"3D Vaios will debut next spring," Howard Stringer, Sony's chief executive, said in a press conference touting 3D technology and Sony's commitment to it. Sony also touted other 3D products and content at the show.

The protoypes shown at IFA use "frame-sequential" technology that rapidly cycles the full screen between left-eye and right-eye views, with blank screens in between each to reduce the "crosstalk" that can reduce 3D image quality.

That means the laptop must be able to display video at 240 frames per second to keep up with a 3D rate of 60 frames per second. Sony wouldn't reveal whose graphics chip is used in the system. Sony's also cautioned that the ultimate products may be different from the prototypes it showed. … Read more

BERLIN--Sony announced a new service Monday called Music Unlimited that will turn many of its electronics products into online libraries for streaming music.

"It is a cloud-based digital music streaming service that gives music lovers access to millions of tracks stored and synced with your devices," said Fujio Nishida, president of Sony Europe, at a press event here. The service "will be going live by the end of the year," he said.

Music Unlimited joins the already available video-on-demand service of Sony's Qriocity service, which now sports a two-part tagline: "Music that follows you. Instant blockbuster movies."

Sony announced Music Unlimited at the IFA electronics show here. The timing, though, illustrates just how hard it will be for Sony to fulfill its ambitions: on the same day, Apple refreshed its dominant iPod and iTunes product line that has thwarted Sony's music ambitions for years. This isn't the first time it's tried, either: Sony closed down its Connect music store, after years of effort. … Read more

After some delays, 3D Blu-ray playback is making its way to the PlayStation 3 in October, Sony CEO Howard Stringer announced at IFA in Berlin on Wednesday.

Gamers have been waiting for PlayStation 3 3D Blu-ray playback for quite awhile. The functionality was first announced at CES in January. Although some hoped it would be available to the console over the summer, Sony said in July that it planned to make 3D Blu-ray playback available as a free firmware update in September.

Now PS3 owners need to wait until October, though in an IFA keynote address Stringer stopped short of … Read more

BERLIN--Panasonic made its 3D sales pitch Wednesday, showing new 3D products and saying it's plugged a final gap: letting people record their own 3D video.

At the IFA electronics show here, the company touted its HDC-SDT750 camcorder and offered attendees a chance to try the camera on their own. The model combines a regular 1080p video camera with an optional 3D lens attachment that gathers the necessary dual views for the left and right eye.

"We have already produced 3D eyewear, TVs, theaters, Blu-ray drive players. However, there is still one thing missing," said Makoto Nagura, director of Panasonic's video camera business unit. "That is to keep your precious moments in 3D." … Read more

The Samsung Galaxy smartphone is getting a big brother--some say as soon as early September.

Korea's JoongAng Daily quoted a "high-ranking official" at Samsung who indicated that the Galaxy Tab, Samsung's version of the iPad, will be on display at IFA Berlin, which starts September 3. IFA is Europe's equivalent of the Consumer Electronics Show held in Vegas every year, the major difference being that it's a public event, not just a trade show.

A Samsung Mobile official said in June that the Galaxy Tab would be ready by the third quarter, so Wednesday'… Read more