Get ready for microSD. P.S. - It won't be so bad.

Normally news that we're going to have yet another flash memory card format to contend with would result in plenty of whining on our part about how there are way too many formats to deal with already, whining which may or may not be followed by some sort of plea for the manufacturers of the world to join hands and work together on common standards. But not this time around. When we first read the news about how the SD Card Association was introducing an even more mini version of miniSD called microSD we figured they were getting a little arrogant, that maybe they'd become drunk with the power that comes from being the SD Card Association. But then we kept reading the press release and realized that they're not exactly introducing a new format—they're more or less co-opting SanDisk's TransFlash card standard. The new microSD card is going to be fully compatible with and have the same exact dimensions as TransFlash (both measure 11mm x 15mm x 1mm in size), and SanDisk has already announced plans to "transition" its TransFlash line to the microSD standard later this year. It sounds like everyone decided to spare us the pointless format war.

P.S. - Couldn't find any pics of a microSD card, but since they're supposed to be the same size as TransFlash cards…

[Robert @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

Really, can flash memory cards get in smaller? One would think this might be the last size reduction for awhile.

[Uchendu Nwachukwu @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

How easy are these things to lose? There comes a point where the drawbacks of miniaturization outweigh the advantages, and I think we hit that point with regular SD cards.

Even the Nintendo DS cartridges are smaller than the GBA. So small you can barely read the label on them.

[Marcio @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

I see where they are going with this... Since most of us won't buy more than a couple of memory cards for our stuff (mostly due to the "nice" price of these things), they are making it easier to lose. ;)

[Scott @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

i can understand smaller exchangable memory cards for cellphones etc... thats as long as they don't expect people to handle them. quite frankly i think the normal SD cards out right now are the smallest size anyone normal "human" should be handling.

but by all means a extreamly small "microSD standard" for our ever shrinking Gadgets would be greatly appreciated i think. just don't expect people to want to take them out or put them in more than um once a year

[DAKH @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

This is actually good news for V710 owners (which I was for about a week, before realizing the extent of Verizon's throttling), since they might finally be able to use their memory card (sans-adapter) in another device.

[OddManOut @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

The excesive proliferation of flash media form factors has obviously gotten a little silly (read - GREEDY). I think 3 forms would have been just fine...

CF type II
SD/MMC
MiniSD

If you need capacity, small size, or an agregate of both one of these three standards will probably work (perhaps with some minor concessions...). Plus, with adapters SD/MMC and MiniSD can by used in CF slots in a pinch...

But then I suppose I wouldn't get the same satisfaction from a 3-in-1 card reader as I do from a 12-in-1 card reader...I...um...guess...

It is nice to see that if they must continue to evolve the standards that (as was done with MMC morphing into SD) at least somebody is sparing the consummer a buck or two by canabalizing a pre-existing form...

[aelso @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

My concern is about the cost of microSD, being able to lose microSD cards and forgeting to take the microSD cards out of your jeans pocket before washing them.

[David Kelly @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

Well I had just read a press release from San Disk, and spoke to one of their PR reps by phone....there will be a 1 gig out around X-mas, and a 2 gig early next year....so once you put 250/500 songs respectively on this size card, how often do you really think you will be handling the thing???...and if worried about losing it, just keep it in the SD card adapter when it's not in a device....another tip....get some kind of small container that stays in one spot on your desk or shelf to keep your memory cards/sticks in...you will always know where to look for them. P.S. I just got the Moto E815 phone and the sound of the MP3s is sweet!!...using the Jabra stereo headset that was in the accessory bundle to the phone).

[David Kelly @ Dec 19th 2005 12:11AM]

...BY the way...the guy that reviewed this card said he couldn't find a pic of a microSD card....well you're looking at it....they are renaming "transflash" to now be "microSD" to avoid confusion, since it is an SD-based memory.