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Toshiba's new SDHC cards can save to your camera, phone and cloud service all at once
Despite the introduction of a wireless LAN SD standard last year, WiFi SDHC cards are still a fairly rare animal, with pioneer Eye-Fi the alpha dog. If you're into it, though, Toshiba's just added a high-capacity 32GB SDHC FlashAir model that'll let you simultaneously share photos to your smartphone or tablet, the internet and of course, the card itself. It does that through a special "pass-through" mode that permits connection to a second access point, such as a router or PC, even while saving wirelessly to your handheld device. The cards will support class 10 speeds along with 802.11n WiFi (finally), and Toshiba's also supplying firmware to owners of older FlashAir WiFi cards to give them the same pass-through capability. It'll be up for grabs in Japan on November 18th and the rest of the world a bit later, with the price to be determined -- though a 16GB FlashAir is about $90, if that helps.
SD Card Association: flash card speeds to triple by 2012
The SD Card Association (truth be told, one of our favorite card-related associations) has a new spec in the works that will almost triple the speed of its SDHC and SDXC cards, according to CNET. The specification, which should be complete Q1 next year, will achieve 300MB per second by adding a second row of electrical contacts on the bottom face of the card, and will be backward compatible with older, slower devices. Although being referred to internally as SD 4.0, brand names for the technology are still being considered -- with UHS-II (the successor to UHS-I ultra-high speed bus cards) as one possibility.
SanDisk ships 64GB Ultra SDXC card for $350
Here's hoping you didn't pull the trigger on of the world's first SDXC cards to ship, 'cause if so, you just paid a painful premium. Nary two months after Panasonic served up the first 32GB and 64GB SDXC cards to the masses, SanDisk has stepped in to ship its highest capacity Secure Digital card ever in the 64GB Ultra SDXC. Said device boasts a 15MB/sec read speed, a Class 4 speed rating and an exFAT file structure that helps you capture 1080p clips without any glitches or hangups. It's also based around the minty fresh SD 3.0 specification, so make sure that you pick up an SDXC reader or a device that specifically supports the format (you know, like ASUS' Eee PC T101MT). If you're finally ready to leap, this one's available now for the not-quite-reasonable price of $349.99, though if we were you, we'd wait for the rest of the competition to hit the ship button and drive down the MSRP.
Panasonic shipping first SDXC cards next month for ungodly amounts of cash
Here we go, folks. Nearly a year to the day after the term "SDXC" cemented itself into our vernacular, Panasonic has announced the first two that'll ever ship to end users. Unless a competitor jumps in and steals the thunder before then, of course. Announced here in the desert, the outfit has proclaimed that a 48GB and 64GB SDXC card will begin shipping to fat-walleted consumers in February, bringing with it a Class 10 speed rating and maximum data transfer rates of 22MB/sec. You know what else they'll be bringing? Price tags that are guaranteed to make you simultaneously weep and hoot -- the 48GB model will list for $449.95, while the 64 gigger will go for $599.95. Tissues, anyone?
Video: SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash card does 600x, the hokey pokey
Naw, it ain't the quickest CompactFlash card our eyes have ever seen, but it's certainly up there. SanDisk's new Extreme Pro CF line packs an impressive 600x rating, which is twice that of the Extreme IV CompactFlash card that it shipped right around this time last year. Available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavors, this unit promises 90MB/sec read and write performance, guaranteed operation at extreme temperatures and a thumbs-up from Chase Jarvis. Also introduced is the 8/16/32GB SanDisk Extreme, which features 60MB/sec of read and write performance (400x) while going a little easier on the wallet. Both families should be available any day now, with the Extreme gang ranging from $130 to $375 and the Extreme Pro crew starting at $300 and stopping at around $800. Oh, and if you're scouting an ExpressCard reader to handle the new speeds, the Extreme Pro ExpressCard Adapter will splash down next month for $49.99. Enthralling demo is after the break.
PhotoFast CR-7100 MicroSDHC adapter helps obsolete CF cards
That noise you hear is the sobering death rattle of the CompactFlash memory format. Allegiance to the now decidedly less than compact memory sticks seems to keep crumbling away bit by bit. The latest assault comes in the form of this here converter, capable of utilizing a MicroSDHC card in the high-end camera of your choice. The CR-7100 is available in Japan now for ¥2,980, or about 31 greenbacks. Here's hoping this agent of memory interoperability nirvana shows up in US and European markets sooner rather than later.[Via Akihabara News]
SanDisk ships first ever multicard readers with style
Okay, so maybe you've seen a multicard reader or two in your day that wasn't unsightly to the nth degree, but it's a rarity, let us tell you. Furthermore, SanDisk's latest bunch are amongst the first we've seen that we'd actually feel somewhat proud to have sitting on our desks, and considering that there's only so much added functionality you can give these things, aiming for high fashion was probably a good move. The new line of ImageMate readers are currently shipping out to retailers in North America, with the All-In-One reader listing at $29.99 and the Multi-Card reader selling for $10 less.%Gallery-45872%
Panasonic hoping to launch 64GB SDXC card
SDXC may have a theoretical capacity range of 32GB to 2TB, but Panasonic has already confessed that it's hoping to launch a 64GB card as soon as feasibly possible. Regrettably, pricing and availability is still yet to be determined, but we're going to go out on a limb here and guessing it'll be somewhere between "pricey" and "crazy expensive."
Fujifilm dishes out new platter of Secure Digital cards
It's not making the same sized splash as the tidal wave created by SanDisk today, but Fujifilm is still vying for your flash card dollars with a bundle of newcomers. On the vanilla SD front, we're seeing a new 1GB SD and 2GB SD card, while those scouting a microSD card can key in on the new 1GB and 2GB flavors there, too. Stepping it up are the 4/8/16GB SDHC cards and the tinier 4/8GB microSDHC units. There's no mention of dollars and cents, but the whole colorful group should be on store shelves next month.
SanDisk fesses up to 16GB microSDHC and M2 memory cards
What's been keepin' ya, SanDisk? We knew these little buggers were legit late last week, but for whatever reason, the outfit chose to keep its trap shut until today. Finally, SanDisk has confessed in painful detail that its 16GB microSDHC and M2 cards are for real, marking the largest capacity available in both formats. Of note, even Sony doesn't have a 16GB M2 card on the market, though it's possible the firm is too busy dealing with all those other proprietary formats to mess with this one. At any rate, Best Buy Mobile and Verizon Wireless stores will be your go-to place for either one, though we'd be prepared to shell out $99.99 (16GB microSDHC) or $129.99 (16GB M2) when they land in November.
Olympus rolls out high-speed Type M+ xD-Picture Cards
Believe it or not, Olympus' original Type M xD-Picture Card crashed the scene over a year ago, so it's about time its successor showed up, don'tcha think? The revamped (and ever-so-slightly renamed) M+ card promises data transfer speeds of up to 1.5 times faster than the vanilla Type M, yet somehow still supports "virtually all digital cameras with xD-Picture Card slots" -- whatever that means. Unfortunately, these speedsters still cap out at 2GB, and while pricing deets remain undisclosed, they should be landing sometime in April for all to see.
Pretec intros 16GB / 24GB / 48GB CompactFlash cards
Just in case you haven't had enough flash storage for one day, Pretec's making sure you really do get your fill. Announced today at CES, the outfit unveiled a 16GB, 24GB and 48GB CompactFlash card, with the 2GB - 24GB iterations available in 333x flavors (50MB/sec) and the 1GB - 48GB models available in 233x (35MB/sec). Unfortunately, the details we're really after -- you know, price and release dates -- are curiously missing, but hopefully Pretec will toss those tidbits out in the near future.
Transcend joins the 16GB SDHC Class 6 party
We already saw A-DATA unveil what it claimed was the "world's first" 16GB SDHC card in the Class 6 family, and now Transcend is hitting us all up with a very viable alternative. The card guarantees a minimum write speed of 6MB/second, includes ECC to automatically detect and fix errors and sports a lifetime warranty, too. Not a lot to say beyond that -- especially considering the glaring lack of a price or ship date -- but we doubt you'll be waiting too much longer before seeing this on store shelves.[Via AVing]
A-DATA unveils 16GB SDHC Class 6 flash card, amongst others
16GB SDHC cards aren't all that atypical these days, but A-DATA is claiming to have the "world's first 16GB SDHC Class 6" iteration ready to roll. Additionally, the firm is introducing an 8GB Super SDHC Duo (saywha?) card of the Class 4 variety, and for those still scouting a new CompactFlash card, it's cranking out a 32GB version for you. Regrettably, we've no idea how soon A-DATA plans to get these on the market (nor how much it plans to charge), but it shouldn't be long before we all find out.[Via ITNewsOnline]
OCZ Trifecta SD card pulls triple duty
Although it's far from being the first USB-enabled SD card to grace store shelves, we're giving OCZ a bit of a break considering that its rendition of the multi-faceted flash card also handles microSD on the side. The aptly-dubbed Trifecta purportedly functions as any standard SD card should in your camera, PMP, or toilet, but it also acts as a flash card reader or USB thumb drive without any extra fuss. The three-in-one device will be shipping in both 1GB and 2GB flavors before any additional expansion via microSD, will sport a 66x read rate, and will be covered by a five-year warranty to boot. Unfortunately, we've no idea when to expect these little guys to actually arrive, nor how much they'll run when that day comes.[Via EverythingUSB]
Kingmax unveils "world's smallest" USB flash drive
Hmm, where have we heard this one before? Here, here, here, and oh yeah, here too, but all those "world's smallest" flash drives now have to face Kingmax's USB 2.0 Super Stick as it looks to challenge all the previous (and currently unconfirmed) claims of diminutive superiority. While it looks to be a revamped version of the company's first iteration, this uber-slim flash drive weighs in at just a single gram, and measures 34- x 12.4- x 2.2-mm, which also means this just might be the easiest possible storage medium to lose track of. Nevertheless, this Vista / OS X-friendly drive comes in 512MB ($19), 1GB ($29), 2GB ($39), and 4GB ($55) flavors, and if you're interested in picking up a thumb drive that can probably double as a toothpick, it's available as we speak.
Be a Mental Case
Mental Case is an interesting new application that brings a Mac twist to flash card memorization. As the developer notes: "all you do is gather tidbits of information in 'mental notes'. Enter some text, drop in an image, take a screen shot, or even snap a picture with your iSight. Mental Case schedules the note to reappear at future date."Basically, you create the equivalent of flash cards in sets called "Cases." Then at scheduled intervals (which you can adjust) Mental Case will ask you if you have time to run through one of your cases. If so, it will display the cards with a rotating cube effect (though this is customizable in the preferences). This looks like a great way to learn the sorts of things one learns with flash cards (e.g. simple facts, languages, etc.). I like the idea of having it prompt me while I'm using my Mac (which is to say about 50% of my waking hours), since that way I don't have to formulate a specific intention to run through the cards. As the developer says: it's like "RSS for you head."Mental Case is in beta right now and a free download, but it will become commercial at some point.[Via MacNN]
iPod mini maxed out with CF card
It looks like iPod minis aren't obsolete just yet thanks to Mark Hoekstra's flash card mod, which entails switching out the original Microdrive with a 4GB flash card. iPod minis served a short term in Appledom, but come to think of it, they're a manageable size, have one of the more durable iPod casings, and they don't look half-bad either. After the modding is complete, a quick restore in iTunes reloads the card with Apple's firmware (you can also upload other software like Podzilla), then you're all set to jam out. So if you own a member of this dying breed (and have a steady hand), use this little proof-of-concept to extend your mini's lifespan while one-upping Apple at the same time.[Via digg]
Gefen shows off HD PVRs that export to USB drives
While Gefen has helped many a folk use two computers on one monitor and extend their cabling for miles on end, the company is now giving us PVR freaks something else to spaz about. The two (plainly-named) Personal Video Recorders sport sleek, brushed aluminum enclosures that resemble a Mac mini in form, and both units are all but identical save for the high-end edition's ability to handle 1080p. These PVRs differ from most, however, as they can record content from television or any other attached source (i.e. a camcorder), and transfer the video in MPEG4 format directly to an attached USB flash drive. According to Gefen, users "simply save their programming on the USB device, remove it when needed, and plug it into any USB-equipped computer for instant access." Furthermore, the boxes tout a switching functionality that allows users to connect multiple sources and flip a toggle to determine which one gets captured. From what we can tell, there's no reason an external USB hard drive couldn't be used as well for mass capturing / transporting, and while we (unfortunately) don't know when these suckas are shipping nor how much coinage they'll demand, consider our interest piqued nonetheless.[Via EverythingUSB]
Axxen kicks out trio of portable HDD enclosure / card reader hybrids
It's just impossible not to love a little consolidation done right, and Axxen's trio of new devices aims to give you a good reason to ditch that easy-to-misplace flash card reader and pick up an external HDD enclosure while you're at it. The A-3500, A-2500, and A-1800 all sport a sleek, black casing, and can handle your choice of 3.5-, 2.5-, or 1.5-inch hard drive, respectively. Aside from functioning as your run-of-the-mill external HDD, the drives also serve as a memory card reader for CF, SM, xD, MS, MSPro, MSDuo, SD, miniSD, MMC, and MD cards, and it interfaces with your computer via USB 2.0. Notably, each unit also boasts a "one-touch" backup function to keep your files sufficiently duplicated, and while we're not sure how much Axxen plans on charging for these nifty multitaskers, they should be hitting South Korea real soon.[Via MobileWhack]
