memory cards
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Lexar's SD cards and storage gear are up to 52 percent off right now
Amazon's Prime Day sale on Lexar storage is still going on, with deals now available to non-Prime members as well.
The next version of SD Express is a boon for pro photography and 8K video
The new SD Express card spec promises four times the bandwidth of before -- a huge benefit for pro photographers and 8K movie makers.
CompactFlash Association announces 600MB/sec CFast2.0 spec, SanDisk developing cards
SD cards and their many variants may be the memory card format of choice in most cameras these days, but there's still plenty of instances where nothing but a larger CompactFlash card will suffice. Now the organization behind the format has announced its latest revision, the CFast2.0 specification, which it hopes will find its way into future digital cameras and other professional video devices. The big news with it is a promised "theoretical" performance of up to 600MB/sec, which is about four times faster than today's CompactFlash cards, as well as a new sleep mode that promises to help conserve battery life when the card is not in use. What's more, while the cards themselves are still a ways off, SanDisk has announced today that it has begun development of them, and medium format camera manufacturer Phase One has also confirmed that it intends to support the new specification.
Panasonic preps SD cards that survive heat, water and X-rays, will probably outlast you
Much ado has been made of weather-resistant cameras, but it's all a moot point if the memory card dies, isn't it? Panasonic wants that level of survivability in its SDHC and SDXC cards, and its new UHS-I-level SDAB and SDUB lines are tested for the kind of abuse that could see the camera give up the ghost first. The cards can take the kinds of punishment that we often associate with rugged gear, such as temperatures from -13F to 185F, immersion in 3.3 feet of water for half an hour and the usual steep drops. It's beyond this that the resistance levels become truly exotic: the cards are also built to survive zaps of electricity, proximity to magnets and exposure to X-rays. If it all becomes too much to bear, the design will even fuse on the inside to prevent fire burning the card from within. Those who like what they see will only have to decide whether or not they want the SDAB range's 95MB/s read speeds and 80MB/s writes or are willing to settle for the SDUB line's respective 90MB/s and 45MB/s transfers. We have yet to see if or when the SD cards cross the Pacific after their September 8th launch in Japan, although we hope so -- with that kind of extra-tough design, our photos are more likely to endure than we will.
Lexar XQD memory cards announced, will duel with Sony for Nikon D4's attention
Nikon's D4 is currently the only belle at the XQD ball, and until now, Sony was its only memory suitor. However, Lexar's just arrived with a new line of cards to compete for the D4's affections. The Fremont-based company says it collaborated with Nikon to build the PCI Express-based memory, and that they'll hit the market sometime in the third quarter of 2012 -- with no mention of specs or prices so far. Unfortunately, that means we don't know how Lexar's offerings will stack up against Sony's H-series or S-series cards already on the market. That said, while you wait for more details about Lexar's new cards, feel free to check out the lovely data the D4 will be putting on 'em when they arrive.
Sony S-Series XQD memory cards hit speed record at 168MB/s, starting at $500 for 32GB in Japan
Sony's new S-Series XQD memory cards will be the fastest you can buy when they arrive on the Japanese market July 11th, with a transfer speed of 168MB/s -- a boon if you're shooting continuous raw photos or high data rate HD video. The company claims that you'll need a Thunderbolt connection on your computer to take advantage of all that speed, which comes via the PCI Express Gen interface used for the memory cards. The 32GB and 64GB models will also have plenty of space to put all that media, but you'll need to pay for the privilege, to the tune of $503 and $754, respectively. Of course, those prices may not be an issue if you've already plonked down the coin for one of the few devices that support them.
SanDisk announces Extreme Pro microSD cards for smartphones and tablets, quick speeds starting at $60
Touting the "world's fastest mobile memory card" moniker, SanDisk has unveiled the Extreme Pro microSDHC line of storage add-ons for your smartphone or tablet. The outfit is advertising 95MB/s read and 90MB/s write speeds for the UHS Class 1 memory cards -- clocking in a bit faster than Samsung's Ultra High Speed offerings for LTE devices. The cards are now available in either 8GB or 16GB capacities and will hit your wallet for $59.99 or $99.99, depending on your preference. Naturally, you'll want to make sure that your device is compatible with the duo before pulling the trigger, which can be done via the source link below.
Portuguese opposition party wants 'terabyte tax,' voters want a new opposition party
Portugal's opposition party, Partido Socialista, is pondering a tax on storage media under the flag of copyright protection. Under the proposal, consumers would pay €0.02 for every gigabyte of storage purchased, so a 1TB HDD would cost around €21 ($28) extra, plus an additional levy on devices over that size means a 2TB drive could cost an additional €103.2 ($135). It doesn't just stop at desktop platters: USB sticks, memory cards and even smartphones would also be charged, with any device packing 64GB of storage facing a surcharge of €32 ($42). A party member defended the idea, saying that the tax is aimed at professionals who use larger capacity drives -- but since most consumer HDDs come with a minimum size of 160GB and the legislation is also supposedly meant to tackle piracy, we're not entirely sure it adds up -- except maybe in government coffers.Update: We're hearing that the bill titled PL118 has been withdrawn in the face of overwhelming common sense.[Thanks, Ricardo]
Samsung's new SD cards look too good to hide inside a DSLR
We've never been too fussed with how our storage looks -- it's rare that our SD cards linger too long outside the camera anyway. However, for you genius-level aesthetes who demand your internals are as beautiful as your externals, Samsung's got your back. It's releasing a line of SD and microSD cards with a stylish brushed metal body in silver or black that, frankly, looks shinier than whatever they'll be nestled inside. Just like Ryan Gosling, the cards are both pretty and pretty tough -- able to withstand 24 hours in water, 3,200 pounds of pressure or being left in an MRI machine with a power of 10,000 gauss, which we're always doing. After the interval, we've got pricing and stats for each unit (speed improves greatly if you plump for a 4GB card or higher) plus a little PR paperwork.
CompactFlash Association readies next-gen XQD format, promises write speeds of 125 MB/s and up
We don't need to tell you CF is one of the few memory card formats that's managed to survive the SD tidal wave (remember when you needed Memory Stick to use a Sony point-and-shoot?). But if you're the kind of serious shooter who uses CF, you might be tickled to know its high-speed successor is just about good to go. The CompactFlash Association said it's finished work on XQD, a next-gen format that promises faster speeds, along with a smaller footprint than current-gen CF cards. As for transfer rates, the included PCI Express interface promises theoretical write speeds as high as 5 Gb/s, though the association is quick to peg real-world writes at 125 MB/s and up. Still, that's plenty fast for processing RAW stills and 1080p video, and it's a clear bump over the 100 MB/s write rates (max) you'll get from today's CF cards. No word on availability or partnerships, though we know Nikon led XQD's development, and that Canon endorsed it, so it's safe to say we'll see this in some major releases sometime after the association starts licensing the technology in early 2012.
Sony limits PS Vita game save options, memory card definitely not optional
We say proprietary and you think, Sony. Isn't that how it usually goes? For the electronic giant's latest reVitalized foray into portable gaming, the same old custom solution is in tow -- now, with limited storage options. According to a report on Kotaku Japan, games made for the handheld will either save your progress to its SD card-like external storage or to the cartridge itself, as SCEI's not offering users any option for overlap or preference. Thinking you might save a few bucks and skip out on the external memory altogether? Well, my frugal gaming friends, think again. Unlike the PSP, titles for the system requiring an external save, in addition to some downloadable content, simply won't play without a memory card on board. Sure, this tidbit of news could prove frustrating to those not indoctrinated to the company's obstinate ways. But, we're willing to bet this device's dazzling innards are enough to help you overlook these minor niggles come next February.
Samsung announces 32GB microSD card capable of 12MBps write speeds
Go shopping online for a microSDHC card and you'll find that while manufacturers don't hide the speed specs, they're not exactly crowing about 'em either. Make no mistake, though: Samsung is mighty proud of its new 32GB number, which boasts a class 10 speed rating and read / write rates of 24MBps and 12MBps -- ideal numbers for those of you who plan on making good use of your phone's 1080p camera. If you're a storage buff, you know that class 10 is the highest speed category for SD cards at the moment, and that it sits above classes 4 and 6 -- the tiers covering many other microSDHCs on the market. No word just yet on pricing, but we think it's safe to say you'll be dishing out a premium.
Canadian copyright group pushes for levy on memory cards
As even non-Canadians may recall, there was a big issue in the country a few years back over a so-called "iPod tax" (something that cropped up again in the recent election) and, while it still hasn't come to pass, the Canadian Private Copying Collective is now pushing for a music tax of another sort. While there's no iPods in danger of being taxed this time, the CPCC is asking for a new levy to be placed on memory cards (presumably all types, although that hasn't been specified). That levy would vary depending on the capacity of the card, with those less than 1GB facing a $0.50 tax, while cards between 1GB and 8GB would have an additional dollar tacked on, and those over 8GB would cost a full $3 more. Needless to say, that would be a fairly sizable percentage of the price in most cases given the way memory card prices are dropping -- and it would cast a fairly broad brush, as those memory cards obviously aren't just used for music. Of course, it is also still just a proposal but, as the Excess Copyright blog notes, the peculiarities of the Canadian Copyright Board may well give the CPCC a leg up in this case. Head on past the break for its official announcement.
Delkin Elite 633 claims to be the fastest SDHC card with 80MBps write speeds
We can't say we're pleased that camera makers still haven't called an armistice in their megapixel war, but a race for the speediest memory card is one battle we can get behind. Delkin says its 32GB Elite 633 SDHC is the fastest in the world, with 80MBps and 95MBps write and read speeds, respectively, handily trumping Sony's new Memory Sticks that so recently impressed us. This card's ideal for people who shoot gobs of 1080p video, 3D movies, and high-resolution shots coupled with RAW files, but with a price of $440, it's only worth it for pros. And debutants.
Elecom's rotating USB memory card reader tries not to block your ports
It's still not a substitute for a built-in memory card reader in a laptop, but Elecom's new MR-C25 Series USB memory card reader might just be the next best thing. In addition to reading both SD and microSD cards, it's able to rotate a full 180 degrees to give you access to ports on either side of the card reader. From the looks of things, you may still run into some problems with ports that are particularly close together (and with bulky plugs or devices), but it should definitely prevent at least some unwanted USB swapping. Unfortunately, there's no still word on a price or release over here just yet, but it does apparently come in both black and white to better match your laptop.
Panasonic announces speedy new 8GB, 16GB UHS-I SDHC cards
We've already heard some of the claims made about SHDC cards using the new UHS-I specification, and it looks like we'll now soon have our first actual cards based on the spec courtesy of Panasonic. The company has just announced some 8GB and 16GB UHS-I SDHC cards at IFA, which boast a Class 10 speed specification and promise to deliver a maximum data transfer speed of 60MB/s, or about twice that of Panasonic's current top-end cards. No word on pricing just yet, but Panasonic says they'll be out this November. Full press release is after the break.
Sony announces faster Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo HX, children's eyes light up with glee
Can you handle an even faster Memory Stick? It's the Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo HX series, which Sony is speeding up but, curiously, isn't tacking any more random letters to the already ridiculous name. The cards offer maximum capacity of 32GB and transfer rates of 30MB/s, and while Sony doesn't indicate whether that's a read or a write speed (we're guessing read) they should handily out-class even high-class SD-based storage options. Naturally, though, you'll be paying for that performance, with 8GB prices starting at $59.99. No word on how Sony will differentiate these faster cards from the current crop of unnecessarily long-named storage options falling under the Pro-HG Duo HX moniker, but we'll find out when they hit retailers later this summer.
Datel sues Microsoft, wants its Xbox 360 market back
Seems like we just can't go a week without some corporate power plays or mudslinging making our pages. Back in October, Datel promised it would "remedy" the situation created by Microsoft's forthcoming (now present) Dashboard update locking out its higher capacity memory modules. The accessory company was the first (and only) third-party supplier of memory cards for the Xbox 360, but it seems that MS took a dislike to the MicroSD-expandable Max Memory units and has since taken the unusual step of downgrading the console to being able to read only chips up to 512MB, essentially taking Datel's 2GB+ wares out of commission. Yeah, classy. Datel's retaliation is in the finest Anglo-Saxon legal tradition, namely to assert antitrust concerns and to claim its right to act as a competitor to Microsoft in the memory market for Redmond's own console. It all sounds rather silly to us too, and could probably have been avoided by a rational compromise, but what's the fun in that?
Paramount and Kingston team up for movies on flash memory
Movies delivered on memory cards isn't an entirely new development (Sony did it back in the early days of the PSP), but it looks like Paramount and Kingston think the idea is prime for a comeback, and have today announced a partnership that'll see some of the studio's movies delivered on SD cards and USB drives. That gets started with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on a (presumably reusable) 4GB Kingston DataTraveler I USB drive that's available right now for $29.99, and will apparently continue with additional movies offered across Kingston's full line of memory cards and USB drives, although both parties are staying mum on any further specifics. There's also no word from any other studios or memory companies just yet, but we can only presume this means slotMovies are right around the corner.
Pretec shows off first miCARDs
We know that you've been barely able to sleep since the new miCARD memory card format was announced -- who would be the first manufacturer to get these out the door, you wondered -- so you can finally rest easy with the news that Pretec is showing off its own version of the multi-functional little wafers (pictured larger than actual size, of course) at Computex in Taipei. The company's S-Diamond line already tops off at an impressive 8GB (with theoretical capacities of 2TB, but we're not holding our breath), and like the flood of other miCARDs soon to hit the market, will work with regular SD/MMC-capable devices through the use of an adapter. Pretec still isn't being forthcoming with any pricing or release info on these, but since there's no miCARD-specific hardware on the market yet anyway, we doubt that many of you care.[Via Everything USB]
