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Huawei's SD Association status was temporarily 'modified' (updated)
Correction 5/29/19 8:32PM ET: This story reported Huawei was banned from using SD card branding on future devices and that the company was barred from being a member of the SD Association. Both points are inaccurate and we regret the error. The SD Association has confirmed to Engadget that Huawei's status was temporarily "modified" in order to comply with the Department of Commerce order mentioned in this original post. The company's temporary absence from the SD Association's website was due to "a technical issue." The original post can be read below with the appropriate corrections. The previous update was also incorrect. Again, we regret the error.
N2Acards to let Nook Tablet owners dual boot Jelly Bean in November
If Nook Color owners cast their memories back to last summer, they may remember Nook2Android: a microSD card that could let their Barnes & Noble e-reader dual boot Gingerbread and the hardware's Android-based operating system. Now sporting the moniker N2Acards, they're just about ready to give Nook Tablet (but not Nook Color) devices a taste of Jelly Bean thanks to Cyanogenmod. The cards come in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavors and range from $30 to $90 in price, but you can download the OS image for $20 and load it onto a card of your own. While those who'd rather purchase the whole enchilada will have to wait until the cards ship on November 1st, folks who prefer the download can already load their slates with Android 4.1. [Thanks, Dmitry]
ADATA lets the sun shine on its new range of Premier Pro microSD cards (update)
ADATA's trio of new Premier Pro microSD cards have escaped from the company's headquarters. Aimed at professionals and demanding consumers, the 16GB and 32GB editions come with a 45MB/s read and 40MB/s write speeds and support the latest SD 3.0 standard. The company isn't mentioning how well the 8GB card runs, so we'll just presume it's a little less speedy than either of its larger brothers. We've reached out to the company to find out when we can expect to see these hitting shelves (and how much they'll cost) and we will update if they tell us. Update: The company let us know that 8GB costs $18, 16GB costs $32 and the 64GB will set you back $62 when they arrive later in the summer.
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.
Verizon to sell $200 Droid RAZR, 16GB microSD card not included this time
The question of the day: is a 16GB microSD card worth $100? Verizon Wireless said it will sell the Droid RAZR for $200 with a two-year contract -- a $100 discount off the original price, but one that forces you to give up that complimentary 16GB microSD card. Otherwise, you'll find the same 'ol spes, including a 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 CPU, 16GB of internal storage, a 4.3-inch AMOLED display and LTE connectivity. The microSD slot itself will be perfectly operational and accept up to 32GB in storage, provided you bring your own card. Expect this price to go into effect next week on January 23rd. Or, you know, spend $300 after all, but on that other RAZR with 32GB of storage and 21 hours of talk time.
Verizon sending Xoom docks back with delayed, updated slates
Still bummed about the delay in getting your Xoom back from its trip to the shop? Well, it appears Verizon may be looking to smooth things over with those who have been waiting the longest. One of our readers let us know, that because they were "among the first" to send off for the 4G LTE / Honeycomb 3.2.2 upgrade, the carrier sent back a Standard Dock (worth $50) along with the juiced up slate. Is it enough to make up for the extra wait time? That depends on your Xoom addiction -- but we have to admit, it's a pretty nice gesture from ol' Big Red. [Thanks, Nazir] Update: We're hearing from many of you that the Dock was part of the original update process while supplies lasted. You can still consider yourself somewhat lucky if you were quick enough got one. Update 2: We've gotten official word from Motorola that, while it wasn't part of the original upgrade plan, the company is offering Standard Docks as a goodwill gesture due to the delay in the update being released. Also, Moto let us know that it's not upgrading the device otherwise -- only a thorough cleaning and new lens protector application. So if your slate is sporting new digs, you might want to go buy a lottery ticket.
Motorola Xoom a bit slow boomerangin' back with 4G LTE update
Consider yourself lucky if you sent off your Motorola Xoom for the 4G LTE upgrade and got it back in about a week, as promised. It seems that Motorola Mobility is now having some trouble holding up their end of the bargain on the quick turnaround. In a note to eager, empty-handed slate faithful, the company informed those waiting that it's experiencing delays and will let customers know when their device finally ships. Surprised that an upgrade that requires you to actually mail in your tablet isn't being returned "on time?" Yeah, neither are we.
Xoom 4G LTE upgrades boomerang back with Honeycomb update, microSD card support now a go
Xoom owners that hastily shipped off their slates for an LTE upgrade are in for a surprise. Turns out the newly equipped 4G tablets are not only being expediently returned, but also come with an upgrade to version 3.2.2 of Honeycomb. Details of just what's been included in the new firmware are scant, but the main takeaway from Verizon's overhaul is the now functional microSD slot. That's right, unless you were privy to that non-U.S. Android 3.1 update or installed the Tiamat kernel, you'll now finally be granted read/write access to your microSD card. It seems wishes do come true in Big Red land, you just have to practice extreme patience.
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.
Windows Phone 7-certified microSD cards emerge at AT&T stores: $32 for 8GB
Well, well -- what have we here? For avid users of Windows Phone 7, you no doubt remember the hubbub last year surrounding the so-called difficulties with Microsoft's latest and greatest mobile OS accepting microSD cards. We'd been pounded with news of "WP7 certified microSD cards," but even now, they're more ghost than reality. That said, it looks as if the tables are turning, with an nondescript AT&T store grabbing fresh stock of "certified" 8GB Class 4 microSDHC cards. Based on the packaging, it's fairly clear that Microsoft's taking the lead here, but SanDisk has been knighted to provide the hardware. $32 will soon get you a card that doesn't destroy itself upon insertion in your Samsung Focus, and we're guessing that they'll be available to purchase sooner rather than later. So, you sizing up, or what? [Thanks, Anonymous] %Gallery-121382%
CDMA Xperia Play visits FCC, promptly gets dissected
There are few things we enjoy more than seeing the glittery innards of a device splayed before us in the name of science -- especially when it happens to be the CDMA version of Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play. The Verizon bound phone made a cameo at the FCC today where it was subjected to -- and passed -- the usual battery of SAR tests before getting dissected. What's intriguing about the pictures in the FCC report is that the CDMA model features the same combination SIM / microSD card slot as its GSM sibling. While some are theorizing that Verizon's gaming handset might support LTE, we think it's more likely that the Xperia Play uses a dual-mode CDMA / GSM radio and that the SIM slot will either remain empty and disabled in firmware or that the Xperia Play will be one of Verizon's global offerings. Take a look at the gallery below and judge for yourself. %Gallery-120248%
Samsung Wave shipping with infected microSD card (confirmed, limited to first run)
Did you get a Samsung Wave today, or perhaps early last week? You might not want to connect it to your computer, just in case. We're hearing anecdotal reports that the 1GB microSD card shipped with certain German units includes a nasty surprise: it automatically installs the trojan Win32/Heur using the file "slmvsrv.exe." While we're not sure exactly what the virus does or if it's widespread, there's no point in finding out the hard way, right? Install a good antivirus program and then format that sucker, or better yet, simply drop in a larger microSDHC card. Don't forget this thing plays DivX HD, people -- you're going to need more than a single gigabyte of storage. Update: Samsung HQ got in touch with MobileBurn to confirm the existence of the virus in shipping S8500 Wave handsets, but said that the outbreak was confined to the German market's initial production run and all other shipments are A-OK. Still, there's no harm in disabling autorun before connecting one to your PC, eh?
Visa teams with DeviceFidelity for contactless payments via microSD card
Visa has been working on contactless (a.k.a. NFC) payments for quite some time, and it's now teamed up with DeviceFidelity in the hope of bringing them to even more cellphone users. That company makes (among other things) a contactless payment system contained on a microSD card which, when paired with Visa's own payWave system, will let you use just about any microSD card slot-equipped cellphone to make pay contactless payments at between 50,000 to 60,000 merchants in the US. Exact specifics are otherwise a bit light, but Visa says trials are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of this year.
Buffalo adds 16GB microSD card / reader to its line of incredibly small USB memory
We've seen Buffalo shrink USB drives down to preposterous sizes in the recent past, and now the company is throwing a microSD card reader into the mix. Available for ¥15,500.00 (that's $160, give or take) this guy stores 16GB internally, is available in both colors -- black AND white -- and would be right at home in any of your computer's favorite USB 2.0 ports. And just to get you started, this bad boy includes a 16GB card microSD card. How sweet is that?[Via OhGizmo!]
Sandisk follows Kingmax; announces 4GB microSD card
Just like its buddies over at Kingmax, Sandisk has just announced a 4GB microSD card for use in that spiffy new multimedia-centric phone of yours. That's right -- no need to carry around that 4GB USB key if you've got 4GB residing in your phone -- right? Well, anyway, Sandisk's new SDHC (SD High Capacity) card -- announced at 3GSM just a little while ago -- has no official launch details at the moment outside of Sandisk's testing with OEMs to ensure phones don't freak out over such large memory cards being stuffed behind those batteries and in those side slots.
