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Tech mainstays finally come together on something: littering more HD content with more DRM
Who says the big boys can't be friends? While Samsung, SanDisk, Sony, Toshiba and Panasonic would probably disagree with each other on just about everything, there are still three magical letters that can bring even the biggest rivals together: DRM. While the consortium is doing everything it can to avoid the term, there's no hiding the truth -- the temporarily-named 'Next Generation Secure Memory Initiative' is designed to protect HD content by using "unique ID (identification) technology for flash memory and robust copy protection based on public key infrastructure." Just when we thought Louis C.K. had proven that slapping DRM around something wasn't the best approach, here we go taking a few monumental steps in the wrong direction. In essence, it sounds as if they're crafting a way to distribute Blu-ray-quality material on SD cards and embedded memory (sound familiar?), and they're also hoping that this will "enable various HD content applications such as HD network download, broadcast content to-go and HD Digital Copy / Managed Copy from Blu-ray Disc." Notably, we're told that Android-based smartphones, tablets, TVs and Blu-ray products in particular can look forward to taking advantage -- in other words, Apple's going to keep doing what Apple does. If all goes well, they'll start licensing the new secure memory technology early next year, and if we had to guess, we'd say the adoption trajectory perfectly matches that of slotRadio. Good luck, folks -- you're going to need it.
SD Association aims to provide authentication services with standardized smart-chip technology
The SD Association has already embraced some authentication measures to provide things like secure ebooks, but it's now looking to go the extra mile with a little help from GlobalPlatform. The two have announced today that they're collaborating on a standardized smart-chip technology for SD and microSD cards, which they hope will let the memory cards be used for everything from mobile payments and personal ID -- including near-field communication -- to things like mobile television subscriptions and other customized services. Of course, that's all still in the earliest stages, and there's no indication of a timeline for any of it just yet. The official press release is after the break.
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.
SD cards branded with an upper-case 'I' are faster, yo
Since they're theoretically capable of 300 megabyte per second transfer rates, we knew SDXC cards wouldn't stay slow forever. How will we separate wheat from chaff when faster models do appear, though? You're looking at it. This week, the SD Association unveiled the UHS-I specification for SDXC and SDHC cards capable of transferring data at up to 104 megabytes per second -- reportedly fast enough to record HD videos in real time. Why the association chose the phrasing "up to" is a little iffy, as we thought the point of such specifications was quality control, but considering how many Class 4 and Class 6 SD cards we've tossed that didn't match up to spec, we suppose we'll make do with a ballpark estimate... until the inevitable UHS-II makes the rounds. PR after the break.
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.
Toshiba first to market with Class 6 SD cards?
Toshiba's got a new series of "high-speed" and "ultra high-speed" SD cards coming to market soon, and although the company claims to be the first manufacturer to introduce these so-called Class 6 cards, we think it may be exaggerating just a bit. You see, the SD Card Association recently adopted three different speed classes (2, 4, and 6), with the class number indicating the card's minimum transfer rate in megabytes per second (i.e. Class 2 cards will always transfer data at at least 2MB/s). So although Tosh's ultra-high speed cards sport a zippy transfer rate of 20MB/s -- categorizing them as Class 6 cards -- we've already seen products on the market from ADTec that boast similar speeds (and waterproofing to boot); therefore, how can Toshiba claim that its Class 6's will be the first to launch? Marketing hyperbole aside, both the high-speed Class 4 cards (with 5MB/s transfer rates) and ultra high-speed Class 6 cards will come in 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB varieties, and you can expect them to drop in Japan in October and worldwide in November.
