SDXC
Latest
Lexar will sell the first ever 1TB SDXC card
Lexar has unveiled the first ever 1TB SDXC flash memory card for cameras that will actually go on sale to the public, the Professional 633x. It's a UHS-I rather than a much faster UHS-II model, but runs at the top limit for a UHS-I card at 95 MB/s (class 10). That should be fast enough for most cameras to capture 4K video (class V30) and a long burst of RAW photos.
SanDisk's 512GB SD card will hold all the 4K video you can handle
If you've been dabbling in 4K video recording, you probably know that most SD cards won't cut it; you'll be thankful if you have enough space for a wedding video, let alone a magnum opus. SanDisk may have a solution for that space problem in its new, extra-capacious 512GB Extreme Pro SDXC card. It's fast enough (95MB/s) to shoot interruption-free 4K, but also has more than enough storage for a day's worth of movies and high-speed photography. Capture 60Mbps video on Sony's AX100, for example, and you could theoretically keep going for almost 19 hours. You're going to pay dearly for all that headroom, though. The 512GB card sells for a whopping $800 -- unless video production is your bread and butter, you're probably better off "settling" for the Extreme Pro's 128GB or 256GB variants.
SanDisk's latest flagship SD card supports extremely fast write speeds, 4K video
With affordable 4K cameras from Panasonic and Sony set to ship soon, it's time for flash memory manufacturers to begin readying stockpiles of high-speed SD cards. Today, SanDisk is announcing its latest flagship, the Extreme Pro SDHC/SDXC UHS-II. It exceeds the new UHS Speed Class (U3) spec, supporting continuous write speeds of up to 250MB/s. While the card is most appropriate for folks shooting 4K video, it'll also come in handy when you're snapping continuous RAW stills at high frame rates, letting you unload the camera's buffer just as quickly as you can fill it. The new cards will ship in April in 16GB to 64GB capacities, with prices ranging from $120 to $300. There's also a new U3 card reader that's designed to let you take full advantage of the SDXC card's 280MB/s transfer speeds. That device will also be available in April, with a $50 MSRP. Update: The card supports a 250MB/s write speed, as originally reported. The read speed measures 280MB/s.
New SD card format is speedy enough for 4K video
Outside of a few smartphones, 4K video capture has largely been limited to pro-level hardware; the SD cards in regular cameras frequently can't handle so many pixels at once. That won't be a problem in the near future, as the SD Association has just unveiled an Ultra High Speed Class 3 (U3) card format that's up to the job. The spec guarantees write performance of at least 30 MB/s, or enough bandwidth to record 4K clips without hiccups. You'll have to wait for U3-capable devices and cards to begin shooting, but it shouldn't be long before you can produce footage worthy of your Ultra HD TV.
Kingston Digital SDXC cards arrive with lower price, larger capacities
Kingston's unveiled two new SDXC cards for anyone looking to upgrade the capacity (or performance speed) of their current removable storage of choice without denting the bank balance too much. The SDXC Class 10 cards arrive in 64GB and 128GB sizes, and Kingston reckons they'd go great with your new digital camera -- as long as it's compatible with the SDXC format, naturally. Both are available to buy now, direct from the storage manufacturer, alongside smaller capacities, with the 128GB card priced at $182 and the 64GB setting you back $80. The full press release is after the break.
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.
Nifty MiniDrive: Invisible add-on flash storage for your MacBook
You can never have enough storage for your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, but the cost -- and challenge -- of installing a new SSD in your device can be prohibitive. Not to worry, since two gents from Manchester, England have come up with just the solution on Kickstarter and have already gotten enough pledges to ensure that their project is funded in August. The Nifty MiniDrive works with the 13" MacBook Air and any MacBook Pro. All of these devices have one thing in common -- an SDXC slot. Now if you just stick an SD card into this slot to add some storage, it's going to stick out. That's not something that's really good for a device that's going to be thrown into your MacBook case or backpack. So these guys got the brillant idea of making a tiny adapter (those colored stripes in the MacBook Pros above) that sits flush with the side of your MacBook and contains a micro-SD card that you provide. The MiniDrive is that adapter, and it will start shipping in October or November for about US$30. A quick look at Amazon shows that SanDisk 64 GB Flash Memory cards go for as little as $52 on sale, meaning that you could add a convenient 64 GB "backup drive" to your device for just over $80. It's a great little storage solution and only requires a toothpick or paperclip to remove the drive from your MacBook. Take a look at the video below and then show your support (and make your pre-order) on Kickstarter. [via the incomparable Doc Rock]
Camera or camcorder? JVC's hybrid GC-PX10 wants to be both
This curiously shaped fellow, with its long-barreled lens attached to a svelte body, might look familiar. It's JVC's GC-PX10, the camcorder that's also a camera. Or the camera that's also a camcorder. We're not quite sure, but here's what we do know: it'll shoot 1080p video at 60 fps, writing to SDXC or 32GB of internal memory. And it can also capture 8.3-megapixel stills at 60 fps without dropping out of video mode. If you've got the time and the inclination, you can switch into still-shooting mode, giving you full 12-megapixel pictures at 30 fps for two seconds. Exhausted by the possibilities yet? But wait, there's more. If slow motion's your game, you can fire away in 640 x 360 resolution -- at 300 fps -- for up to 2 hours. Now how much would you pay for such a plethora of pictorial options? Well, JVC's asking $900 when this ships later in October, so you've got some time to think about it.
SanDisk outs Extreme Pro SDXC, Mobile Ultra microSDXC, new Cruzer USB sticks
Okay, they're not depicted to scale -- but don't they look sweet? In addition to the Memory Vault, SanDisk also chose today to freshen up its SDXC and USB flash products, which should start appearing in candy stores from October. Top billing goes to the Extreme Pro SDXC with 95MB/s reads and purportedly world-beating 90MB/s writes, starting at $110 for 8GB and topping out at 64GB for untold dollars. The Mobile Ultra range for microSDXC-equipped phones and tablets also goes up to 64GB, with 30MB/s transfer rates and a starting price of $25 for 4GB. Then there's the tiny Cruzer Fit and pocket-friendly Cruzer Switch USB sticks starting at the $20 mark, plus a dime for good luck. Click the PR after the break for more sugary details.
Panasonic's DY-PS10 Pocket Server streams music to your iPhone, fits in your pocket as advertised
How to get all of the entertainment content you want onto your iPhone? If you live in Japan, have a free pocket, and don't mind shelling out the ¥14,800 ($191), Panasonic's Pocket Server DY-PS10 should do the trick. The handset-sized device can stream content from its built-in SD card slot to your iPhone / iPod touch via a wireless connection. The Pocket Server can handle H.264 files, JPEGs, and MP3s, and the battery should give you about 10 hours of playback. The device will go on sale September 15th in Japan. The rest of us, meanwhile, will have to find other things to fill our pockets with.
Kingmax flaunts world's first 64GB microSD card
In case you'd forgotten (and who could blame you), Kingmax used to have a thing for setting small records -- even if it meant one-upping itself. Four years later, the king is back and he brought a 64GB microSDXC card with him; the world's first, wouldn't you know? If history repeats itself, we can expect similarly sized storage from SanDisk and other manufacturers soon. We love passing storage milestones, but don't get too excited: only a handful of devices currently have the architecture to support microSD cards bigger than 32GB, so make sure you have a compatible device before you empty your wallet. Don't have one? Don't sweat it; there's no word yet when the new cards will be available, so you have plenty of time to upgrade. Head past the break to check out the press release.
Lexar dual-slot CF / SD reader packs USB 3.0, downloads cards six times faster (video)
For professional photographers, every second counts when downloading images on a deadline -- especially when you throw enormous HD video files into the mix. With the $50 Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader, photogs now have a fast transfer option to compliment their pricey high-capacity CF and UHS-I SDXC cards, theoretically enabling downloads at up to 500MB per second (though current cards max out at one-fifth of that). You'll need to have a USB 3.0 port and high-speed flash to take advantage of faster transfers, though the reader is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 and older cards -- you'll even be able to use that 32MB CF that came bundled with your DSLR. And what about appearance? Lexar Director of Marketing Jeff Cable sums it up: "It looks similar to our older card reader, the USB 2.0 reader, except that it says USB 3.0 right here on the front." Bam!
Lexar now shipping 128GB and 64GB SDXC cards from the future straight to your door
One of the great many announcements of CES 2011 was Lexar's new pair of Class 10 SDXC memory cards, one sized at 64GB and the other touting a spectacular 128GB capacity. The two performance -- minimum transfer speeds of 20MBps -- and storage enhancers for DSLRs and camcorders have now started shipping, asking for a measly $200 and $330, respectively. Those are steep price hills to climb, to be sure, but they're peanuts compared to the initial $400 and $700 MSRPs that Lexar was touting back in January. And hey, that Professional label adorning the new cards isn't there accidentally either, Lexar's offering a limited lifetime warranty with each storage cell. Full press release and locations where you can buy the new SDXC lovelies await after the break.
Apple's Light Peak implementation called Thunderbolt, coming in new MacBook Pros?
The rumor gears are really starting to churn with regard Apple's upcoming MacBook Pro refresh and now we have a purported leak of the upcoming spec sheet for the new 13-inch model. The highlight is a note (and image, above) seemingly confirming that Apple will implement Intel's Light Peak high-speed interconnect, renaming it the Thunderbolt. Yes, we know there's an HTC handset headed to Verizon with that very same name -- and we've checked the USPTO archives, Verizon's the only tech company with any trademark claim filed for "Thunderbolt" -- but Apple has done weirder things before. Also notable are the apparent inclusion of an SDXC card reader and the absence of a discrete GPU chip, indicating that perhaps the new Core i5 integrated graphics from Intel are finally good enough to convince Cupertino to rely on them full time. Jump past the break to see the full data sheet. Update: We now have an image claiming to show the new Thunderbolt port, which happens to look exactly like the Mini DisplayPort but has a tidy little lightning logo next to it. That's extremely easy to Photoshop, as is the accompanying photo displaying a broader trackpad on the MBP, but we'll let you judge the validity of those images for yourself. Check them out after the break. Update 2: One more image of the spec sheet, this time in English, provided by MacRumors along with the note that it's for the "low-end" 13-inch MacBook Pro. The doc states that the Thunderbolt port supports "high-speed I/O and Mini DisplayPort devices," which would explain why it looks the way it does. [Thanks, Leon and Rodney]
Nikon Coolpix S9100 extends an 18x zoom from a compact body capable of 1080p video
Last we heard from Nikon on the topic of high-end point-and-shoot cameras, it was touting Full HD video and a backside-illuminated 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor on its S8100. Well, here comes the S9100, still possessing those goodies, but now it's attaching them to a lens capable of 18x optical zoom -- a feature you'd usually expect to find on shooters far bulkier than this pocket-friendly portable. ISO sensitivity can stretch up to 3200 (only 800 in automatic mode), there's a 1050mAh battery helping power the 3-inch, 920k-dot rear-mounted display, and you'll also probably want to know that the 1080p movie mode records sound in stereo and ticks along at a healthy 30fps. Our brief time with the S9100 revealed it to be a typically well built little shooter, although we did notice zooming it backwards and forwards is a fairly slow affair -- which can grow into something of a nuisance when you've got such a massive zoom range -- while the tripod mount is way off to the left of center. We're sure Nikon has thought that decision through and balanced the camera's weight appropriately, however. Sales around the world begin on March 17th, with local pricing set at $330, €348 and £300 in the major markets. %Gallery-115974% %Gallery-115973%
Panasonic prices its 2011 HD and 3D camcorders, options for budgets great and small
Panny dumped a truckload of camcorders on us at CES this year, and now that we've finally dug ourselves out the company just piled on the MSRP and release information for the lot. It's okay, we can deal, and here are the highlights: The new 1MOS full HD models, the HDC-HS80, HDC-TM90, HDC-SD90, HDC-TM80, HDC-SD80, HDC-TM40, and HDC-SD40 (phew) are priced between $350 and $600, all offering 1920 x 1080 recording, but only the HDC-TM90 and HDC-SD90 will do 1080p60. All write to SDXC and the HDC-TM40 and HDC-SD40 are the lightest full HD models the company offers, weighing just .39lbs. The company's new 3MOS models, the HDC-SD800, HDC-TM900, and HDC-HS900 are priced at $850, $1,100, and $1,400, all managing 1080p60 and, if you add the $350 VW-CLT1 conversion lens, will shoot in 3D as well. All write to SDXC, while the TM900 has 32GB of storage internally, and only the top two models offer a 20x zoom lens with manual focus for "increased creativity." There are a few SD shooters as well, the $250 SDR-S70, $270 SDR-T70, and $350 SDR-H100, all also sporting SDXC support. Full pricing in the PR after the break, and lots more details in the earlier announce post from CES.
Maxell debuts SSD family, Acoustabar soundbars, accessories galore at CES
If you come all this way to the Consumer Electronics Show, why introduce just a single product? You wouldn't, as evidenced by Maxell's smorgasbord here in Las Vegas. Kicking things off is the outfit's new Acoustabar soundbar lineup, which boast integrated subwoofers and hardwood enclosures. The 32-inch Eht model includes ten speaker drivers, while the SD320 delivers 430 watts of audio through five drivers. Moreover, that guy touts a built-in iPod dock, and it allows for connectivity with any TV, DVD player and game console. The 32-inch SD-400 simply steps up to 520 watts of audio. Once you're done dreaming of ways to enhance your own home cinema, the outfit has one to consider for the kids. The KDP-1 projector includes an inbuilt DVD player and provides a plug-and-play experience that'll shoot up an image as large as 45-inches. You'll also get built-in speakers, a microphone input for karaoke and an undisclosed native resolution. We'll confess that not knowing the latter scares us a bit, but those who couldn't care less can find it nowish for $129.99. As you'd expect, Maxell's also dishing out a slew of new storage products. It'll be pushing out 1.8- and 2.5-inch SSDs (64GB, 256GB and 512GB models) in late 2011, SDXC cards and readers sooner than that, a number of USB 3.0 flash drives / HDDs and a non-networked. MP-100 media player. There's plenty of details on earbuds, iPod cases and other accessories after the break, too. %Gallery-112224%
SD Association triples SDHC and SDXC speeds with UHS-II standard, adds secure eBook specification
Don't ever knock the SD Association for lagging behind. A scant seven months after the aforesaid entity revealed the UHS-I specifications, in flies the predicted successor at CES. UHS-II is a newfangled bus-interface system that promises high-def recording speeds of up to 312 megabytes per second, enabling pro shooters and videographers to actually consider an SDHC or SDXC-based camera rather than relying solely on CompactFlash or SSD. The protocol will be an integral part of the SD 4.00 specification that's going out to members later in the quarter, and naturally, it'll only be useful to SDXC and SDHC cards. We're looking at a 3x increase in transfer rates, and these same upticks will be gracing UHS-II microSDXC and microSDHC cards, too. Best of all, UHS-II cards will be fully backwards compatible with older devices and readers, as the speed increase simply relies on a new row of pins on a familiar form factor. In related news, a new eBook SD application has been announced, though the details surrounding it are murky at best. So far as we can tell, eBook SD cards will have their content pretty well contained, giving publishers the ability to rest easy while still getting content out to the myriad products that can understand SD. Peek the full release after the break. %Gallery-112383%
Lexar Media reveals 64GB and 128GB Class 10 SDXC cards
Man, it feels like yesterday that we first heard of SDXC and its mythical promise of providing 2TB of storage along with 300MBps transfers. Truth be told, that was at CES two years ago, and here we are 24 months later oohing and ahhing over 128GB. Ah, the pains of (sluggish) progress. Griping aside, we're fairly sure that professional video junkies will be more than elated to hear of Lexar Media's two newest cards. The 64GB and 128GB Class 10 SDXC cards "offer minimum guaranteed speeds of 133x (20MB per second)," and ship with a limited lifetime warranty. If all goes well, they'll be splashing down into retailers later this quarter, with price tags set for $399.99 (64GB) and $699.99 (128GB). Just to put that into perspective, SanDisk shipped a Class 4 (15MB/sec) 64GB SDXC card right around this time last year for $350, and it's now going for half of that on the street. Yeah, ouch. %Gallery-112350%
Panasonic's new LCD TVs record video to SDXC
Panasonic's plasma sets get most of the attention, and perhaps rightfully so, but it's actually the company's new LCD lineup for Japan that can help you make use of your woefully neglected SDXC cards. In addition to compiling terrestrial HDTV footage on a standard external hard drive, the Panasonic Viera G3 and X3 can record to a new SD card slot as well, archiving up to five hours of 1080p footage on a 'standard' 64GB SDXC card. We put 'standard' in quotes because while that's presently the typical capacity for that particular designation of flash, it'll still cost you upwards of $200 to get in on the ground floor, and that's a pittance compared to what Panasonic's charging for its own. Who said magnetic storage was dead? If Tokyo's where you hang your hat, expect both the G3 and X3 series to hit stores near you in February of next year.
