Secure Digital
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SanDisk releases 2GB Rock Band 2 SD card for all your downloadable content
Okay, so we were actually pretty stoked about SanDisk's 16GB Ultra microSDHC / M2 cards, but this is just laughable. In fact, we just had to pass it along for the image alone. For those who don't understand that any SD card will work in your Wii, the 2GB Rock Band 2 Secure Digital card will reportedly hold up to 75 downloadable songs -- or 2GB of anything, actually. For those in love with the logo (yes, we're talking to you), it'll ship this Spring for the low, low price of $12.99. Full release is after the break.
Synchrotech's CFMulti adapter brings Eye-Fi support to CF cameras
Been longing for Eye-Fi support in your Sony a350? Or any CompactFlash-lovin' camera, for that matter? Meet Synchrotech, your new best friend. The company famous for making incredibly useful adapters has just pumped out its latest stroke of genius, the CFMulti. As you'd expect, this card fits into traditional CF slots but enables Secure Digital cards to be read, including Eye-Fi's range of wireless SD cards. In addition to that, the device accepts standard SD / SDHC and MMC / MMC+ cards. You know you'd pay $28 for all that functionality in one tight package, right?[Via MacsimumNews, thanks Robert]
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.
ADTec's AD-SDH SD cards: waterproof and fast
Yeah, we've seen waterproof SD cards before. In fact, as things rapidly commodify, waterproofing seems to have become the new pink-standard of the witless, marketeer. Still, these super happy, go fast, AD-SDH SD cards from ADTec Japan are quick with a high-speed transfer rate of 20MB/sec -- ideal for smooth video capture or support for rapid stills shot under the soggiest of conditions. On sale any day now in Japan starting at ¥2,980 (about $26) for the 512MB stick on up to ¥8,980 (or $77) for the 2GB jobbie.
Cheaper PS3 loses HDMI, slots, Wi-Fi, 40GB
As you can see above, there are a few things different between the two PS3 SKUs planned. (Hint: the obvious alterations concern high-def output and wireless connectivity -- though Bluetooth controllers should work just fine with both, with or without any chrome case highlighting.)So what's HDMI, built-in multimedia card-reader slots, wireless internet connectivity, and an extra 40 gigabytes' hard disk space worth to you? $100? Now that Sony's gone with the 2-SKU approach with its next-gen hardware (a la the Xbox 360's premium and "Core" systems), we can expect some tough consumer choices after six months -- with console shortages possibly for another six months after that -- as $100 separates the base $499 and premium $599 versions of Sony's "Clear Black" hope.HDMI is important to those who want to take full advantage of Blu-ray high def and have the new screens to use it; MemoryStick, SD, and CompactFlash slots would be nice for the PS3 memory-card users and those will run multimedia on the system; Wi-Fi's the only way to avoid stringing ethernet cables for online access; and 360 owners might appreciate the full 60GB available to potential buyers of the premium PS3 model. Neither model comes with a second HDMI port; thankfully, one should hopefully be all most users need. The details are laid out in a feature-comparison table at the end of Sony's official PS3 hardware press release, available in both Adobe Reader and Microsoft Word formats. Determine what's most important to your PS3 ambitions there.[Image pieced together from the PlayStation.com forums; thanks, Guru]
