Panasonic 256 MB SD card

[marlof]

<a href="http://www.doml.com.sg/product.asp?id=411">http://www.doml.com.sg/product.asp?id=411</a><br /><br />This is the moment I have been waiting for: Doml, an etailer in Singapore, provides a Panasonic 256 MB SD card at a price of S$ 388.30 before taxes, exluding shipping costs. According to WorldMate this translates into US $ 216,37. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/panasonic256sd.jpg" /><br /><br />As they did accept international orders and secure credit card payments, and I simply wanted to have as big an SD card as possible for a long time now, I jumped in and ordered one. I'll keep you posted on my findings.<br /><br /><b>UPDATE:</b> So far so good, I immediately got a confirmation and a FedEx tracking number. The vendor responded to an e-mail message too, so I'm looking forward to what comes from this.<br /><br /><b>UPDATE2:</b> Minor glitch. The vendor sent the package to my billing address, which is not the same as my shipping address. As the FedEx number was already in the FedEx system, I could contact my local FedEx representative, and he fixed it during a 10 min phone call. I'm expecting to receive the SD card next Monday (due to the weekend).

[Macguy59]

Glad to see your still alive. :wink:

[marlof]

Yeah, yeah. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

[paris18m]

ok this is offtopic but since you did mention that you used World mate to translate currency i have one thing to ask.

Do you always get worldmate running when you Sync you pocket pc?
Mine does this and its very annoying since it does slow it down, at least at work when i have a slow pc.

i am using ipaq H3850 with PPC2002


Paris walks away crying when looking at his Panasonic 64MB SD card :(

[marlof]

No, WorldMate does not come up when I sync my Pocket PC (3870, PPC 2002, Activesync 3.5, Win98 at work, WinXP Pro at home).

[wiredguy]

I hope the card works. I've heard to many stories of 128MB SD cards not working to buy one myself. You can be the test subject :). Let us know how it goes.

[marlof]

Yeah, I've heard the stories too, and I'll be glad to be your guinea pig.

[denethor]

Upps. Too expensive.
Buying a RAM upgrade more profitable...
http://www.pocketpctechs.com/i3600.asp

Or buy another iPAQ 3830 ;-)

Cheers.

[jpzr]

I simply wanted to have as big an SD card as possible for a long time

Panasonic very soon will deliver 512 MB SD card to retail shops.
It was very very very strongly demonstrated during CeBIT2002.

(I have already 256MB CF card so it is not impressing me: 512 would impress me however truly)

[marlof]

I like the idea I can swap this SD card between different PDAs, and even a digital camera. A RAM upgrade sticks like glue to that one PDA. Cool stuff, but not for someone who switches devices every so often often. And this remains well within my guideline of $1 per MB, so I think it's affordable enough. Remind you, I didn't say it was cheap, but affordable. :)

JPZR: if you have your 256 MB CF card next to the 256 MB SD card, the size of the card should impress you, not the size of the storage. I agree, 512 MB would (and will probably soon) be better, but I find my 256 MB CF card sufficient for my daily needs right now, so I decided to jump on this SD card to get rid of the need of CF storage. If 512 MB comes soon, the card will probably be twice as expensive if it remains within the $1 per MB limit, and that is not something I'd like to pay for storage right now. But no matter what you choose, with cards like this huge storage room in small sizes will enable very cool devices.

[Mobile Bob]

Great find Marlof! These are not even available at Panasonic's (Panasonic USA) on-line store.

Let the wait begin for the 512MB model. :wink:

By the way, I have four SD cards and they all work fine. I've never had any problems at all, but I have not used them in a Pocket PC because I don't own one yet. Will try them all in my Toshiba e740 when that arrives.

[st63z]

I didn't post this in the earlier thread, but I was wondering how the Panasonic will compare to other brands (such as SanDisk) in terms of speed. I remember Pan. had made a big deal of something about 5x the speed of current cards for their 256/512MB cards. But then again as DPReview had shown for CF cards, manufacturer-rated speeds seem irrelevant in terms of actual performance in different devices (it seemed like a random crapshoot as to which brand card works best with which brand/category device).

From what I remember about SanDisk's announcement, didn't they say they improved something in the manufacturing process technology to basically get double the capacity and thus they were able to bring out the 256MB card?

If these two are completely separate developments, it'd be cool if they merge and we instantly get a 1024MB card with 5x speed, hopefully for a low price (since if the two merged production they'd achieve a larger economy of scale to drive prices down quicker). Yeah I know, fanciful thinking, bear with me :D

Anyways, as I had mentioned earlier, I didn't do any exhaustive searching, but I found the Panasonic 256MB for preorder from US-based OneCall.com for $224 with free shipping, I think (512MB for $440). They're one of those dealers that will match price if you call them up (I had done this a long, long time ago when I bought my JVC SVHS VCRs). I'm sure there are other places with cheaper prices though.

[dma1965]

If I am not mistaken, Sandisk is owned by Panasonic, so the Panasonic and Sandisk cards are probably one and the same. I have a Toshiba SD card, and would prefer to wait for them to come out with the larger cards, because I have never had nor heard of any issues with the Toshiba cards, and Sandisk has had some problems. :idea:

[Shaun Stuart]

Well I also took the plunge and ordered a 256SD card today from the same merchant - I will let you know of my experience. 8)

[jpzr]

If I am not mistaken, Sandisk is owned by Panasonic, so the Panasonic and Sandisk cards are probably one and the same.


you are mistaken. and there is no even such company like "Panasonic" - it is a brand owned by Matsu****a. wow, what a rabbish people may think...

[marlof]

jpzr: please tone down a bit. when someone is mistaken, that does not make his thoughts rubbish. i can't remember i said the same about you when you were 100 % sure that all villages in my country would have ADSL access, but you had to confirm later on that my village did not. everybody makes mistakes, and if you feel like correcting them that can be done in a nice civil way. by the way, when will you pay for the six pack of beer? ;)

[jpzr]

by the way, when will you pay for the six pack of beer? ;)

I don't know, transfer fee would cost more than the beer

PS. isn't it sense of websites like this to provide information and not disinformation?

[dma1965]

If you are going to take digs at me, at least use proper English.

There is indeed a company called Panasonic, it is a child company of Matsu****a Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., and Sandisk does make cards for Panasonic, as taken directly from SanDisk's site (http://www.sandisk.com/about/):

"...Many major OEMs sell cards produced by SanDisk under their own brand names. These companies include Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu, Motorola, Kodak and Panasonic..."

So do a little research before you shoot off your replies, and perhaps you will appear slightly less ignorant, or, at the very least, try not to reply so arrogantly. :wink:
[/quote]

[jpzr]

"...Many major OEMs sell cards produced by SanDisk under their own brand names. These companies include Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu, Motorola, Kodak and Panasonic..."


this is what Sandisk claims. I can claim that WindowsCE has been written by myself and Microsoft just rebranded it. the point is that this big SD cards (256/512 MB) are product of Panasonic (division of Matsu****a), not Sandisk. If you would have been to CeBIT you would have known it.

You spread misinformation and wishful thinking.

Please provide me with Panasonic-based information that newest SD cards from Panasonic are made by Sandisk - then I withdraw my statements. Otherwise they all are true.

[Kre]

Im glad to see that the bigger capacity cards are coming out. Thats 8)

[chrisdavies]

this is what Sandisk claims. I can claim that WindowsCE has been written by myself and Microsoft just rebranded it. the point is that this big SD cards (256/512 MB) are product of Panasonic (division of Matsu****a), not Sandisk. If you would have been to CeBIT you would have known it.

You spread misinformation and wishful thinking.

Please provide me with Panasonic-based information that newest SD cards from Panasonic are made by Sandisk - then I withdraw my statements. Otherwise they all are true.

As is usually the case, an informative and useful discussion is peppered by someone who seems to delight in nit-picking and odd statements. Sandisk DOES manfacture cards that are rebranded. Simple fact. And even if they didn't, does it really matter? Is it really so important to pick the entire post to pieces? I think not.

[jpzr]

Is it really so important to pick the entire post to pieces? I think not.

sorry, but for me it matters whether card is produced by Panasonic and made in Japan or if it is produced by Sandisk and made in Malayasia. The biggest SD card on the market is 512 MB and is produced by Panasonic. Sandisk offers only 128 MB at this time.

[Sanjay Srikonda]

I had a conversation with a Compaq tech. I commented that I didn't realize that the Ipaq's (mine) was made in Taiwan, I got it directly from Compaq as a replacement for a defective 3835. The tech said, "Ipaqs are not made in Taiwan." I was reading him the serial # of my Ipaq which is why I noticed the place of mfg.

The tech insisted. He was wrong.

Is Sandisk selling rebranded Panasanic (aka Matsu****a) SD cards? Maybe. Are they made in Malaysia or Japan? It's as important as does the card work up to standards of the parent company that produced them? Not everything the Japanese make is "A Number 1." They too have defective products. It's a matter of how well the cards work. If you believe that buying directly from Japan will get you a better product than getting it from Malaysia. Good, great.

As for ripping someone here a new one. For accuracy's sake, state your point, make it pleasantly, and move on. It's not necessary to call names, and belittle anyone. It's a great big wide world out there with lots of opinions. Some are right, some wrong. Unfortunately or not, we all have them.

But, that's just my .02 from the outside looking in.

[Jammin]

Well its now MONDAY, where are the cards!!

[jpzr]

Well its now MONDAY, where are the cards!!

keep us updating, man, it is fascinating subject!

I am searching for some reliable source of MMC cards of 128 MB or 256 MB - accessible from European Union.

[marlof]

Sorry for the lack of update: but my card was stuck in customs today. They wanted to charge me VAT for US $, where the price was written in S $ (which the customs department in Rijsbergen obviously didn't encounter too much). Minor Glitch 2, but I can only hope it will be solved, and they will deliver the card tomorrow. Don't know if I'll have the time to post anything on it tomorrow 'though, so it might be wednesday.

[hjacobs]

I ordered the 512 Meg this morning. It is now available for approximately $455 US dollars including shipping. My 256 Meg is stuck in customs (Alaska) they need an FCC clearance from me. Any idea what this FCC clearance is and why I need to fill it out as the buyer?