SanDisk Begins Sales of Mini SD Cards in Japan

[Crystal Eitle]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1103_2-1011133.html' target='_blank'>http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1103_2-1011133.html</a><br /><br /></div>"Removable flash memory card developer SanDisk said Thursday that it has begun selling miniSD cards in Japan. MiniSD is a smaller version of the Secure Digital card and is intended for use in cell phones and small portable digital audio players. The first mobile phones with built-in slots for the miniSD cards are hitting the Japanese market with NTT DoCoMo leading the way with its 505i phone. SanDisk is selling the $24, 32MB card initially with higher capacities, up to 256MB, due out later this year."<br /><br />Yay, yet another format! :roll: My response to this is a big shrug. What, SD cards are too big? We need a memory format that's the size of a thumbnail? Imagine dropping one of these in a crowded room - it'd be like losing a contact lens - "okay everybody don't move! I need help finding my miniSD card!"<br /><br />I only hope that the miniSD to SD adapter alluded to in <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10048">this thread</a> will be a reality - and included with every miniSD card.

[pocketpcdude1024]

Wait, let me count for a sec, we have:
Compact Flash
Secure Digital
MultiMedia Card
Memory Stick
Smart Media
Mini-SD (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10048)
RS-MMC (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5090)
MS Duo
MS Pro (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5688)
xD
CUD (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11545)So that's 11... are there any others? 8O

UPDATE: Forgot about xD! :wink:

[sponge]

One format doesn't work for all though.. ie CompactFlash isn't good for those ultra small digicams. MMC and SD are more or less the same thing too.

[Duncan]

Wait, let me count for a sec, we have:

Lets make that list a little simpler shall we?

Compact Flash, CUD - compatible standards.
Secure Digital, MultiMedia Card, Mini-SD, RS-MMC - all varieties of the one basic format - meaning all can be used in a standard SD slot.
Memory Stick, MS Duo, MS Pro - any recent Memory Stick slot will be able to take all of these
Smart Media, xD - xD is essentially the replacement for the (rapidly becoming) defunct SmartMedia card

[rudolph]

it'd be cool if ppc's used one of these smaller memory cards (xD maybe) for the ppc's internal memory (the inernal program/storage memory). SDs and CF could still be used on the ppc, but just as external storage like they are now

[dMores]

is miniSD the same as that "picture sd" a couple of digicam manufacturers have started using?

[beq]

Don't forget PC Card flash memory :)

Also how much flash storage do you think they can squeeze into the venerable 3.5" floppy form factor? :mrgreen: I remember Smart Media, MS, SD, etc have a 3.5" FD adapter.

[Duncan]

Of course there are Compact Flash adaptors (existing or planned) for SD, xD, SmartMedia...

[dcharles18]

I'm still waiting for those Panasonic SD to CF adapters that they've had over there for a while to hit the US . . .

[doogald]

"Yay, yet another format! :roll: My response to this is a big shrug. What, SD cards are too big? We need a memory format that's the size of a thumbnail? Imagine dropping one of these in a crowded room - it'd be like losing a contact lens - "okay everybody don't move! I need help finding my miniSD card!"


But I think that this would be great in a wristwatch-sized device. A runner's watch that could keep your entire exercise history on a SD card? Or a wristwatch that might provide MP3 play capability? That might be nice!

[Jason Dunn]

I'm actually pretty OK with this new type of memory, because it's an off-shoot of a format we already have, which means with an adaptor it's just like an SD card. That gives a high level of re-use for memory components, which is cool (albeit one-way).

[opus]

some comparative specs on the mini-sd format are at
http://www.sandisk.com/oem/minisd-spec.htm.

Having moved from the desk-sized to the desktop-sized to the palm-sized era, soon we will be moving from the palm-sized to the watch-sized (and then on to speck-sized).

-- Opus

[foldedspace]

Perhaps this is all an elaborate shell game to distract from the fact that capacity limits have almost been reached?

[Jonathan1]

Perhaps this is all an elaborate shell game to distract from the fact that capacity limits have almost been reached?

Where did you get this? Last I heard Panasonic (I think it was them) was developing a 5GB SD card. From the looks of things they have hardly hit any wall. Does anyone know the practical limit for SD? 3GB? 5GB? 10GB? 20GB? Anyone?

[edit] Check that 2GB. Its still a whole heck of a ways from hitting any wall

[R K]

I think 4GB SD Cards were on Panasonic's roadmap for 2005.

[Paul P]

Perhaps this is all an elaborate shell game to distract from the fact that capacity limits have almost been reached?

Just as an example, the Memory Stick Pro has a theoretical capacity of 32GB (according to Sony). How long it will take for them to reach that capacity is another story. But as long as the technology keeps up, I don't think there is a set capacity limit.

[David C]

Mini SD sounds cool. I wounder if there will be a mini SDIO?

[David Johnston]

Memory 'cards' really now needs some form of definition. I like to think of them as a physical storage medium that is very easy to manipulate and store. They shouldn't be something we have to worry about losing or dropping/breaking. All the current standards - CF, SM, SD - pretty much appeal to this.

CF is good compromise not least because its a decent size and can handle a good amount of actual electronics (like a controller, or an antenna) and not have to rely on the host doing most of the word (SM and SD?)

However, a thumbnail sized storage card?! Forget losing it on the floor - imagine losing that in your pocket! It's almost absurd. I don't want to be spending that much time searching for something so small yet so valuable/expensive.

There needs to be compromise. Small is good, but there are disadvantages too. Smallness appeals to marketeers though - seems to correllate with 'coolness' and bleeding-edge technology. I'd be happy if capacities would just increase at the same time as miniaturisation such that everything remains the same size and just gets more capacity/power rather than the other way around.

Ramble over. Rejoice!

[dma1965]

Frankly, I am with the crowd that thinks too small is not good. SD Cards are already about as small as I care to keep track of. Hell, I can carry about 10 SD cards in my wallet without any noticeable bulk (if I spread them out). How much smaller before it is unwieldy :?:

[wizardmaster2k]

All these formats make me mad. They are making a mess of things and a standard of flash memory is becomming harder to establish with each new one that hits the market. CF is the best, no security features like sd (if you want security you can use pgp), all the connectors are inside the card so there is no gold connectors on the surface to get dammaged, they are cheap and fast (40x!!), and they have to possibility of achieving very high storage. CF is all storage, no messy security or special features.