07-21-2002, 03:00 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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The death of SmartMedia, the new XD card?
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0207/02071501xdcardphotoim.asp
Just when you thought it was safe to buy a memory card...some insane company decides it's time to introduce a completely new memory "standard". I suppose it had to happen - we've had a few years of relative peace with most companies united behind CompactFlash. It would seem that Toshiba didn't feel like playing nice with Panasonic, and they've released their own competitor to Secure Digital cards. <sigh> And, for the record, SmartMedia has been dead for a long time - it's just that no one has taken the time to throw some dirt on it.
This is just my own somewhat informed opinion (I'm somewhat of a student of Japanese culture), but we're all the victims of a behaviour deeply rooted in traditional Japanese mentality. Japanese high tech firms are highly competitive, aligning only with others in their keiretsu (a group of partnered companies working towards a common goal, sharing from the strength of each member). To use the technology of another company outside your keiretsu is frowned upon, because it means admitting that they have something that you do not. This is part of the reason Sony created the memory stick - they have no keiretsu, but wanted instead to stand alone and not ally themselves with the technology of another company. Sony is so large, they practically are their own keiretsu. Instead of uniting behind a common standard, Japanese firms will, when possible, employ their own unique technologies in the never-ending game of one-upmanship. Ultimately it's the consumers that suffer through the confusion that results.
"The ever reliable (for leaks) website of the French printed magazine Chasseur d'Images is running a news article about the death of SmartMedia to be replaced by a new card called the XD Picture Card. According to their article this new card will be considerably smaller than SmartMedia, about the same size as an SD card and stiffer. They say that the card will be available in capacities of 128, 256, 512 MB and up to 1 GB with 4 and 8 GB a possibility. The card appears to be manufactured by Toshiba and doesn't contain a controller chip (just like SmartMedia)." Source: Paul P
And if I'm horribly incorrect in my analysis of this aspect of Japanese culture, someone please feel free to set me straight.
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07-21-2002, 03:27 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 113
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How small is TOO small??
I like standards. In fact, I hate it when you purchase a new PDA and have to repurchase every accessory because the connectors are proprietary down to the model. 
But to the real point, how small is too small?? I'm already scared to death of losing SD cards. I mean SD cards can drop and land on the ground without hardly making a noise! And this new format is considerably smaller... geez.
**Just reread the article, not considerably smaller than SD, rather SmartMedia. But still.**
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07-21-2002, 03:41 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 217
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Just what we need
Great, Toshiba Pocket PCs with XD slots. Already my 6-in-1 Flash adapter is obsolete.
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07-21-2002, 04:22 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 63
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Your review of Japanese business culture is very interesting and insightful.
Thanks. 
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07-21-2002, 04:59 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,341
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I guess this would make Microsoft the "Big Kahuna" of keiretsus. Keiretsu.NET so to speak
The keiretsu concept is a geart one. It takes a very open mind to realize that working with your peers in the marketplace can make for a larger marketplace for you to have a peice of. Opposed to having a larger peice of a smaller one.
I have been saying for a while that I would like to see a standard method of expansion in PPCs instead of the proprietary solutions we see now. Think how much better the industry would be if PPC developers could find a bit more "keiretsu"
Dave
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07-21-2002, 05:05 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 193
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Crap
So i have been looking at the really awesome pocket pc phones. Not a single one of them has compact flash. Now it doesn't even look like i should get one with SD memory (which i hate) So i have to get this new memory. This is a waste of time and effort. Most digital cameras still use compact flash and it has the mircodrive and very large sizes of standard memory. Why should i start all over and pay a couple hundred more when i have a perfectly good microdrive. I want a pocket pc phone with compact flash, do i really have any chance of that happening?
The companies are screwing us all, can't they just make a open standard no one owns the media and they can all build it.
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07-21-2002, 05:24 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,341
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Re: Crap
Quote:
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Originally Posted by danmanmayer
Why should i start all over and pay a couple hundred more when i have a perfectly good microdrive. .
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Well no one says you have to, but if we didn't start over once in a while there would be no room in our livingrooms because our computers would be taking up the whole room. 8O
Dave
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07-21-2002, 05:33 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 53
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Oh, gee, another one...
I pretty much gave in to SD, so now I'm just careful to make everything I buy either SD or CF compatible. I agree with Jason, SmartMedia has been dead for a long time (the roadmap ended at 128mb, for gosh sakes) but I just can't believe that we need a another new standard. But again, here the business culture takes over. What's a little weird here is that in their latest notebooks, Toshiba has started to include SD slots. (?)
What really got me onto the SD bandwagon was buying a Minolta DiMAGE X. I love that camera (ya, I know the image quality isn't perfect) because it is so FAST and tiny. Now that I've come over, I don't really have any regrets...besides being fearful of losing a card!
__________________
Jeff McKean
Marketing Manager
Mobile Devices Division
Microsoft
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07-21-2002, 05:35 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 307
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Absolute Madness. Somebody stop all this innovation.
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07-21-2002, 05:50 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Marcel_Proust
Absolute Madness. Somebody stop all this innovation.
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Not innovation. Greed. :bad-words:
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