Did Someone Say 3GB?

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000050024726/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000050024726/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"All we’ve got to go on is a scan of an advertisement that was in The Straits Times the other day (thanks to reader Nic Seow for the hookup on that), but a company called Microdia says they’ll have a 3GB SD memory card for sale soon, as well as a 3GB MMC card, a 2GB miniSD, and a 2GB RS-MMC cards."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20041224-Microdia3GB.jpg" /><br /><br />I had to blink twice when I read this one. Microdia will apparently offer a 3GB SD card soon. I checked today's date, and it's not April 1st, so I'm going to take this one as fact, not fiction. What are your thoughts? ;-)

[Typhoon]

Anyone got an idea where these can be bought?

[Darius Wey]

Anyone got an idea where these can be bought?

Details are still a little sketchy from what I can tell, although I just popped over to the Microdia website (http://www.microdia.com/corp/jsp/splash/product_flashmemory_product01.jsp?ccode=000001100011100&pcode=116) and it seems like you can purchase items from their website. But I'd wait until it's announced first since the 3GB card is not yet a selectable option.

[ricksfiona]

SD AND mini-SD @ 3GB??? That's just AMAZZZZING! Bring it on I say!!! 8O

I just wonder how much it will cost :?

[beq]

Wow, so 1" HDDs don't really have a capacity advantage anymore? Isn't the largest 1" HDD (in a CF card) right now only 4.3GB or so?

Which is strange though, since 1.8" HDDs have much bigger capacities nowadays (up to 60GB judging from the biggest iPod Photo model -- BTW I'd bought the 40GB iPod Photo for a friend).

I'm not sure what the biggest capacity 2.5" HDD is, but I don't think it's much more than 60GB, which is also strange. It would seem the 1.8" formfactor has the most capacity per square inch, compared to both 1" and 2.5" formfactors?

If more Pocket PCs start adding a PCMCIA slot, then we can actually use removable 60GB (1.8" HDD in a PC Card), that'd be cool :)

[ADBrown]

Wow, so 1" HDDs don't really have a capacity advantage anymore? Isn't the largest 1" HDD (in a CF card) right now only 4.3GB or so?


Actually, the largest CF microdrive is 5 GB, which is still quite a bit larger than 3 GB. Still, I'm going to wait and see if this 3 GB SD card actually comes out. It might make the 2 GB ones affordable. :lol:

[Jonathan1]

Hmm the only question now is which banking institution they are going to use to establish a line of credit to purchase this thing with. 8O :lol:

[Jonathan1]

Oh one other question. Does anyone remember what the max capacity of the SD format is? I could have sworn I read somewhere it maxed out at 3-4GB? :confused totally:

If that is the case, and this announcement is true, we may seen the end of the line for the SD in its current form.

[V-iPAQ]

I thought that MMC was by definition is unable to havesizes over 128 or something. :idea:

[NLS]

no thoughts

just drooling

[beq]

Wow, so 1" HDDs don't really have a capacity advantage anymore? Isn't the largest 1" HDD (in a CF card) right now only 4.3GB or so?


Actually, the largest CF microdrive is 5 GB, which is still quite a bit larger than 3 GB. Still, I'm going to wait and see if this 3 GB SD card actually comes out. It might make the 2 GB ones affordable. :lol:

Thanks for info :)

I would say though that 3GB vs. 5GB wouldn't necessarily make a big difference in my qualitative experience. Whereas 5GB vs. 60GB is definitely an order of magnitude difference that would make a qualitative difference...

I'm still impressed that 1.8" formfactor HDD now gives 12 times the storage capacity of 1" formfactor HDD. But 2.5" formfactor I think is still stuck at around the same capacity as 1.8" formfactor? Makes me suspicious that perhaps it's easily doable to make a 1" (and 2.5") HDD with more capacity than currently available, if only the HDD companies would devote the same resources to do it?

Edit: Actually, I just remembered that a ThinkPad T41 from years back already has 80GB HDD IIRC, and I also recall that the 2.5" HDD market had started heating up awhile back. So I'm guessing 2.5" HDD capacities are probably pretty high now?

[shawnc]

Have 2G SD cards been released yet? Kind of hard to get excited about this being true considering that 2G is not available.

[Darius Wey]

Have 2G SD cards been released yet? Kind of hard to get excited about this being true considering that 2G is not available.

They are. There not as abundant as the 1GB cards in terms of supply at the moment, but you can still certainly get them.

[shawnc]

Have 2G SD cards been released yet? Kind of hard to get excited about this being true considering that 2G is not available.

They are. There not as abundant as the 1GB cards in terms of supply at the moment, but you can still certainly get them.

About 2 weeks ago I was searching all over the Net and couldn't find any? No matter, low availability = VERY HIGH price! I'll be patient.

[Darius Wey]

About 2 weeks ago I was searching all over the Net and couldn't find any? No matter, low availability = VERY HIGH price! I'll be patient.

Agreed. They are very expensive. There were quite a few available in Singapore when I enquired about it a couple of weeks ago. It's needless to say, the price was not pretty. ;)

Then again, it is a new-ish release, so I wouldn't expect anything less thus far. Give it a few months, and the price will drop.

[CESkins]

I can only shudder to think what the cost of these cards will be when 1st released. :(

[kozak]

Panasonic said that by 2007 they will have atleast 8GB SD cards. I see it happening before then.

The 2GB SD are $180 and Sandisk has a massproduced 8GB CF card for $800. By next year you will see the 8GB CF cards for under $200.

Just my 2 cents.

[Mr_Music]

Well.
I heard long time ago, that the upper limit for SecureDigital is 8GB.
So this is not a chock to me at all.
There just releasing them in a slow pace so we spend all our money many times...
The technology was available a year ago at least.

Btw!
Merry Xmas on you all!
:)

[shawnc]

By next year you will see the 8GB CF cards for under $200.

WOW, an 8G CF would actually make me CONSIDER a dual-slot machine.

[Darius Wey]

It looks like Microdia aren't the only one making promises:

Other available capacities include, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256 and 512MB. Capacity will expand to 2GB, followed by 3GB, and up to 32GB allowing the SD Memory Card to handle the great volume of data for other content, such as digital video(MPEG2). All this storage in about the size of a postage stamp!

I'll be jumping for joy when I get my 32GB SD card. :lol:

More information here (http://www.panasonic.co.uk/technology/sd-explained.html).

[Len M.]

Microdia doesn't even have the 3 GB cards in a press release on their Web site, so this is definitely premature.

And though SanDisk's 2 GB SD card is widely being offered for sale (e.g., $174 at Buy.com), it was supposed to be released December 4th and still is not being shipped. Anyone know why?


Len Moskowitz
Core Sound
www.core-sound.com
(Home of PDAudio)

[Cybrid]

Wow, so 1" HDDs don't really have a capacity advantage anymore? Isn't the largest 1" HDD (in a CF card) right now only 4.3GB or so?


Actually, the largest CF microdrive is 5 GB, which is still quite a bit larger than 3 GB. Still, I'm going to wait and see if this 3 GB SD card actually comes out. It might make the 2 GB ones affordable. :lol:

Thanks for info :)

I would say though that 3GB vs. 5GB wouldn't necessarily make a big difference in my qualitative experience. Whereas 5GB vs. 60GB is definitely an order of magnitude difference that would make a qualitative difference...

I'm still impressed that 1.8" formfactor HDD now gives 12 times the storage capacity of 1" formfactor HDD. But 2.5" formfactor I think is still stuck at around the same capacity as 1.8" formfactor? Makes me suspicious that perhaps it's easily doable to make a 1" (and 2.5") HDD with more capacity than currently available, if only the HDD companies would devote the same resources to do it?

Edit: Actually, I just remembered that a ThinkPad T41 from years back already has 80GB HDD IIRC, and I also recall that the 2.5" HDD market had started heating up awhile back. So I'm guessing 2.5" HDD capacities are probably pretty high now?

Weren't there reports of a panasonic 12Gb CF worth $14,900? A bigger form factor will always have a bigger capacity...common sense and various laws of physics dictate that.....
When you talk of HDD, do you actually think there's actual HardDiskDrives in there????? :?:

[kozak]

the 12GB CF card is from Pretec and is CF II format. It retails for $15,000. The one from sandisk is the 8GB CF ULTRA II, in CF I format. I will deffinately buy the 8 gig for my X50v when it drops to below $200.

[sponge]

And though SanDisk's 2 GB SD card is widely being offered for sale (e.g., $174 at Buy.com), it was supposed to be released December 4th and still is not being shipped. Anyone know why?

I hope you didn't order from Buy.com. This should explain it pretty well:
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2107.html

Folks, if you want to see how not to outsource, look at Buy.com