Another New Memory Card Format

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.eet.com/semi/news/showArticle.jhtml;?articleId=57703239' target='_blank'>http://www.eet.com/semi/news/showAr...icleId=57703239</a><br /><br /></div><i>"A Taiwanese technology consortium is putting the finishing touches on a new memory card format that it says is compatible with the popular Secure Digital and MultiMediaCard formats already in the market but offers speeds twice that of USB 2.0 at a cheaper price. The Taiwanese card format is dubbed M¼-Card, which stands for micro ¼ card, and it is backed by a handful of local card makers, system designers and IC design houses. Also backing the effort is a quasi-government research group, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), which coordinated the effort."</i><br /><br />There have been more memory card formats announced in the last six months than in the last six years - I'd normally greet the announcement of a new format with a derisive snort :roll: but this may hold some promise. If it's compatible with SD and MMC we have no issues of needing new slots in our devices, and the boasted speed is 960 Mbps, which is shockingly fast. 8O That's 120 MB/s, which is a huge jump beyond what we have right now. And if it's less expensive as well, I say bring it on!

[Paoac]

If it support SD/MMC format, than its good to go!

[Alpha2004]

Hah, im skeptical about this. Its not like it is going to be easily available in a few months from now...

[beq]

Is it the same physical formfactor as SD/MMC? Will there be a "mini" size as well?

I skimmed through it and read something about their basing it on the USB protocol so it's simple and cost-effective? Would the controller for the card reader just be grafted on to USB controllers, so devices can just use one controller chipset for both functions?

[marcm]

If it has SD/MMC support than I'm all for it!
(Especially since it might drive down the costs of normal SD cards more :devilboy:)

[shawnc]

SD support, lower price, faster, BRING IT ON! Hopefully it's more than hype, not like the 2G SD cards that were suppossed to be released in 2004, but are still mostly unavailable :evil: !

[powder2000]

Ya, if it fits sd/mmc and is compatible with existing devices, I'm all for it. I just hope it's not 1/4 the length, how on earth would you ever get it out! :lol:

[Ed@Brighthand]

The new format is physically compatible with SD/MMC slots, but not software compatible. There'd have to be a driver added to your handheld in order to use this card.

At least, that's my understanding.

[davea0511]

That's 120 MB/s, which is a huge jump beyond what we have right now. And if it's less expensive as well, I say bring it on!

Not to be a kill joy, but these cards won't be any faster than the competition, at least not for another 6-7 years, by then USB3.0 will be out along with compliant SD cards that will take full advantage of the new standards and this card won't be any faster than any other card at the time.

Why? Because flash card speeds are not limited by the bus, but rather the speed is limited by the circuit layout on the silicon chips themselves, and these cards will use the same chips as any other flash card (they're only given a different interfacing format).

Currently the bleeding edge speeds are around 20 Mb/s, and that number seems to be doubling about ever 2.5 years (slighly shorter than Moore's law). Therefore, don't expect to see 120 MB/s in any flash card format for another 6-7 years (40mb/s=2.5yrs,80mb/s=5yrs,120mb/s=6.5yrs).

I'd also take the claims of it being cheaper than the competition as a complete joke. Retooling a whole industry is always more expensive than using fully depreciated manufacturing equipment. Until recently high capacity SD cards cost 2X what the same CF cards did. Now the cost is almost the same since most of the tooling has been paid - but even so, CF is still a bit cheaper even though the manufacturing process is more expensive.

[mv]

mmm.... SD 2.0? :)