Samsung Adds Beef: 8GB MMCplus Card

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.samsung.com/PressCenter/PressRelease/PressRelease.asp?seq=20060727_0000276209#' target='_blank'>http://www.samsung.com/PressCenter/...727_0000276209#</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has developed the industry's highest density MMC card (popular removable MultiMediaCard for portable electronics) based on its most advanced MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash memory. It also has developed the highest performing MMC card, based on SLC (single-level cell) NAND flash, in rounding out its large portfolio of MMC memories. With added density and higher performance, the new Samsung MMCplusTM cards are designed to greatly enhance user convenience for a variety of mobile applications. Based on Samsung's 8-gigabit (Gb) NAND flash memory, the MMCplus card will be introduced with an 8-gigabyte (GB) density, allowing it to store 2,000 MP3 music files or eight hours of DVD-quality movies. The 8GB card will be part of a full line up of MLC-based MMCplus cards that also will include 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB offerings."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20060729-8gbmmcplus.jpg" /><br /><br />It wasn't too long ago that we were looking at <a href="http://www.sandisk.com/Corporate/PressRoom/PressReleases/PressRelease.aspx?ID=3470">4GB SDHC cards</a>. Well, feast your eyes on this 8GB MMCplus card from Samsung. Unlike SDHC, MMCplus is backward-compatible, so there's a good chance that this thumb-sized behemoth could work with existing MMC-capable Pocket PCs.

[alese]

Two questions:

Price?
Will this work in "normal" WM devices with SD slot?

[Jason Dunn]

MMC is so interesting, it's the format that could just never quite make it, even though it has a lot going for it.

[saru83]

wow, i thought that SD was moving faster than MMC, but it seems that MMC is picking up really well..

As Alese asked, will this work with any WM devices that has full SD card slots?

[ctmagnus]

If I stuck one of these in my JAMin, I'd have the CPU power and storage of my first desktop.

[Darius Wey]

Will this work in "normal" WM devices with SD slot?

Almost all SD-capable Windows Mobile devices support the MMC specification as well. So theoretically, the cards will work.

[rob_ocelot]

I wonder what's worse:

Introducing a new memory card format with s completely new form factor (that we tech-heads will bitch about). This seems to be happening every other week.

-or-

Introducing a new memory card format with the same form factor as a previous one but is incompatable with older devices (that your average consumer will be confused by). If it weren't for the square pegs and round holes forced into consumer eletronics to protect the average Joe from eletrocuting or blowing themselves up there wouldnt be anyone left to buy anything. Heck, I still know people who plug AC adaptors into devices that take DC with the polarity revered 'because the plug looked like it would fit'.


The format that will survive and grow will be the one that gets an early foothold in the marketplace and initial backwards compatability is key to that foothold. On that basis alone the smart money is on MMC+


Or put another way:

Does anyone here remember the 5 Volt only Smart Media cards?

I bet not.

[alese]

Will this work in "normal" WM devices with SD slot?

Almost all SD-capable Windows Mobile devices support the MMC specification as well. So theoretically, the cards will work.

I agree, theoretically it could work, but we'll need someone brave (or at least rich) to buy one and try it in few devices :-)

[k1darkknight]

okay...SDHC cards won't work in devices that aren't designated SDHC compatible...but aren't there 4GB standard SD cards out there? Sandisk's website (about the SDHC stuff) seems to imply that the technology used in SDHC cards is required to make cards in this form factor at 4GB and above, yet I could swear I've seen regular SD cards at 4GB, and I thought that I'd maybe even seen an 8GB SD card listed somewhere, though I may have just been seeing things on that last count.

[ctmagnus]

4GB SD cards do exist. I've yet to see any from the "big" manufacturers, but do a google for 4GB SD on a site like ecost.com.

As for the 8GB thing, are you thinking of CF cards?

[Darius Wey]

okay...SDHC cards won't work in devices that aren't designated SDHC compatible...but aren't there 4GB standard SD cards out there?

Sure, they exist, but compatibility with existing Pocket PCs is largely a hit-and-miss. Despite the card complying with the SD specification, some devices just aren't cut out to handle them.

...and I thought that I'd maybe even seen an 8GB SD card listed somewhere, though I may have just been seeing things on that last count.

That, er... that may have been my April Fool's joke (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=47615). :oops:

[saru83]

Was searching for some Memory Cards on ebay &amp; i came across this 8O

http://cgi.ebay.ca/150X-8GB-OEM-SAMSUNG-SECURE-DIGITAL-SD-CARD-8-GB-G-NEW_W0QQitemZ270022212562QQihZ017QQcategoryZ18871QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Can PPC's with SD slots handle this? lets say the Benq P50, P51, HTC Universal?

[Darius Wey]

Was searching for some Memory Cards on ebay &amp; i came across this 8O

http://cgi.ebay.ca/150X-8GB-OEM-SAMSUNG-SECURE-DIGITAL-SD-CARD-8-GB-G-NEW_W0QQitemZ270022212562QQihZ017QQcategoryZ18871QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Can PPC's with SD slots handle this? lets say the Benq P50, P51, HTC Universal?

Is that even a legit product being sold? If memory servces correctly, Samsung never released an 8GB SD.

[ctmagnus]

Please note that 8GB Secure Digital Card are being released on Aug 25th - as such your hardware may need to be updated to support the card.

I would assume that any device that's more than a month or two old wouldn't work with this card, if it is legit.

[haesslich]

It's probably a fake - the SD standard's maximum capacity was 4GB. SD 2.0, on the other hand, is rated for up to 32GB, which is where SDHC comes in - it has specifications for how to access that memory, and how fast you can access it... which is important when we're talking 32GB of data.