SanDisk Introduces Mobile Ultra microSD, microSDHC, and M2 Cards

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.sandisk.com/Corporate/PressRoom/PressReleases/PressRelease.aspx?ID=4200' target='_blank'>http://www.sandisk.com/Corporate/Pr...se.aspx?ID=4200</a><br /><br /></div><em>&quot;SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), the proven leader in flash memory, today announced the availability of SanDisk Mobile Ultra, microSD, microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro (M2) flash mobile memory cards, which are available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB* capacities -- the industry&rsquo;s first premium mobile phone storage cards. A must-have product for consumers who embody the digital lifestyle, the SanDisk Mobile Ultra high-performance cards are &ldquo;best of breed&rdquo; premium cards that provide fast side-loading speeds. This means that users will experience accelerated transfer rates of digital files to and from their mobile memory card and their computer. In addition to speed, SanDisk Mobile Ultra cards allow consumers to &ldquo;wake up&rdquo; the multimedia features of mobile phones by increasing the phone&rsquo;s storage capacity for maps, music, videos, photos, games and other essential applications. For avid mobile phone videographers, events and experiences captured by the phone&rsquo;s video camera can be quickly and efficiently transferred to social media or video-sharing websites. For added value and convenience, the card is bundled with a MobileMate&trade; Micro Reader that plugs directly into a USB 2.0 port to assist in this quick transport and easy management of digital content.&quot;</em><br /><br /><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1211434620.usr2.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />If you own a device with a microSD/microSDHC or M2 slot, check out SanDisk's new Mobile Ultra cards. They're available at capacities of up to 8GB and come bundled with a slim MobileMate Micro Reader to make those card-to-computer transfers a breeze. The 8GB Mobile Ultra microSDHC has a $119.99 MSRP tag, but if you shop around, you can probably find a better deal.

[beq]

Well, at least the new Mobile Ultra 8GB microSDHC product is a Class 6 card, whereas other 8GB microSDHC cards that I've seen on the market so far (including an older card from SanDisk and those from A-DATA, Transcend, etc) have been Class 4. I think that means the new card has a faster minimum read/write speed (and probably faster maximum read/write as well).

The new Mobile Ultra's 10yr warranty is also double the 5yr warranty of the other microSDHC cards that I've seen. I wonder if the Mobile Ultra cards have a longer write/erase life span?

But I can buy these other 8GB microSDHC cards for about $50. Unfortunately the new Mobile Ultra 8GB microSDHC seems to be selling for double that (about $100) online! For that price maybe we should wait for the 16GB microSDHC cards to arrive :)

[Menneisyys]

The new Mobile Ultra's 10yr warranty is also double the 5yr warranty of the other microSDHC cards that I've seen. I wonder if the Mobile Ultra cards have a longer write/erase life span?

I don't think you'll ever kill a storage card. I even have 10-year-old Flash cards (some of them still in active use). During all these years, none of them have broken on me. Furthermore, they use Flash conreollers that "map out" destroyed cells; that is, the technology they use makes sure you won't have unreliable cards with bit errors.

But I can buy these other 8GB microSDHC cards for about $50. Unfortunately the new Mobile Ultra 8GB microSDHC seems to be selling for double that (about $100) online! For that price maybe we should wait for the 16GB microSDHC cards to arrive :)

Yup, Class 6 cards are still pretty much overpriced. Apart from the desktop transfer speed, you won't be able to make advantage of their increased speed either - not even in high-end cameras (at least as far as supercompacts are concerned), I'm afraid. (For example, the superfast IXUS960IS has absolutely no buffering pauses when writing to Class 4 cards in multiple image shooting mode; with slower ones, it does.)