03-13-2003, 11:30 PM
|
|
Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
|
|
SanDisk Introduces The World's Smallest Removable Flash Card For Mobile - the miniSD Card
"SanDisk Corporation (Nasdaq:SNDK) today introduced the SanDisk miniSD(TM) card, a new thumbnail-sized flash memory card that is designed to meet the needs of the mobile phone market for greater storage capacity in the smallest possible physical form factor. The miniSD card was recently adopted by the SD Association as an ultra-small form factor extension to the SD card standard."
"...The miniSD card offers significant savings in card area and volume, two critical design parameters for the new generation of increasingly miniaturized mobile phones. Compared to standard SD cards, the miniSD card saves more than 40% of the printed circuit board area and more than 60% of the volume required to support the card in a portable device. SanDisk will offer a wide range of memory capacities in the new format, with 16, 32, 64, 128 and 256 megabytes (MB) expected to ship in 2003. The new card will use SanDisk's NAND flash and SD controller technology."
This looks like a direct response to the miniature MMC cards that were announce a few months ago. I don't think that SD cards need to get any smaller, but the real win here is that the slot for this type of card can be implemented using 60% less space. If this takes off, I bet we'll see Pocket PCs with one full-size SD slot and one miniSD. One for storage, one for input/output options. If they can make a miniSD to SD adaptor, that will complete the loop and make this a valid solution.
|
| |
|
|
|
03-13-2003, 11:35 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,185
|
|
Re: SanDisk Introduces The World's Smallest Removable Flash Card For Mobile - the miniSD Card
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
"...The miniSD card offers significant savings in card area and volume, two critical design parameters for the new generation of increasingly miniaturized mobile phones. Compared to standard SD cards, the miniSD card saves more than 40% of the printed circuit board area and more than 60% of the volume required to support the card in a portable device. SanDisk will offer a wide range of memory capacities in the new format, with 16, 32, 64, 128 and 256 megabytes (MB) expected to ship in 2003. The new card will use SanDisk's NAND flash and SD controller technology."
|
Damn it! So does this mean the price of the mini-sd cards will be 40% less?
I appreciate manufacturers needing to make profit, but what's next? One of these standards needs to become dominant and live through a reasonable product cycle (ala VHS, CD or DVD). SD is barely even catching on.
|
| |
|
|
|
03-13-2003, 11:50 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 44
|
|
I would say that SD will still have a very long life.. in all likelyhood miniSD will be priced out of the equation for most people.
Mind you, if they equate 40% PCA savings to approx 40% cost savings, then that will be a great thing :-) (Assuming there is a miniSD -> SD converter).
Mind you, you would never want to drop one of these things, it would be extremely hard to find 
|
| |
|
|
|
03-14-2003, 12:10 AM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 12
|
|
What is the advantage of these compared to the xD format used by such things as the new Olympus cameras? I thought xD was a "half-SD" format, so this mini-SD announcement confuses me.
|
| |
|
|
|
03-14-2003, 12:11 AM
|
|
Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 193
|
|
Re: SanDisk Introduces The World's Smallest Removable Flash Card For Mobile - the miniSD Card
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
If they can make a miniSD to SD adaptor, that will complete the loop and make this a valid solution.
|
If you scroll down to the bottom of the press release, they mention that all SanDisk miniSD cards will come with a free SD adaptor - they even show a picture of one.
|
| |
|
|
|
03-14-2003, 12:13 AM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 51
|
|
I think this is awsome because it will make everything smaller.
|
| |
|
|
|
03-14-2003, 12:16 AM
|
|
Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Zanne
What is the advantage of these compared to the xD format used by such things as the new Olympus cameras? I thought xD was a "half-SD" format, so this mini-SD announcement confuses me.
|
The advantage is that it's part of the SD line for those of us who have comitted to that format. :wink:
|
| |
|
|
|
03-14-2003, 12:17 AM
|
|
Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
|
|
Re: SanDisk Introduces The World's Smallest Removable Flash Card For Mobile - the miniSD Card
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by rbrome
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
If they can make a miniSD to SD adaptor, that will complete the loop and make this a valid solution.
|
If you scroll down to the bottom of the press release, they mention that all SanDisk miniSD cards will come with a free SD adaptor - they even show a picture of one. |
Awesome! I didn't look that far. :lol:
|
| |
|
|
|
03-14-2003, 12:21 AM
|
|
Mystic
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,768
|
|
Re: SanDisk Introduces The World's Smallest Removable Flash Card For Mobile - the miniSD Card
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
If they can make a miniSD to SD adaptor, that will complete the loop and make this a valid solution.
|
Here is a picture: 
__________________
Jonathan (JonnoB)
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke
|
| |
|
|
|
03-14-2003, 12:24 AM
|
|
Intellectual
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 232
|
|
Argh. One more frickin' "standard". As someone once said, "the wonderful thing about standards is there are so many of them." Ack.
I agree with the comment about VHS, DVD, etc... if we could just standardize on ONE format for a while, it would allow greater adoption rates over time... for example, the VHS tape... or (shudder) the 3.5" floppy disk. They were not first in their lines, but they became the de facto standards of their time, and as a result, the devices they supported became more widely used.
I know standards get in the way of innovation, and that at some point new technologies need to be implemented (i.e, it's time for the 3.5" floppy to die!) but these things need longer shelf-lives. I was reading PocketPC magazine today, and I realized that any PPC I buy really is going to need a CF slot or CF adapter because I have so many CF cards... at least until they become outmoded because I can get an SD card in 1 gig or higher for much less and just dispose of the old CF's.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
