Kingston Increases Capacity of CF Elite Pro Card to 32GB

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., today announced it is increasing the capacity of its CompactFlash® Elite Pro™ Flash memory cards to 32GB. Shipping immediately, the new cards offer larger capacity and fast data transfer rates to allow amateur and professional photographers to maximize the performance of their high-end digital cameras.

“The Kingston® 32GB CF Elite Pro card is designed to keep pace with and not limit the productivity of the most advanced digital camera equipment on the market,” said Wendy Lecot, Flash business development manager, Kingston Digital. “Combining the large storage capacity along with fast read and write speeds makes this card ideal for continuous capture and download of images.”

Kingston’s CompactFlash Elite Pro cards (part #: CF/32GB-S2) have a suggested price of $154.00 (MSRP U.S.) and are backed by a lifetime warranty and 24/7 live technical support. For more information visit www.kingston.com/flash. Visit www.kingston.com/wheretobuy for a reseller near you.

SDXC expands SD into Terabyte territory

LAS VEGAS – CES – Jan. 7, 2009 – The next-generation SDXC (eXtended Capacity) memory card specification, announced today at the 2009 International CES, dramatically improves consumers’ digital lifestyles by providing the portable storage and speed needed to store weeks of high-definition video, years of photo collections and months of music to mobile phones, cameras and camcorders, and other consumer electronic devices. The new SDXC specification provides up to 2 terabytes storage capacity and accelerates SD interface read/write speeds to 104 megabytes per second this year, with a road map to 300 megabytes per second.

The SDXC specification, developed by the SD Association, leapfrogs memory card interface speeds while retaining the world-leading SD interface. Specifications for the open standard will be released in the first quarter of 2009. SDHC, Embedded SD and SDIO specifications will also benefit from the new SD interface speeds.

“SDXC combines a higher capacity roadmap with faster transfer speeds as a means to exploit NAND flash memory technology as a compelling choice for portable memory storage and interoperability,” said Joseph Unsworth, research director, NAND Flash Semiconductors, at Gartner. “With industry support, SDXC presents manufacturers with the opportunity to kindle consumer demand for more advanced handset features and functionality in consumer electronics behind the ubiquitous SD interface.”

Turning mobile phones into media centers

SDXC allows users to enjoy more from their mobile phones. Larger capacity and faster transfer speeds allow for expanded entertainment and data storage. A 2TB SDXC memory card can store 100 HD movies, 60 hours of HD recording or 17,000 fine-grade photos.

“With SDXC, consumers can quickly download higher quality content to their phones, including games, video and music – giving consumers a richer media and content experience,” said James Taylor, president of the SD Association. “The SD interface already has proven itself valuable in mobile phones. Now, SDXC memory card capabilities will spur further handset sophistication and boost consumer content demand.”

Shooting pictures at the speed of life

SDXC is also the first memory card specification to provide 2TB storage without hindering the high-speed performance necessary for high-end photography. It will provide maximum speeds even when the SDXC specification achieves its maximum 2TB storage capacity.

"SDXC is a large-capacity card that can store more than 4,000 RAW images, which is the uncompressed mode professionals use, and 17,000 of the fine-mode most consumers use. That capacity, combined with the exFAT file system, increases movie recording time and reduces starting time to improve photo-capturing opportunities,” said Shigeto Kanda, general manager at Canon. “Improvements in interface speed allow further increases in continuous shooting speed and higher resolution movie recordings. As a memory card well suited to small-sized user-friendly digital cameras, the SDXC specification will help consumers realize the full potential of our cameras."

SDXC will enable camcorders to provide longer, professional level HD video recording with a small form factor.

The SDXC specification uses Microsoft’s exFAT file system to support its large capacity and interoperability in a broad range of PCs, consumer electronics and mobile phones. The exFAT system was designed for increased compatibility with flash media, from portability of data to interoperability with multiple platforms and devices on removable media.

“The SD Association is committed to answering and anticipating consumer demand for easy-to-use memory card storage that is interoperable in any device with a matching SD slot,” Taylor said. “The SDXC card gives consumers a new, yet familiar, high-performance card that will be used in hundreds of manufacturers’ device offerings.”

Lexar Media Announced Full-HD Video Memory Cards

Fremont, CA, January 5, 2009 — - Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, announced today a new line of memory cards specifically designed for extended, standard- and high-definition (HD) video capture. The Lexar® Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC™) Full-HD and the Lexar Memory Stick PRO Duo™ Full-HD Video memory cards give consumers a wide selection of easy-to-use memory solutions for capturing and storing more of the videos that matter, in stunning 1080 resolution full-HD video. In addition to providing consumers with a reliable alternative to traditional tape-based storage devices, the Lexar Full-HD video memory cards also offer high-speed video transfer from the card to a computer for backup and sharing on popular user-generated content websites. The Lexar SDHC Full-HD Video memory card is available in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities, with the ability to record up to 90, 180, and 360 minutes of content, respectively. The Lexar Memory Stick PRO Duo Full-HD Video memory card comes in capacities of 4GB and 8GB, and can record up to 90 and 180 minutes of content, respectively. For additional information about Lexar Full-HD video memory cards, please visit www.lexar.com.

“As more consumers embrace digital video recording as part of their lifestyles, it is critical they have easy and reliable ways to record and store their memories and important events,” said Manisha Sharma, director of product marketing, Lexar Media. “Whether they are capturing sporting events, dance recitals, school plays, or their babies’ first steps, consumers require memory cards designed to meet the requirements of 1080 HD video. The Lexar Full-HD video memory cards provide the extended recording times they need and the reliability they have come to expect from Lexar Media.”

The growing popularity and affordability of HD digital camcorders makes the Lexar Full-HD Video memory cards an increasingly popular option for consumers looking to record their memories. With the line of Lexar Full-HD video memory cards, consumers receive the capacity to record and store more of life’s milestones and important events, as well as the speeds to quickly move that content from the card to the host computer. They also receive Lexar Media’s reliability, helping to ensure that captured video remains safe when stored on the Lexar Full-HD memory card.

“Fewer camcorders use tape media to record video, and more compact digital cameras have High Definition video capture capabilities,” said Chris Chute, research manager, Worldwide Digital Imaging Solutions Group, IDC. “This combination has lead to increased demand for features within video-specific memory cards, especially the capability to record and store 1080 HD video. As consumers invest in HD camcorders, they want to make sure their memory cards can take full advantage of those HD capabilities.”

The Lexar SDHC Full-HD and Memory Stick PRO Duo Full-HD Video memory cards include a five-year limited lifetime warranty. The cards also include jewel cases and writeable labels to help users organize and identify videos. Both video memory cards are expected to be available in early March.

SanDisk Extreme III 32Gb CF Card Launches

Today SanDisk announced its latest large capacity, high-performance CompactFlash memory card for DSLR cameras and video cameras. The new Extreme III CF card has 32GB of storage space and promises a write speed of 30MB/s.

SanDisk says that the new high capacity CF card can store 80 minutes of 100 MB/sec, 10-bit 4:2:2 HD video. The CF card is ideal for photographers who shoot exclusively in RAW mode. The 32GB CF Extreme III card will be available in October for $299.99.

“The 32GB SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash cards are a great fit for our Infinity DMC 1000/10 and DMC 1000/20 camcorders,” said Scott Sheehan, director of marketing for new and emerging markets at Thomson. “Our customers want a choice in media that meets the needs of their file-based workflows. Solid state memory provides the fastest access to such content, and with SanDisk CompactFlash it’s also affordable. Using SanDisk’s 32GB Extreme III CompactFlash card, our customers can record more than 80 minutes of 100 MB/s, 10-bit, 4:2:2 HD video at the high performance needed for today’s professional video applications.”

Via SanDisk