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SanDisk Spins SD/USB Flash Combo
An anonymous reader writes "Flash memory pioneer SanDisk has created an innovative memory card packaging technology that enables memory cards to plug into both SD card slots and USB ports. The new approach eliminates the need to use SD-to-USB adapters when accessing the contents of an SD card on a laptop, PC, or other system that lacks an integrated SD card slot."
Wow! That is really cool!
SanDisk just went from "Cheap with questionable performance" to "Inovitce product designer"
Just goes to show you that the best ideas really are the simple ones.
now can get rid of one more thing in my laptop bag! yeah
Later,
Phil
About time? Seriously its pretty cool, except that canon cameras take compact.
Oh well, others probably to follow suit.
p.
How much more expensive are these going to be than normal cards? USB reader dongles can be had for next to nothing these days!
How many other pen drives plug into an SD slot?
And I thought my PQI stick was small...
my camera already has a usb cable, from which I can pull files off the SD card.
I mean it's a neato little feature/design, but I don't get it *shrug*
e.
Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
how large does a usb key have to be- could it be made to go within a camera?
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
Two days after I buy a new laptop with built in SD/MMC slot!
This is probably actually based on their mini-SD product line. If you look at the picture of the folded unit, it looks very similar to a mini-SD card with a SD adapter next to it (and the USB port sticking out, of course.) Pretty clever.
including compact flash.
I saw this a few days back on The Register - it's a very neat design, and eliminates this USB reader I've got on my desktop at the moment. The one thing I would be concerned about is how fragile it might be - I can imagine plugging this into my laptop and the connector snapping away from the card, especially given it doesn't have the surrounding metal case around the USB plug. ...still, I suppose that's a risk with most of the USB dongles I carry around, and it hasn't happened yet.
http://www.sandisk.com/pressrelease/20050106a.htm
>> woo. a pen drive, how innovative.
a pen drive the size of a fricken postage stamp that happens to fit right inside my camera.
I'm impressed. and looking forward to owning this - I find myself transferring pictures directly from the camera to a PC often, and it wastes charge on my batteries. This won't.
So yeah, it is innovative.
http://request-header.info
Something similar (minus be compatible with SD) has existed for a bit...
Take a look at pqi1st.com's intelligent stick... sorta nice.
Great idea, but USB ports are often bang-next to other ports, so the other plugs could obstruct it, and front-panel recessed ones may be too near the edge of the recess to fit the extra width of this gizmo.
... innovative memory card packaging technology ...
Umm... no, not really "technology". Innovative? Definitely. New technology? Not really.
Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
how easy is it to break/wear out those little hinges ?
I sat down to write a new sig tonight and all I did was make the chair warm.
Remember those old cassette tape players in cars? You'd have to buy the cassette-cd adapter thing in order to plug your CD player onto the car's sound system.
Same general thing here for us folks who don't have those 57-in-1 media card readers. It all sounds like an interim solution until everyone eventually gets those readers built-in, the same way tape decks in cars have now been replaced with CD players.
Cool product and all, but I think of it as transitional until we all get those media card readers bundled into new machines we buy.
Now what about an adapter on these memory cards so the punch-card reader can read them in?
This is what PQI tried with the Intelligent Stick - theirs wasn't SD or MS etc but some new format that they were pushing to camera/mp3 player manufacturers. Didn't really take off but It's gotta be the smallest flash drive on the market.
but are unlikely to get (universally)...
are digital cameras and portable mp3 players and digital video cameras and pdas, and cell phones, and ghetto boxes and car stereo decks that will accept a usb memory "drive" instead of compact flash, SD flash, sony sticks that don't work any where else, the next flavors of memory cards for planned obsolescence in the pipeline, etc.
And the next logical step would be usb 2.0 memory "real" drives that are backwards compatible with current usb 2.0 memory sticks.
Imagine using a usb 2.0 memory card for all of the above appications. Great for the consumer, nightmare for the memory companies' profits.
And a question. If a usb memory drive (or whatever its called) can be manufactured at 1 GB without any delays in the size ramp up, why has it taken so long to make 1 GB ram memory for desktops? And why are they still so expensive compared to smaller sizes?
I ask because I got stuck with one of the Shuttle motherboards that uses three slots for ram, but only has two slots that work unless the memory is the much less popular and much more expensive registered memory used in servers (which I would purchase a server board if I were using server memory). On more than one computer, came with 256 mb standard, bought a second stick with 512 mb as prices dropped, and now to use more memory, need to throw out a stick or use a different computer. And with a slightly older setup, bought two sticks of 256 MB of high performance (cas 2-2-2) memory costing $100 each many eons ago, and now to upgrade more memory, need to throw out one of those sticks to add memory capacity. 1 GB in one slot, 256 in the other, or throw both out.
I'm seeing the same situation on Pricewatch with 2 GB memory (which may even be 2 x 1 GB sticks in all situations instead of some situations?)?
I don't know, but when you start introducing mechanical components to memory devices you're asking for trouble. This device looks pretty fragile, the hinges look like plastic, how long could something like this possibly last?
This looks more like a solution looking for a problem. How difficult is it really to plug a memory card into a USB adapter?
Its been done before.
= 77 39
http://www.pdalive.com/showarticle.php?threadid
Avoid SD cards at any cost. The wide adoption of SD (which means Secure Digital, and not SanDisk) is the next step towards putting DRM control around our data.
More info are contained in the official SD and SDIO complete reference, which -surprise- is neither open nor free, and costs big bucks/NDA signing to get.
My answer is thanks but no thanks, I'll stick with more versatile, cheap and open supports such as Compact Flash.
Just give up. This phrase is used "incorrectly" more often than correctly. Once a word or phrase enters mainstream langauge, it becomes accepted as part of that language. No matter how much you fight it, the grandparent's usage of the phrase will eventually be accepted as correct. Maybe tomorrow, maybe a few years from now. You can not stop it. It is inevitable. Use your time to do something worthwhile.
That was my first impression but after thinking about it I changed my mind. Most users are only going to have a few SD cards. Usually just the one they have in their camera and maybe a spare. For these users having an integrated usb reader is very convinient especially if you are on the road and want to transfer pictures to a friend's computer. With regards to cost as you pointed out USB readers are pretty cheap. It probably costs next to nothing to add the USB bit. (A quick check of a local shop shows SanDisk SD cards are just slighly more expensive then similar USB drives.) I would guess that there will be a higher markup for the convinience factor, then the cost of adding the USB.
If these USB/SD cards become popular I predict that some camera maker will drop the USB interface from their cameras.
Don't discount the convinience factor. For a few bucks extra I would by a device like this. If only so that I didn't have to remember to bring the card reader.
It looks really cool and I want one but they are so small I would worry about losing it unlike my jump drive that takes SD cards.
I would hardly call it innovative. I'd call it common sense. Duh, people are having to buy these expensive adapters to connect their memory cards to their computers, why not interface with USB instead of your own connector format. Wow, that's so "innovative".
Huh? Seriously, what are you talking about? Can you provide us a link to some pictures of this new "really small and thin" Compact Flash? The form factor is part of the standard, and is significantly larger than SD. Or are you just thinking of xD?
Doesn't anyone find it questionable marketing that the label says 1GB, but the USB stick says 512MB ? Take a close look at the big picture
but it must be with my xD or mini SD card, and operate in the same way or I'm not buying! :)
Jonathanjk.com
One problem I've noticed, especially with the 'designer' PC cases is that the front USB ports are impossible to plug anything except a cord into.
00110100 00110010
A couple of days ago I was telling a friend of mine that these USB flash drives everyone carries at work will soon die and extinct in favour of SD cards.
Sandisk couldnt prove me any more right.
This innovation is the KILLER for those flash drives. Flash drives, thanks for a job well done; may you rest in peace.
Anyone else going to feel nervous when you snap the SD card in half in order to get the USB connector loose?
I mean, I appreciate the innovation here, but wouldn't a USB plug that slid out from the card simply have a better asthetic?
Not to mention that some USB ports (on the back of computers and even some hubs) are in recessed locations where this card wouldn't even fit in its snapped-in-half state.
The SDA is a cartel, plain and simple. The Host/Anciliary License Agreement (pdf) is truely draconian. In addition to paying the annual extortion fee, you have to agree to license any new developments back into the cartel. You're also prohibited from disclosing any details about SD cards. So once you're a member of the cartel, you pretty much can't work on any open-source SD-related projects. There are even "antitrust guidelines" published by SDA because they're dangerously close to crossing the line.
Re:Its been done... (Score:1)
by mabinogi (74033) Neutral on Saturday January
It sure looks like it's the same length as a regular SD card: in fact it looks like it's exactly the same design as the Sandisk one, except instead off a fragile hinged frame around the USB part of the card (that will make it hard to fit the card into some USB sockets where there's little clearance) it's just got a couple of notches to narrow the upper part of the card down to fit in the socket.
There's also been a CF card that used the same schtick, but it never seems to have made it to the market. I'd been wondering why all memory cards didn't come with some such arrangement... I guess it's like the way canned or bottled coffee didn't make the jump from asian food stores to mainstream groceries until it got a "big name" like Starbucks involved (or why nobody needed multitasking in a personal computer until Microsoft "invented" it).
The SD card is a bit wider than my usb pen drive, and on my laptop, the usb port are between the power connector and the ethernet connector, and its already pretty tight when i plug the usb pen.
I'm not sure this is going to fit everywhere....
Very nice design.
They were about 2 years late to market. I don't know of any consumer devices that use iStick flash. Not one. I guess they weren't too good at marketing this to consumer electronics designers either.
It's too bad, because I have several of those little cards - they are very handy as a flash disk. They are so small I can keep one or two in my wallet. They are smaller than any other USB flash disk because they don't have the shield part of the connector - the whole thing is <3mm thick.
Good design, bad marketing. Sandisk might do better, since their's works in existing cameras.
Damn it... I had that idea a year ago, though my hinged one folded back a full 180 degrees. My patent is still *pending*. Sad that money can affect our patent system... I guess SanDisk just got there's approved first... kind of like M$ keeps doing. !@#$%^
What really gets me is how SanDisk can fit a USB2 capable port in there, but those idiots at OQO could only put USB1 in their first device "due to size constraints". WTF?
[Then try MMC]
I'm a sci-fi vegan: I don't want the aliens to think we have as much right to live as the fried chickens we eat.
Another link about the FlashCard: http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000020023447/.
At the same time, the folding design is interesting. Cool stuff scandisk.
The scandisk SD to PC card adaptor I have works well enough, but I've had problems fdisking a 512 SD card. It worked but it hurt. Cfdisk could not deal with it so I had to use regular fdisk to set up a ext2 partition, which I then was able to format and mount without a problem. At the same time, I've never had similar problems with CF.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
50%~ of all marriages in the us end up in divorce!
It would be nice if they released cards like this in other formats, like CompactFlash.
This would be an amazing idea for Sony. The memory sticks are about the same width as a USB plug so it wouldn't need funky folding parts. Not that I like memory sticks...
Nowadays, lots of devices use Secure Digital cards, but mostly because of the "cool" factor: they're a lot smaller than Compact Flash cards, and the capacity of SD cards isn't that far behind that of CF cards. I was looking at a couple of MP3 players that use SD cards, and none of them had DRM at all. Just copy your MP3 files to your SD card, whack it in your player, and hit Play.
Hence, the schism that Secure Digital really means DRM does have a historical basis, but it has little relevance today. The idea that using SD cards in modern devices will smite your with a plague of DRM is just rubbish. For the purposes of keeping digital photos or music, SD is storage, and nothing more.
Attack its weak point for massive damage!
They shouldn't cost too much. Digimaster is making the SD/USB cards for $30/$40(128MB/256MB).
m
http://www.everythingusb.com/news/index/5929.ht
50% of marriages end in death!
As DpReview pointed out, they were not first
It looks great to have a combo car in the horizon but the question that pops in my mind is whether it is really worth it. For one, the cost of an USB to SD cable is almost next to nothing. So if this combo card is real cheap or atleast the same cost of the cards avialable now, then its no problem. However, if it is not, then I wonder who would buy it!
SanDisk has always been very bad when it comes to the control part of their memories (no wonder it takes them 8 or 9 tape-outs (yes! 8 or 9) before getting a 99% not-too-bad chip), and they're still cheap, so....
This is actually something I'll buy once the price settles down. I use an SD card in my Palm (and wife's Pocket PC), but I use a USB thumbdrive on my laptops and desktops (far too many of those). I need to consolidate all my stuff onto one device, so I'm going to go to a Lexmark Jumpdrive Trio, which until Sandisk's new toy was the smallest USB SD card reader. Just a little bigger than a slim thumbdrive, but this new toy means I don't need to carry anything extra.
PQI 128MB 'intelligent stick' $29.99
I am rather hesitant to buy another Sandisk SD card after going through 2 different defective 256 MB SD cards.
How mean can you be? ..occupied
Normally an adapter for about 9 different card standards cost about $9.99, or less.
But my mom doesn't have such, although she has a digital camera.
She gets on fine.
Anybody know?
Share and Enjoy: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
I've never seen anyone actually using the SD DRM for anything.
There's a difference between "Type I" CompactFlash memory and "Type II" CompactFlash memory. "Type I" is considerably thinner.
My PC's flatbed scanner can read punch cards.
This brings a lot of convenience to people who use SD cards, but I think this may also bring better market share to Sandisk.
People who use SD cards no longer need card readers, but what happens when they need more SD cards? Do they go out and buy an SD card from a different brand? Probably not, since then they'll need an SD card reader (which they don't have already, or are too lazy to use). So they'll go out and buy the Sandisk SD card which they've gotten used to.
A good move from Sandisk.
My dog ate my sig
Honestly, read other replies to this nonsense.
No wonder the post was as an AC...
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
stop, go, next, usb storage, powered from 12v. the all in one usb car sound system. all for 110AUD bargin. (thats 83USD or 44GBP) i just found it avalible in the us @ 60usd. goddam cheap. http://www.merconnet.com/product_info.php?products _id=345&meRrid=8f4007a167e0b13d2a592a4d98265c96
Yeah, my camera uses Type I CompactFlash cards only, so I have a couple of those. They're somewhere between 1.5-2x the thickness of the plastic part of the USB connector on my Sandisk Cruzer Mini, and overall considerably larger and thicker than SD cards. As such, I don't see why we should rule out folding USB CompactFlash cards if the SD version proves itself.
No, they weren't the first. But they were the first to make it fit in an SD package... Digimaster's solution is an SD Card with a usb plug hanging out. This means you'll have to leave the door open on most camera's as there's an extra piece extending from the side...
To be realy COOL, it has to be very small, to have place for a spare sd card, and to have a very low price, I would like to have very low capacity and very cheap sd cards with few megabytes that can replace the low cost 1.44 diskettes