Kicking around in technology since 2002. I like to write about technology products and ideas, but at the consumer level understanding. Some tech, but not too techie.
Posting on Quora.com as well.
The MultiMedia Card Association just approved what could become the super flash card of the future – the miCard. The new design from a Taiwanese research institute has produced a new global memory card standard, called the miCard, with a storage capacity that max’s out at 2TB (terabytes)
The miCard is expected to ship as early as the 3rd quarter of this year. What is inviting about this standard is not only the storage capacity but the backward compatibility of the card size. With the inclusion of USB connectivity the miCard could literally wipe-out the plethora of other flash memory cards – thus making this site much less interesting! Oh – lets hope not!
The first miCards will be able to store 8GB of data, but the maximum capacity is expected to top out around 2,048GB. The compatibility with both USB and MMC slots means most users won’t need separate card readers anymore. MMC cards fit most consumer electronics, while USB connections are built into a wide range of IT hardware, including laptops, desktops, printers and home entertainment gear.
So far, 12 Taiwanese companies have signed on to manufacture the miCard, according to its inventor, the Industrial Technology Research Institute. Officials expect local companies to save $40 million in licensing fees thanks to the card, in addition to profiting from sales. Taiwanese companies will not have to pay royalties to make miCards or related technology.
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Research In Motion, creators of Blackberry have their arms up in the air for Samsung marketing a Blackberry looking mobile device called the BlackJack.
RIM is stating in the lawsuit that Samsung is projecting false origin and unfair competition of the trademark name, Blackberry. BUT, the BlackJack does have some notable features the RIM folks are near offering, like 1.3mp digital camera and MP3 player. The BlackJack, like Blackberry has a MicroSD slot for expanded memory. Despite the lawsuit, Cingular
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So you’re in the market for a budget MP3 player. Well the Insignia is worth a consideration. In addition it plays video and still images back while gyrating to your favorite tunes. Easy to use and MicroSD slot for expanded memory this little player is a descent value for the money.
CNET: “The Insignia MP3 Player & Image Viewer doesn’t have the best sound quality and image quality could be better. It’s bulky for a flash MP3 player.”
At 3X the speed of a Memory Stick PRO the Memory Stick PRO HG version is based of a new 8-bit parrallel interface that bumps transfer rates to that of HighSpeed USB of 480mbps. SanDisk and Sony have teamed up to produce this gem of a technology. The speed increase obviously helps transfer rates during download, but it further enhances performance for digital products during activity process like SLR cameras during rapid shooting or digi-cams that recording directly to flash memory.
Take the 75MBs of internal flash memory and jump another 2GB with MiniSD expansion slot makes the Nokia E61 one heck of a power SmartPhone. Considering the Nokia E61, it is a 3G handset with quad-band GSM support. With WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity and the 320×240 pixel display in 16 million colors gives you a great wires free multimedia entertainment and work phone. Big downer, the Nokia E61 doesn’t consist of any camera – I guess too many businesses have issues with digital camera proliferation.
The SDMI (Secure Digital Music Initiative) is an activist group that has brought together more than 200 companies and organizations representing information technology, consumer electronics, security technology, the worldwide recording industry, and Internet service providers.
SDMI’s goal is to develop open technology specifications that protect the playing, storing, and distributing of digital music so a new market for digital music may emerge and become successful for all parties.
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The SDG-810 is a sweet little GPS tracker. Not only is the SDG-810 compact and work with Pocket PCs, WinCE, Palm OS, PDA phones and SmartPhones but tracks in real time down to a couple meters (6 feet for you Yanks). The bonus part for the Spectec SDG-810 is a miniSD slot for up to 2GBs of additional storage.
It’s about time these kinds of surveillance cameras came in to the public domain. This camera has been hidden in a digital clock, which is not that new. However, this camera does have motion detection, and will record motion video in DivX to a standard SD or MMC flash memory card! It will record at 30 frames per second during motion, and stop when motion ceases.
