SanDisk Announces SD Card with USB Connectivity

Posted By: Ryan Tuesday, February 22, 2005 11:03:07 AM

SanDisk today introduced the SanDisk Ultra II SD PLUS, a SD flash memory card with built-in USB connectivity. The new card, which works in any SD card slot, also can be used as a high-speed USB 2.0 flash drive.

SanDisk Announces SD Card with USB ConnectivityTanya Chuang, SanDisk retail product marketing manager, said, “The new Ultra II SD PLUS, which can be used in a wide variety of SD-based products—including digital cameras, PDAs, camcorders and camera phones—means greater convenience and cost savings for consumers. Now, to transfer data, images, audio or video between computers, digital cameras and other electronic devices, you don’t need a card reader, cables or card adapters. Just flip the card to engage the USB connector and simply plug the Ultra II SD PLUS into any USB port. And the card also features an LED that blinks when data transfer is taking place to indicate that the card is being used as a USB flash drive.”

The Ultra II SD PLUS, which SanDisk expects will start shipping to stores in April, initially will be available in two capacities–512MB and one gigabyte (GB)**. The 512MB card will have a suggested retail price of $109.99 and the 1GB version will carry a suggested price of $149.99.

SanDisk Announces SD Card with USB ConnectivityThe new dual-functionality device has been added to the SanDisk Ultra II product line, a family of high-performance flash memory cards with write speeds of 9 megabytes (MB) per second and read speeds of 10MB/sec.

Thanks to Pat Horne for the tip.

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Great Concept

Wollombi @ 2/22/2005 2:56:32 PM # Q
This is a concept that has been needed for a while to keep people from using a flash drive, USB reader, and SD card for their many devices.

My main concern is whether the design is going to be durable or not. It looks pretty fragile in the picture. Also, with SanDisk's record on PalmOne PDA's, how well will it really work?

Again, the idea is superb.

_________________
Sean

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.

RE: Great Concept
Captain Hair @ 2/22/2005 3:53:42 PM # Q
I personally will buy one of these puppies as soon as they're available. My current card is a 1 GB SanDisk, and one of my previous cards was a 256 MB SanDisk, and both worked beautifully.

"People who think they're smart annoy those of us who are."
RE: Great Concept
happypalms @ 2/22/2005 3:58:18 PM # Q
I don't know about how durible it will be, but I know that I want one for my Computer/PDA Emergency Kit.

----------------------------------------
Palm m130 -> Tungsten|T -> Tungsten|T3

RE: Great Concept
Masamune @ 2/22/2005 4:05:33 PM # Q
My Sandisk 512Mb SD has been ticking along nicely - if I can ditch my USB2.0 card reader the better.

RE: Great Concept
RhinoSteve @ 2/22/2005 5:20:41 PM # Q
This is a good one but I'm really wary of the mechanical integrity of this product. The folding angle they show is just to fragle for me to put any confidence in this design. My guess is that is a novelty that will get the patent holder some nice change but will not take off well 'til there is better mechanical design here.
RE: Great Concept
ackmondual @ 2/23/2005 1:41:45 AM # Q
It oughtta be durable at some acceptable level. I still don't believe when ppl say their SD cards (yes, even Sandisk brand) worked fine after getting soda spilled on it, dropping it in hot coffee, or going through a few wash and dry cycles, but a single plastic Can survive alot. This oughtta follow that ideal, altho it's harder now with moving parts.

[signature0]the secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse[/signature0]
[signature1]My PDAs: Visor --> Visor Neo (blue) --> Zire 71 --> Tungsten T3[/signature1]
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iPod shuffle

Calroth @ 2/22/2005 5:16:21 PM # Q
I know you can't really make this comparison (literally apples and oranges), but the iPod shuffle 512MB is $99 (i.e. $10 less) and the iPod shuffle 1GB is $149 (i.e. same price). So if you intend to use these SD cards as a portable flash drive, or intend to fill them with music for your Palm, then the iPods have gotta be worth considering...
RE: iPod shuffle
Hustleman @ 2/22/2005 5:54:48 PM # Q
Nope, I would prefer to fill it with music that I can pick & choose what I wanna listen to. Besides you cant put a Shuffle in your pda or digital camera, then move the data/pics directly to your pc.

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Makes more sense than using a Tungsten T5 as a flash drive

asiayeah @ 2/22/2005 10:48:05 PM # Q
I think this product makes more sense than palmOne marketing T5 as a flash-drive and a SD card reader.

Why don't palmOne add built-in USB connectivity to their devices, so that T5 users don't need to play the USB cable with them?

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.

RE: Makes more sense than using a Tungsten T5 as a flash dri
LiveFaith @ 2/23/2005 9:10:49 AM # Q
asia,

The flashdrive thing is a nice feature since the device is sitting there connected to the PC anyway. Always wondered why this was not possible even back on my m505.

Being useful for any other PC but your own means that the cable must be carried around. Basically worthless except for your own PC or where one is willing to lug the cable. A 2nd SD slot on the T5 with one of these in it would be more useful.

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

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Brilliant idea, soon to be tarnished by SanDisk

The_Voice_of_Reason @ 2/22/2005 11:14:35 PM # Q
SanDisk will no doubt soon release a fragile, unstable, buggy series of cards that render this technology too risky to use.

Suggestion: wiat for a company that actually CARES about construction quality to license this design and then release a reliable set of SD cards.





*************************************************************************************

Press release: CUPERTINO, California — February 11, 2005 — Apple® announced today that Steve Jobs will begin selling his own feces to Apple Cultists beginning March 1. Apple's new iPoo™ lineup is expected to easily surpass the iPod shuffle as the company's most popular product. Yes, Apple Cultists can already easily create their own iPoo™, but feces didn't seem cool until Jobs told them it was cool. Remember, kids: the ONLY cool feces is Jobs' highly individualistic, rebellious iPoo™ (coming soon in six different colors/flavors, including the red [hematochezia] and black [melena] U2 GI bleed model)

*************************************************************************************





******************************************************************
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.

RE: Brilliant idea, soon to be tarnished by SanDisk
Frenchie @ 2/23/2005 3:10:02 PM # Q
hmm if i recall a while back people were saying that this was vapor ware and that it would never be released. Good job sandisk for showing us that you follow through on your promises.

I'm happy with my USB cable, card export, and my 1gb card. I don't want to be able to run the risk of seeing the inside of my media card.

The world will end in 2006. Just as it was predicted in the bible along with the release of Microsoft Longhorn.... :p

RE: Brilliant idea, soon to be tarnished by SanDisk
jasondeno @ 2/23/2005 4:37:32 PM # Q
I'd be more excited about this if I actually believed we'd see this product sometime soon. I've been waiting for the 2GB SD card that was 'announced' last September. It was supposed to be out by November. Its no February and not available anywhere.

So don't get too excited just yet...

RE: Brilliant idea, soon to be tarnished by SanDisk
ackmondual @ 2/23/2005 6:04:59 PM # Q
I'm simply not excited at all. Intrigued, yes. You'd have to be really inconvenienced by carrying around an extra SD card reader and its cable (u can pull the cable out of the reader and fold up the cable to save space). For short trips where the only things u carry are in you're pocket, then yeah, but on longer trips, a backpack 'll easily carry a card reader.

With current SD card prices, you can get twice the capacity (for 0.5 and 1GB respectively) by buying 2 regular SD cards and high speeds for the same price. I'd rather do that. I'll wait for price drops and any glitches to be worked out.

RE: Brilliant idea, soon to be tarnished by SanDisk
lobsta @ 2/24/2005 6:02:17 AM # Q
How can you not be amazed at the design?

I have a couple of sandisk cards and have never had any trouble with either of them in my Treo 600... I will buy one of these because being an absolute minimalist traveller, I hate having to carry a USB reader to transfer photos etc. to and from PC's.

I'm sure it will be strong enough for the abuse most users will kick at it... but we'll see...

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get a load of this :)

ackmondual @ 2/28/2005 12:29:36 AM # Q
Now that's a "swiss army knife"

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-images/B000652LUG/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_all/104-9774256-4503117?

[signature0]the secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse[/signature0]
[signature1]My PDAs: Visor --> Visor Neo (blue) --> Zire 71 --> Tungsten T3[/signature1]

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