richly on the inclination of appliance annoyance that make me desire to scab my eyes out with a spork — just belowcablesandbatteries — is the unfettered proliferation of memory cards . Even though they all fundamentally do the same thing — store datum for handheld devices — they come in a million unlike size and shape from almost as many companies , give way birth to retarded but necessary supplement . Anyone look for proof of this can stop at the80 - in-1 visiting card reader . Unfortunately , many of these dumb piece of Si and charge card are n’t going extinct . As a consolation swag , here ’s an illustrated guide to all the ones you actually need to know .
CompactFlash islike the Big Macof computer storage identity card : It may be bulky , but no McRib is going to take its place any time soon . It long ago moved out of the consumer - oriented gadgets now in the main using South Dakota card , but it ’s the go - to for pro digital SLR camera because it ’s long-lived as hell , it can moderate more data ( up to 100 GB ) and remove it a bunch faster ( up 66MB / s with the revisal 3.0 , though in high spirits capacity cards do n’t yet reach that rate ) . All of that matters if you ’re shoot massive RAW photos at several frames a second in less - than - cocker conditions .
CompactFlash UDMA : The latest version ofthe CompactFlash spec , 4.0 total support for the Ultra DMA 133 user interface , pumping the maximum data point transfer rate to 133MB / s. Looks the same as a regular CF circuit board , but willhave UDMAstamped on it . Enables longer collapse scud in the previous DSLRs , besides just sound telling . Of course , this parallel ATA interface is on the fast raceway to be slow balls , witha successive ATA base specification in the worksthat’ll save 3 - gigabit transfer rate , that is , nearly 400MB / s.
Secure Digital , better known as SD , isthe memory cardof the people . This paring of charge plate is the rule king of memory in everyday gadgets , from digital cameras to the Nintendo Wii to non - iPod MP3 instrumentalist to hell , my ( admittedly fancy ) alarum clock . Most new ( non - Mac ) notebooks fall with an South Dakota card one-armed bandit , even if they do n’t support other cards . Its primary vantage over CompactFlash is smaller size — maybe the gross store card size , even . On the other bridge player , the received interpretation data format is significantly slower , shop less data point ( the spec allow for up to 2 GB , great size exist ) and is way more delicate . But damn if they are n’t cheap .
ensure Digital High Capacity jolly muchspells it out in the name — an extension of the SD format that allows for more storage ( up to 32 GB ) and much faster compose amphetamine ( SanDisk’slatest hit 30MB / s ) . Classes—2 , 4 or 6 — let you knowwhat the visiting card ’s minimal transfer speed is . The major catch is that while they look the same as a unconstipated SD notice , SDHCs wo n’t form in older wag readers . Most electronics are softly swapping in reader that can support SDHC , and of course even SD cards work wherever they physically fit out .
MiniSD is , you guessed it , a smaller variantof the SD card format that ’s about a third of the size . And yes , there’san HC variantto convey its capacity past 2 GB , just like SD to SDHC . in the beginning for the fluid phone blank space , it ’s basically been squash out by the even retardedly smaller microSD . verity is , miniSD is all but extinct now . Fortunately it usually comes with an SD slot adaptor , so honest-to-goodness I can just be used as standard SD circuit card .
MicroSD and itsmicroSDHC step - upare ridiculously lilliputian , and though they ’re used in MP3 players and other convenience , they now altogether command removable reposition on cellular phone . They ’ve got basically the same spec as the other SD and SDHC bill flavors in possibility , but they ’re not quite as rapid or obviouslyup tothe same dotty capacity . Officially they are way too easy to misplace .
MultiMediaCard isthe formatfrom which SD and its offspring descended . ( Its spirit should give it out . ) There are a few edition , but since it ’s been give the axe by its SD spawn , you probably wo n’t run into them . They ’re even dissolve the MMC Association , if that tells you anything . The authoritative thing to know is that if you come across one , it ’ll do work in many — but not all — SD card readers .
Memory Stick and its 300 variation : Okay , it gets kind of ugly with Sony ’s fundamentally proprietaryMemory Stick formatting . Once upon a time , Samsung , Sharp and peradventure others had Memory Stick reader in sealed portable electronics , but the day of non - Sony Memory Stick sightings are long proceed . If I could perforate the embodiment of Sony in the nuts for any individual ground , it would likely be due to the continued existence of all 65,000 Memory Stick formats . Here ’s the rundown : The original Memory Stick , which is now disused , ran in size from 4 MB to 128 MB . There was also the Memory Stick Select , which was essentially like two Memory Sticks crammed together with a electric switch to flip-flop between the two .
Memory Stick PRO was the first legit sequel to the Memory Stick . It ’s faster , and theoretically concur up to 32 sarin , but has only been relinquish in versions up to 4 gibibyte . PROs with more than 1 GB of reposition utilize a High Speed mode for firm transfer .
Memory Stick Duo was Sony ’s stab at father small , shrivel its hot - pawl proportioned Memory Stick into an SD - card sized parcel . Otherwise , it ’s just like a regular Memory Stick , stuck at 128 MiB and all . With an adapter it ’ll fit in regular Memory Stick readers too .
Memory Stick PRO Duo has the same SD - like form factor as the original Duo , but permit for much eminent capacities and transport speeds , about on par with SDHC menu . The highest capability scorecard is currently 16 GB . Yes , there ’s still more Memory Stick where that come from .
Memory Stick PRO - HG Duo is thelatest and declamatory mouthfulof the Memory Sticks . Its with child hurrah is that its 8 - bit parallel interface gives you reassign f number of up to 30MB / s , and the truehearted pace are majorly important for HD cameras . There is , improbably , another version , the PRO - HG Duo HX .
Memory Stick Micro aka M2 is the lilliputian end of the line , corresponding to a microSD card . Guess what it ’s used in ? Sony Ericsson telephone set . unhappily , SanDisk participates in this forcemeat of a data formatting , along with the PRO - HG . Thefattest useable sizeis 16 GB , which is notably pricier than its microSD cousin-german . Predictably , cards with hefty storehouse do n’t always play skillful in elder readers .
xD - Picture Cards are another type B format , created by 2d - level photographic camera makers Olympus and Fujifilm , that should just roll over and get smushed by the SD train . There , as always , a few unlike flavors — M , H , andM+—each one successively boosting electrical capacity and/or speed but all fit in the same small thin form . They ’re really only used in ( you guessed it ) Olympus and Fujifilm cameras — Kodak dabbled before hopping on the SD Express — and pathetically they only bind up to 2 GB . snuff it already . Update : Okay , it does have one legit use — as acommenter has pointed out , it ’s descended from theextinct SmartMediaformat , and provide comfortable access to a standard NAND flash chip , making it idealistic for fixed storage - dumping for hackers .
SxS is anotherSony - explicate format , but it ’s gear toward pro and HD camcorders , with transfer speeds of 800Mb / s. It ’s available in sizes up to 32 G , but lewdly expensive — Sony sell the 16 GB card , with one hr of transcription time , for $ 1100 . handily , it uses the ExpressCard form ingredient , so it ’ll pop justly in some notebooks .
P2 is another fancy rear end , costly pro - level card for camcorders , but it wasdeveloped by South Dakota - pimpin ’ Panasonic . Not surprisingly , it was in the beginning a bundle of Mount Rushmore State cards in striped RAID array , but now it just uses core memory constituent in a RAID frame-up , turn back in a ruggedized shield that fit into PC Card slot . It too hold out up to 32 GiB , but the transfer rate is slower than SxS , at around 640Mbps . On the other script , it ’s cheaper too , at$900 for a 16 GB lineup . And that , friends , should just about do you , at least for a petty while , or until Sony releases its next Memory Stick spirit of the workweek . Something you still wanna bonk ? air any questions about memory , Johnny Mnemonic or blackmail to[email protect ] , with “ Giz Explains ” in the open line . P.S. What other variety of technical school would you wish to see an illustrated guide for ?
KingstonMemory cardsMemory StickmicroSDSony
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