SanDisk boosts capacity, speeds of flash memory
updated 05:00 pm EDT, Wed September 29, 2004
SanDisk flash memory
SanDisk today introduced "the world's fastest" flash memory cards – the SanDisk Extreme III line of CompactFlash (CF), SecureDigital (SD) and Memory Stick PRO (MSPRO) digital film cards. The company also announced that it has quadrupled the capacity of its SanDisk Ultra II line of flash memory cards, including an 8GB CompactFlash Type I card, a 4GB Memory Stick PRO card, and a 2GB SD card. Each SanDisk Ultra II card offers a minimum 9MB/sec write and 10MB/sec read speeds for users of 4-megapixel or higher resolution digital cameras that require fast, high capacity digital film cards to quickly shoot many high resolution images.
The company is currently shipping the Ultra II CF cards in capacities of up to 1GB ($250), SD cards in capacities up to 512MB ($90), and MS PRO cards in capacities up to 1GB ($250). The 4GB Ultra II CF card is due in October for $480 and the 8GB version will ship in November for $960. The Ultra II MS PRO will be available in 2GB ($480) and 4GB (960) in November, while the 1GB ($120) and 2GB ($240) SD cards will also ship in November.
The SanDisk Extreme III CF and SD cards have minimum write/read speeds of 20MB/sec, while the MS PRO version has minimum write/read speed of 18MB/sec. The SanDisk Extreme III cards, which range in capacity between 1GB and 4GB, offer nearly double the performance speeds of SanDisk's predecessor Extreme product line. The cards will start shipping worldwide in late October and early November to high-end, retail photo specialty stores. The CF version will be sold in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB capacities with prices ranging from $140 to $600; the SD card will be sold in a 1GB capacity ($140); and the MS PRO will be available in 1GB ($280) and 2GB ($560) capacities. The cards include RescuePRO image recovery software on the cards.
