SD cards claim ultimate write speeds

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team May 19, 2005

Kingston Technology has expanded its Secure Digital (SD) card product line with the release of new ultra-performing Ultimate SD cards, initially shipping in 512Mbyte and 1Gbyte capacities.

Kingston Technology has expanded its Secure Digital (SD) card product line with the release of new ultra-performing Ultimate SD cards, initially shipping in 512Mbyte and 1Gbyte capacities.

The new SD Ultimate cards offer significant performance benefits over the current Standard and Elite Pro lines of SD cards, including 133X super-fast transfer rates of larger size files - ideal for the photographic demands of enthusiasts and professional digital camera users.

"Kingston Technology developed the SD Ultimate line to offer a greater array of choices for the professional and enthusiast using digital cameras", said Jim Selby, Product Marketing Manager EMEA, Kingston Technology.

"Our SD Ultimate cards provide superb performance to help users optimise their high-end digital equipment - whether it is a digital camera, an MP3 player or a PDA", continued Selby.

Nikon's new 6.1Mpixel D50 SLR is one of the first digital cameras to standardise on high performance SD cards.

Targeting the broadest range of consumers, Nikon touts the D50 as the smallest, lightest and easiest-to-use Nikon digital SLR camera to date.

The Nikon D50 is due in stores in June and Kingston Technology will have SD Ultimate cards ready to support it.

Many current devices are sold with an X speed rating, much like CD-ROM drives, to give users a performance indicator of how fast the card can transfer (read and/or write) images.

Some manufacturers use X to indicate read or write speeds; others use both as data transfer and a few manufacturers do not define their cards' speed at all.

Kingston Technology X-speed ratings are based on write speed, and X-speed performance is a function of megabytes per second of write speed.

Higher X-speed ratings equal faster cards.

The SD Ultimate 512Mbyte and 1Gbyte cards have ex-VAT MSRPs of GBP 31 and GBP 70, respectively.