SD Memory Card

The SD Memory Card... a tough and willing performer, even under demanding conditions

Measuring just 24mm X 32mm X 2.1mm and weighing a mere two grams, the SD memory card is both small and ultra light but don't let its size put you off, it is more than up to the job when it comes to capturing or storing your digital data, such as music, video, photos and text files. 

SD memory originates from the MMC (MultiMediaCard), and is therefore the same shape. However,  SD memory cards are marginally thicker which enables them to be manufactured with higher storage capacities. As it is derived from the MMC, any electronic device that is made to accommodate the SD card should be able to accept the originating format. Though it must be said that the reverse is not true as it simply would not be possible to insert an SD memory unit into an MMC slot.

Being a convenient size and easy to handle, SD Memory is commonly used with a wide range of devices, for instance portable audio players, digital cameras, PDA's, printers, DVD players, projectors, GPS's and the like. Their compatibility with such a wide variety of electronics, in addition to the fast data transfer speed, makes it a format that is supported, and widely favored, by many of the leading electronic manufacturers, which number several hundred. 

One of the great things is that if you own more than one digital device that accepts the Secure Digital memory card you can simply remove the cards from any one of them and slot them straight into one of the others. For example, a situation where this may be handy, and easy to accomplish, is if you photograph some images with your camera and then want to view them with your projector. No problem!

Secure digital data with SD copyright protection. These memory cards have it all!

As a secure memory, users of SD cards can prevent data being overwritten by use of the write protect switch located on the side of the card. This is ideal for putting a stop to those accidental erasures. 

SD also features Content Protection for Recordable Media, otherwise known as CPRM. This helps to stop copyrighted media, like music, from being illegally copied. The Secure Digital (SD) function works by only allowing data to be read and written to its protected memory area when appropriate host devices are found. However, other non copyright data can be easily read, written and copied between devices without any restrictions. 

SD memory cards have no moving parts

As with other types of flash memory that are solid state, the SD card is not prone to internal wear and tear. It is common to hear stories of cards that have been through crashes or even accidentally been put in the wash only to come out unscathed with the data still intact! This truly is a sign of the cards robustness and durability. Another plus is that it doesn't require its own power source, it instead draws power from the host device that it is inserted into. What's more, as its power consumption is low, it is not a major drain on the hosts battery power. 

SD memory is currently available with the following card storage capacities.  

• 8MB
• 16MB
• 32MB
• 64MB
• 128MB
• 256MB
• 512MB
• 1GB
• 2GB

SD has a smaller brother, the Mini SD memory card.

With the ever decreasing size of mobile phones in mind the Mini SD was introduced to cater to this rapidly growing area of demand.