SanDisk 4 GB SD 2.0 memory card

SanDisk has unveiled a 4 Gb SDHC (SD High Capacity) memory card. The $199 product will be bundled with a "free" MicroMate USB 2.0 reader. SD and SDHC cards look identical in size and shape, but only SDHC-compatible products will be able to accept the new SDHC cards.

Click on the headline of this article for the press release from SanDisk.

New Large-Capacity Cards Are Ideal For Digital Video Or Still Cameras; SanDisk Bundles 4GB SDHC Cards With Free MicroMate USB 2.0 Reader

SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today introduced a 4-gigabyte (GB)1 SD High Capacity (SDHC) card. The new cards, which support capacities of 4GB and higher, are rated Class 2 for speed and performance and can store more than 2,000 high-resolution pictures, more than 1,000 digital songs or up to 8 hours of MPEG 4 video 2.

The 4GB SDHC card will be bundled with the MicroMate ™ USB 2.0 reader at no extra charge. These new readers work with both SDHC and SD cards. SDHC cards require an SDHC-compatible reader.

SDHC is the new designation for SD cards larger than 2GB that adhere to the SD 2.00 specification, a completely new design that is required for cards and hosts to support 4GB to 32GB capacities. The specification was developed by the SD Association, an industry standards board, which also defined three speed classes for speed and performance capabilities. These cards adhere to the SD Speed Class Rating specification which defines a minimum sustained transfer speed for SDHC cards 3.

Susan Park, retail product marketing manager at SanDisk said, "Demand for high capacity cards continues to increase as storage-intensive applications such as digital cameras and digital video camcorders capable of taking high-resolution pictures and recording high-quality video clips come into the mainstream."

Though standard SD and SDHC cards look identical in size and shape, only SDHC-compatible products will be able to accept the new SDHC cards. SanDisk differentiates its new cards with the new SDHC logo on the card and retail package.

Chris Chute, research manager at IDC, said, "Consumers are beginning to demand next-generation image and video capture features in smaller devices. SDHC, while only supported by a few manufacturers and camera models now, is sure to be adopted by the imaging market as HD video recording and higher-resolution photography necessitates larger capacities."

Wes Brewer , vice president of consumer product marketing at SanDisk, said, "In order to provide the easiest and most compatible solution for 4GB and larger capacity SDHC cards in the market, SanDisk chose to bundle its new MicroMate USB 2.0 SD/SDHC compatible card reader, which normally retails for $19.99, with this new card. We are confident that our customers will have the best user experience and highest value--dollar for dollar--anyone can offer at this time."