SD Too Large? Smaller Flash-Memory Cards Are On The Way!SD Too Large? Smaller Flash-Memory Cards Are On The Way!

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced a line of flash-memory cards that are smaller than a thumbnail, as the firm said it had defeated the nagging problem of high power consumption. The multimedia memory cards (MMC) aimed at mobile phones and other small portable devices operate on 1.8 or 3.3 volts of power.

The firm, already the largest supplier of flash memory, said the NAND technology will be utilized initially in cards to be sold in 32, 64 and 128 Mbyte sizes. Samsung said mass production will get underway early next year.

"Despite its exceptionally small size, the Samsung MMCmicro [memory card] has proved to be highly reliable in delivering excellent performance through extensive testing," the firm stated. "The card can read at 10MB per second and write at 7MB per second; a 128MB version can store about 60 5-megapixel digital photographs, or nearly one hour of QVGA-resolution video."

Samsung said it has filed the card's specifications with the Multimedia Card Association to establish standards for the line. Different sized cards in the line can be easily upgraded.

The card's dimensions are: 12x14x1.1mm--about one-third the size of today's reduced-size multimedia cards (RS-MMC). Samsung said the durable cards have an operating speed of 26MB between card and system.