SanDisk announces SD flash memory card with built-in USB connectivity

SanDisk today introduced an innovative SD flash memory card with built-in USB connectivity. The new product means greater convenience and cost savings for consumers who can just plug the SD card into any SD card slot such as is used in most digital cameras, and then plug it into any USB port without needing an SD card reader to transfer data, images, audio or video between computers, digital cameras and other electronic devices. The announcement was made at a SanDisk press conference at the annual Consumer Electronics Show where SanDisk is demonstrating products in the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, Booth #31438.

Michael Morganstern, a SanDisk product marketing manager, said, “We developed a new mechanical design which allows us to fully contain a high-speed 2.0 USB flash drive within the small SD form factor. The innovative mechanical design eliminates the need for a removable cap, which can be lost, and results in a dual functionality card that is fully SD compliant. The device also features an LED that blinks when data transfer is taking place to indicate that the card is being used as a USB flash drive.”

“SD memory card and USB flash drive shipments together will total 235 million units by 2008, with SD the dominant full-size card form factor,” said Allen Leibovitch, Program Manager, Semiconductors, for IDC, a leading market research firm. “A device that can successfully be used in both sockets without external caps or adapters will allow effortless transfer of data, music, photos, and videos between PCs and portable consumer electronics devices, and leverage that substantial market opportunity. It could also extend SD’s dominance as the form factor of choice for portable multimedia storage.”

Wes Brewer, vice president of consumer products marketing at SanDisk, said, “SD cards have become the dominant standard for consumer electronic products such as digital cameras. On the other hand USB flashdrives have grown dramatically in popularity due to the huge installed base of PC’s and notebooks that support the USB standard. We believe that the introduction of our new SD Plus USB technology within the SD envelope will provide a great solution for OEM’s and consumers that require ready connectivity between any SD slot and any USB port. ”

The first products to be released by SanDisk with this breakthrough technology are scheduled to be introduced in Q1, 2005. SanDisk will provide further product details at the annual Photo Marketing Association (PMA) show, Feb 20-23 in Orlando, Fla. At that time, SanDisk is expected to introduce capacities as high as one gigabyte.

SanDisk is the original inventor of flash storage cards and is the world’s largest supplier of flash data storage card products using its patented, high-density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA and has operations worldwide, with more than half its sales outside the U.S.