JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of JESD220-2 Universal Flash Storage (UFS) Card Extension Standard. The new removable memory card standard standardizes functionality that aligns with the popular UFS embedded device standard. JESD220-2 is available for free download from the JEDEC website.

UFS is a high performance interface designed for use in computing and mobile systems such as smart phones and tablets where power consumption needs to be minimized. Its high speed serial interface and optimized protocol enable significant improvements in throughput and mobile system performance. The new UFS card standard provides a leading-edge removable storage solution while maintaining sequential and random IOPS performance that is critical for future mobile markets. Even using a single lane the UFS 1.0 card offers 600 MB/s interface speed in both directions and a state-of-the-art queuing mechanism to further increase system throughput.

Team Group Inc., the world's leading memory brand, today released the all new microSDXC UHS-II U3 high speed memory card, which officially pushed the storage performance of small portable devices up to 250/100MB/s. Team Group chooses to release microSDXC UHS-II U3, a small card to meet consumers' usage needs. With the included free SD 4.0 UHS-II SD card adapter, consumers are allowed to freely use on digital cameras, dashboard cameras, cell phones and various other devices, and offers the perfect balance in performance and usefulness.

Team Group's all new SD 4.0 microSDXC UHS-II U3 ultra high speed memory card is completely compliant with SDA's specification, and also downward compatible with microSD interface and UHS-1/Class 10 standard. The read/write speed is up to 250/100 MB/s, which is specific for the ever growing action cameras, dashboard camera for car or motorcycle, etc. It is the best storage medium which offers higher resolution, higher frames per second and higher data streaming rates for Full HD or even breathtaking Ultra HD 4K quality.

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today introduced the Toshiba EXCERIA Pro SD Memory Card and Toshiba EXCERIA microSD Memory Card, two flash storage options equipped to unleash a device's full shooting potential to capture stunning images and immersive footage. Ideal for professional DSLR photographers and high action sports enthusiasts respectively, the EXCERIA Pro SD and EXCERIA microSD provide unparalleled performance with excellent read/write rates and ample storage to capture fast-action photos and 4K videos without delay.

"Recording the most important life moments shouldn't be limited by speed or space," said Maciek Brzeski, Vice President of Branded Storage Products, Toshiba Digital Product Division. "With the EXCERIA Pro and EXCERIA microSD, Toshiba delivers a memory card that specifically complements consumers' professional and mobile lifestyles." The EXCERIA Pro SD Memory Card allows professional photographers and videographers to maximize the potential of their UHS-II-enabled high performance cameras. With read speeds of up to 260MB/s and write speeds up to 240MB/s, the EXCERIA Pro SD card can transfer photos in less time than non-UHS II cards.

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today introduced its latest memory card lineups, PRO Plus and EVO Plus. The two latest product lineups add to Samsung's SD and microSD card portfolio to now consist of the PRO Plus, PRO, EVO Plus and EVO families, to address the rapidly growing consumer need for advanced multimedia memory solutions.

"Samsung is following through on our promise to deliver next-generation memory cards that have even faster speeds and higher memory storage volume that will enhance consumer satisfaction level and solidify Samsung's branded memory business leadership," said Un-Soo Kim, Senior Vice President of Branded Product Marketing, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. "With the increase of 4K UHD enabled devices and market needs for memory capacity, the PRO Plus and EVO Plus lineups are optimized solutions that will meet today's user expectations."

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today introduced the company's first high endurance microSDXC memory card built to withstand up to 10,000 hours of Full HD Video recording.

Leveraging its deep expertise in NAND flash and systems technology capabilities, SanDisk developed a proprietary technology and process to enable high-intensity recording. Through rigorous testing, the new technology has proven itself to enable the company to reach a new milestone -- a 64GB microSDXC card that allows consumers to write and rewrite up to 10,000 hours of Full HD video recording.

Phison Electronics Corporation (8299.TWO), a global leader in flash storage, announced today the new 256GB SDXC UHS-I U3 (UHS speed class 3) - The world's fastest 256GB SD card solution. Coupled with the latest 1Ynm MLC, the PS8210 controller provides up to 95MB/s sequential read and 90MB/s sequential write performance based on Phison internal testing with TestMetrix. The extreme speeds make the 256GB SDXC ideal for professional photos and high quality 4K2K videos.

The 2-channel, powerful PS8210 controller delivers a comprehensive SD product line across retail, professional and industrial markets.

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today unveiled significant upgrades to its SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 memory card and announced that the SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD has been qualified for 4K capture. These two products expand SanDisk's extensive portfolio of high-performance products designed for the professional broadcast, cinematography and photography industries.

"The performance demands for media and broadcast professionals continue to rise and SanDisk is committed to delivering leading-edge capture and storage technologies," said Dinesh Bahal, vice president, product marketing, SanDisk. "The new SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 card and SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD will help produce the highest quality content possible, and significantly improve workflow efficiency."

Japanese company Green House Inc. today announced its latest, industrial-grade storage offering, the GH-CFS-NMB series CF 2.0 memory cards. Going from 4 GB to 64 GB, these cards feature MLC NAND Flash chips, a JMicron controller, ECC, bad block management, and are able to operate at 0 to 70 degrees Celsius.

The 4 GB model is the slowest, offering read/write speeds of 107/11 MB/s, while the 8 GB tops 132/21 MB/s, the 16 GB 256/39 MB/s, the 32 GB 312/85 MB/s and the 64 GB 312/153 MB/s. All five cards are backed by a three-year warranty.

Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) today announced that it will showcase its latest NAND flash and storage products at Flash Memory Summit, the world's largest flash memory conference, which will be held from August 5 to 7 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California, USA. The exhibition part of Flash Memory Summit will be held in the latter two days, August 6 and 7, and Toshiba will be exhibiting at booth #504.

Toshiba Corporation's Semiconductor & Storage Products Company today announced that it will start the sales of SDHC memory cards with embedded wireless LAN communications for third-party solution providers.

The new product, THNSW008GAA-B(QB6) has the same hardware composition as "FlashAir", the SDHC memory card with embedded wireless LAN communications, currently available in the consumer market. Since the card itself has embedded wireless LAN and web server functions, its insertion into an SDHC memory card slot adds wireless functions to various devices.

With the rapid development in cinematography, the audience has also increased their demand for image quality. Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, is proud to announce the launch of its CFast 2.0 CFX650 and CFX600 Memory Cards.

Designed to support high-end 4K cameras and camcorders from the leading manufacturers and to meet the extreme demands of professional cinematography, Transcend's CFX650 memory cards feature the fastest transfer speeds available on the current market, while CFX600 boast the highest storage capacity. Both cards are best suited for the professional cinematographers shooting high-resolution 4K and Full HD videos.

As in 2014 wearable devices begin to emerge in the market, personal applications like communication and music are more compact. Besides, with these devices, users are now able to record and store physical function statistics such as their heartbeats, pulse rates, daily step numbers etc. This propelsthe vigorous development of medical and health industry. According to the prediction of market research firm IDC, "wearable devices will soon be widely applied in industries including retailing, construction, and mining by enterprises, in addition to their applications in medical industry." And the small and handy Micro SD/Micro SDHC memory cards will be the best choice for expanding mobile storage capacity.

In response tothe growth trend of mobile and wearable devices, Apacer launches industrial Micro SD/Micro SDHC memory cards which conform to SD 2.0 specifications. Although the size is only one-tenth of general SD card, the Micro SD/Micro SDHC memory cards have a complete range of product types, providing SLC and MLC chips for choice. The highly reliable SLC chips have capacities ranging from 256 MB to 4 GB, which best satisfy industrial devices' demand of small capacity and high stability as a system disk. The more economic MLC chips' capacities range from 4 GB to 32 GB, meeting the high-capacity storage needs.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, today launches the industrial CFast card -ISC3E, which combines the form-factor of a CF card with the high-speed SATA interface for both high reliability and secure operation, widening the application of industrial equipment.

ADATA's ISC3E CFast is compatible with CFast 2.0 and SATA 3.1. The sequential read/write speed is up to 435/120 MB/s (MLC) and 165/170 MB/s (SLC). It is highly shock and vibration resistant, withstand extreme temperatures from -40 ºC to +85 ºC, and the MTBF is up to 2 million hours. With the features above, the ISC3E CFast is quite ideal for those industrial systems which require long-term operation. Additionally, the ISC3E operates at a low 3.3 volts, and supports DVESLP (Device Sleep) to save more power and prolongs the operation time.

Extending its industry leadership in memory card solutions, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., (TAEC), a committed leader that collaborates with technology companies to create breakthrough designs, has introduced the world's fastest microSD memory cards. The new cards are the first in the industry to comply with the UHS-II interface standard, the ultra high speed serial bus interface defined in the SD Memory Card Standard Ver. 4.20. Available in 32 GB and 64 GB capacities, Toshiba's new microSD memory cards offer the fastest transfer rates available, are UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) enabled, and allow high-quality 4K video capture at constant minimum write speeds of 30 MB/s. This means that 4K2K video, live broadcast and content can be recorded on high-performance cameras.

The 64 GB cards offer a maximum read speed of 260 MB/s and a maximum write speed of 240 MB/s. The 32 GB cards have a maximum read speed of 145 MB/s and maximum write speed of 130 MB/s, which represents an 8x write speed improvement and 2.7x read speed improvement when compared to Toshiba's current 32 GB microSD UHS-I cards. These faster transfer speeds reduce the time required to download large data movie and music files to smart phones and tablets, and enable camera users to shoot high resolution digital still images in a continuous high speed shooting mode.

Samsung Electronics, a market leader in advanced memory technology and an innovator in consumer electronics, announced today that it is now shipping a new line of advanced SD and microSD cards that are ideal for digital imaging and mobile devices. The products will be available in PRO, EVO and Standard categories, suited for various use cases and performance levels for consumers and professionals.

Samsung's extensive memory card lineup offers SD cards and microSD cards for use in many different consumer electronic devices. The PRO, EVO and Standard lineups are available in a wide range of capacities from 4 gigabyte (GB) to 64 GB. While SD cards are most often used in digital cameras, DSLR cameras and camcorders, microSD cards are mainly used in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, as well as certain cameras and camcorders with microSD card slots.

As panels, backlight modules, control chips and materials etc., invest into the market, the ultra-high definition 4K2K is gradually being accepted by consumers; especially now when prices are dropping, more and more people are considering owning a HD flat-screen TV. TVs nowadays are equipped with more and more mature multi-functions, and consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated about the video quality; consumers also love to play the videos they recorded on the big-screen to share their lives with their friends and families.

However, the sizes of high-resolution images and videos are also becoming bigger, and sometimes while recording, consumers are disappointed as they are unable to quickly and accurately capture an exciting instant due to slow writing speeds. For this reason, the speed of the KINGMAX PRO Extreme SDXC/SDHC memory card is significantly increased.

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today announced the new 128GB2 SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I memory card, the world's largest capacity microSD card. Smaller than the size of a fingernail, the new SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card enables consumers to use their phones and tablets as if storage limitations were never a concern, allowing users to capture thousands of songs and photos, and hours of video on a single, removable card.

"SanDisk's high-performance 128GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC memory card will reshape the way users interact with their devices," said Stuart Robinson, director, Handset Component Technologies, Strategy Analytics. "Until now, consumers had to spread out their content between multiple products because the memory on those devices was not able to hold enough data in one place. This 128GB microSD card is going to be popular as the preferred removable storage option, giving users fast, secure and reliable access to their personal data archives."

Since CompactFlash Association released the specification of CFast 2.0, Apacer has invested actively in R&D and taken the lead to roll out the first industrial-grade SATA 3.0 (6Gb/s) high-speed transmission interface CFast 2.0 memory card around the globe. Its sequential speed is up to 310/240 MB/sec, which doubles the speed of its predecessor. Besides featuring a 2-Channel bidirectional structure, the CFast 2.0 adopts Toggle DDR 2.0 NAND Flash, which brings its performance to a higher level. Jeff Lin, Embedded Application Business Unit Director of Apacer, suggested that, "Except that Apacer CFast 2.0 memory card is upgraded to double performance and speed, in order to meet the needs of harsh environment of industrial application and corporate cost-effectiveness, Apacer provides customers with choices between highly-durable SLC chip or highly cost-effective MLC chip.

Both chips are resistant to temperature change, vibration and shock in actual environment. Each kind of chip has a capacity of 4GB~32GB and 16GB~128GB respectively, with dimensions of 42.8mm x 36.4mm x 3.6mm and an adoption of (7+17) pin connector. Support for DEVSLP (Device Sleep) power mode enables them to switch into a low power state on standby mode so as to save power for companies."

With the increasing trend of 4K high quality video devices, SP/ Silicon Power, the world's leading provider of memory storage solutions, today announces the new series of flash cards for 4K transmission - the Superior UHS-1 (U3) SDHC/SDXC flash cards. Since ultra high definition devices brought a new tendency of entertainment, more and more new gears in 2014 such as TV, camera and smart-phones have requested for high-resolution (4096*2160) recording and high-speed transfer rate of 30 MB/s. With the Superior UHS-1(U3) series, everyone can easily capture incredible high quality images and videos.

Adopting the latest specification of Ultra High-Speed Class 3 (UHS-1 (U3)), SP Superior UHS-1 (U3) series allows tremendous improvement in transfer speeds and makes it much easier to store high quality videos, digital photos and even the 3D games. With the use of Superior UHS-1 (U3) series, you can enjoy the lively 4K*2K images with high-definition quality.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced its fastest addition to the Secure Digital product line. The new DHC/SDXC UHS-I Speed Class 3 (U3) card (Kingston part #: SDA3/xxGB) allows professionals and consumers to capture 4K and other Ultra-HD video resolutions. The new card is available in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB capacities.

The SD Association's latest specification, UHS-I U3 (Ultra High-Speed Bus, Speed Class 3), guarantees performance of at least 30 MB/s read and write, enough bandwidth to record and playback 4K video without interruption. Kingston's SDHC/SDXC UHS-I Speed Class 3 card provides speeds of 90 MB/s read and 80 MB/s write, which is up to 9x faster (read) and up to 8x faster (write) than standard Class 10 SD cards. The faster speeds ensure the best video and photo integrity by reducing stutter as well as faster PC upload time especially when using USB 3.0 card readers.

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory products, today announced its technological leadership in the digital imaging market with the immediate sample availability of Lexar Professional 3333x CFast 2.0 cards and the Lexar Professional Workflow CFast 2.0 USB 3.0 reader for the Lexar Professional Workflow Reader Solution. The CFast 2.0 specification is the next generation of high performance memory cards designed for professional applications in still imaging and video capture.

Lexar Professional 3333x CFast 2.0 Card
With capacities available for sampling in 256 GB, 128 GB, 64 GB, and 32 GB, the Lexar Professional 3333x CFast 2.0 cards demonstrate new speed thresholds to capture high-quality images and 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video. Designed to maximize the capabilities of the next-generation of high-definition camcorders and high-resolution digital SLR cameras, the new cards provide a read transfer speed up to 3333x (500 MB per second), which is three times faster than any CompactFlash card. Additionally, the new Lexar Professional 3333x CFast 2.0 cards will support the Video Performance Guarantee (VPG-65) specification for professional-quality video capture, and includes the latest version of Image Rescue software.

Sony's newest SD memory cards can do more than just temporarily store and transfer content from digital cameras. The new Backup SD Card adds automatic back-up capabilities, eliminating the need for plugging in external drives each time users want to safeguard their data.

The new cards - available in 16-, 32- and 64 GB capacities - are the first to offer a dedicated real-time backup feature, so consumers can use removable memory as more than just "bridge media."

To help people find their way through the labyrinth of media card formats Green House has developed and launched a reader claimed to support no less than 51 storage offerings. Dubbed GH-CRM1A-BK, the reader measures 69.2 x 42.2 x 13.6 mm, it has a USB 2.0 interface (USB 3.0 would have been nice) and supports SD, SDHC, SDXC, miniSD, microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro-Duo, Memory Stick micro and Compact Flash cards.

The GH-CRM1A-BK is backed by a one-year warranty and costs 980 yen (~ 10 USD).

Green House has now rolled out a new line of high-speed SDXC memory cards, the GH-SDXCUA Series. These 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB cards make use of MLC Flash memory, they have an UHS-I rating and are capable of transfer speeds of up to 40/12 MB/s (read/write), 60/40 MB/s, and 78/50 MB/s, respectively.

The GH-SDXCUA Series SDXC cards are backed by a three-year warranty and cost 18,800 yen / ~ 188 USD (64 GB), 21,800 yen / ~ 218 USD (128 GB) and 49,800 yen / ~ 499 USD (256 GB).

Toshiba Corporation today announced the expansion of its line-up of "FlashAir", the SDHC memory card with embedded wireless LAN communications, with the launch of the latest 32 GB card. The new card will go on sale on November 16th in the Japanese market, and sales in markets around the world will follow.

"FlashAir" is an SDHC memory card that incorporates a wireless LAN chip set plus an antenna for wireless communications. The card supports wireless sharing and transfers of photos from digital cameras to smartphones and tablets.