Even though it may not be a good thing, the megapixel arms race isn’t going to end anytime soon. So thankfully companies like Pretec have us covered when it comes to transferring and storing those massive RAW files in our cameras. Today the company unveiled their new 32GB SDXC memory cards, as well as a 666X version of their 100GB compact flash cards which can reach speeds of up to 100MB/s. Now unfortunately the new SDXC cards aren’t compatible with SDHC, since they use the exFAT file system instead of FAT32. So the cards simply won’t work in your digital camera at the moment. But with future SDXC capacities expected to eventually reach 2TB, there’s no question the new format will become the standard in prosumer digital cameras.

And not surprisingly, there’s currently no pricing info available for either card.

[ Pretec 32GB SDXC & 666X CF Cards ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Evan Ackerman

Released today at CTIA was this Multi-Kit which bundles an 8 gig micro SDHC card with both fullsize and mini SD adapters and a tiny little USB micro reader. The system is designed to facilitate data transfers between your computer, mobile phone, digital camera, or whatever else you have that eats SDHC (not SD, mind you) cards. Or, you can just use it as a USB key with swappable/upgradeable storage. Whatever you decide to use it for, the card itself comes with a lifetime warranty (with a * after it, so my guess is that they won’t replace it if you accidentally inhale the itty bitty little card) The 4 gig version costs $22 and the 8 gig is only $40, which is a pretty good deal for so much storage in such a teeny and versatile package.

[ Kingston ]

Yesterday Fujifilm announced the launch of their new UDMA 310x CompactFlash cards that have the fastest sustained write speed of any card on the market. Thanks to a specially designed controller and the latest SLC (single layer cell) flash memory chips the new CompactFlash cards are capable of writing data at an impressive 46.5MB/sec.

You might think that a 310x card is a bit overkill, but considering that DSLR cameras are pushing towards 18 and even 24 megapixel resolutions, you don’t want to spend all day waiting for your camera to finish saving your photos. The new cards will be available in late July in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities and will cost around $100, $235 and $413 respectively.

[ Fujifilm launches fastest CompactFlash card to date ] VIA [ Newlaunches.com ]

By Luke Anderson

Do you ever save data to your phone’s external storage and think that it goes too slow? Maybe you think that you need a faster microSDHC. Honestly, I doubt it. Chances are that your internet connection on your phone is just slow. However, if you’re dumping 4GB of music onto a microSDHC card, you might do well with something a little faster. SanDisk has the perfect new cards for you.

SanDisk has introduced their Mobile Ultra cards, which include 2-8GB versions of both microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro. These cards will run anywhere from $35 to $130 depending on the size and type of card you choose.

[ SanDisk ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Luke Anderson

I like to think that I’m pretty good when it comes to securing my data, though I certainly don’t go to the extremes that some others go. For instance, my laptop is locked down tight, however, I don’t bother to encrypt my SD cards or password protect them. These sorts of things rarely ever have any sensitive data, so I don’t really care. For those that do store top-secret files on your SD card, here’s something that might interest you.

The USB Memory Card Unlocker is a device that you hope that you’ll never need to use. What it does has a good side and a bad side. The good side is that if you forget the password to your SD card, you’ll be able to use it again after popping it into this little device. The bad news is that you’ll lose all of the data contained on the card. It’ll only set you back $16, which is about the same as a new SD card.

[ USBFever ] VIA [ RedFerret ]

If you’re still reliant on compact flash cards because of that DSLR you have no intentions of replacing, your options for a compact memory card reader are limited. But if you’ve managed to break free of the shackles of compact flash, the mini card reader world is your oyster. The Mini Cube is definitely one of the smallest readers I’ve ever seen, and it’s able to remain so tiny because the largest memory card format it accepts is SD. It also supports M2, T-Flash, MicroSD, MiniSD, MMC, MS, MS Duo, MS Pro and MS Pro Duo cards. On its longest side the reader is just 1.4 inches long, but it manages to include a built-in USB cable that tucks into the body when not in use.

You can get it from Gadget4all for just $12.

[ Mini Cube Multi-in-one Card Reader ] VIA [ Pocket-lint ]

If you’re copying a few hundred JPEG photos you took at a birthday party to your PC, then speed is probably not a big concern. However if you’re copying hundreds of RAW files to your laptop with a looming print deadline then yeah, speed is probably an issue. Lexar’s UDMA dual-slot USB reader promises the fastest transfer speeds you can find as long as you’re using it with a high-speed UDMA memory card.

The dual slots are compatible with UDMA CF cards, standard CF cards, SDHC SD cards and regular SD cards and it even folds closed to keep out unwanted materials like dust and debris when it’s not in use. You can get it directly from the Lexar online store for $34.99.

[ Lexar Professional UDMA Dual-Slot USB Reader ] VIA [ Fareastgizmos ]

I love my latest digital camera because it takes CompactFlash memory, rather than SD. While that unfortunately meant that I was left with several useless SD cards, I was more than happy to shell out the extra cash for a much faster format. While CompactFlash is already the fastest flash memory that you can put inside of a camera, the standard is getting revamped to provide even more speed.

The new standard being developed by the CompactFlash Association, dubbed CFast utilizes a SATA interface which promises theoretical transfer speeds of up to 375MB/sec. I’m sure that in reality speeds will be much slower, but even half of that would be a tremendous boost. There are a couple of downsides to this new memory. The first being the fact that it is still 18 months to 2 years away from being finalized. The other (and more important I think) is that the cards won’t be compatible with current cameras. You’ll need to start saving now if you want to take advantage of this faster format.

VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Luke Anderson

Have you ever tried to load some new music on your phone directly onto a microSD card? That’s the easiest way to do it in my opinion, as you bypass all of that annoying software that gets installed on your PC. Unfortunately this does involve you digging out you microSD to SD card adapter, then hooking it into your card reader. Now thanks to Kingston, you only need to pull out this flash drive and pop in the microSD card.

This flash drive acts just like any other, storing between 1 and 4GB of data. You also have the option of inserting your microSD card and transferring data on and off of it without digging around for an adapter. Prices on the Data Traveler Micro start at around $19.

[ Kingston ] VIA [ Crave ]

By Luke Anderson

I finally upgraded my digital camera to a DSLR, so naturally I had to pick up new memory for it. Since my old camera is all but retired, I have a couple of decent-sized SD cards that are just sitting around not being used. I’d like to think I could utilize their storage capacities in a new camcorder, but they’re not that big, or fast. Now if I had one of these new Panasonic 32GB SDHC cards, it would be a whole different story.

The huge card won’t go on sale until April, but it is well worth the wait. The card is labeled a class 6, which has transfer rates of 20MB per second making it the fastest card at this capacity. Unfortunately you’re going to have to pay a hefty premium for that speed, as the card will set you back around $700 when it debuts.

VIA [ CNET ]