The microSD card is physically the smallest flash memory device on the market as of May 2009. Because of its physical size, microSD has become the standard memory card for small devices that require additional external storage. The format is available in storage sizes of up to 16GB. However, there are some backward-compatibility issues with larger sizes.
History
MicroSD cards were originally developed by SanDisk. Before they were known as "microSD," they were developed under the names "T-Flash" and "Transflash." The first microSD cards were unveiled in March 2005.
Formats
MicroSD cards come in two formats. The original microSD was released in 2005 and has capacities of up to 2GB. The new microSDHC has theoretical capacities of up to 32GB.
Size
MicroSD cards come in sizes from 64MB to 16GB. Cards larger than 2GB are available only in the SDHD format.
Common Uses
Because of their small size, microSD cards are commonly used as removable storage for cell phones. They can also be found in GPS devices, MP3 players, expandable USB flash memory drives and digital cameras. They are also used on the Nintendo DS.
Issues
Because of a format change, microSD and microSDHC cards look almost identical but are not backward compatible. Thus, microSDHC cards cannot be used in a slot that can read only microSD cards. However, a software upgrade is available that allows users to read microSDHC but not write to the drive.
Adaptors
MicroSD cards can be used on all other compatible SD slots with an appropriate adaptor.
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