Mini Vs. MicroSD Card
In recent years the development of cellular phones with their multimedia capabilities has been the biggest influence in a push to create smaller and smaller mass storage media. SD, or secure digital, memory as a format has been a forerunner in this area. But SD has been miniaturized into a format known as miniSD and further so into microSD. The differences between these various formats can seem confusing but crucial when selecting memory to enhance our cell phones and other portable devices.
History
In 1999, a consortium of Sandisk, Toshiba and Matsushita came to an agreement to develop the SD flash memory format. The next year they were part of a larger group named SDA, the SD Card Association. This preceded the release of 32 MB and 64 MB storage devices that were considered large capacities at the time.
By 2003 the market saw the release of the miniSD product which was not only smaller in size but soon became available in 256 MB packaging. Included was an adapter specifically designed to allow the user to insert their miniSD card into a SD slot on their computer, card reader or other device in order to easily move files.
Two years later saw a newer, smaller format called microSD. It is only one-quarter the size of the original SD cards and currently has capacities ranging from 64MB to 32GB (gigabytes) with likely more capacity to come.
Features
At the same time that memory was being developed in smaller packaging, there has been an increase in speed in data transfer rates, measured in Mbps (megabytes per second), which becomes critical in the recording and playback of video files. The increased speed also allows for faster processing times for smart phones and Pocket PCs thus enhancing the user experience.
Significance
The ability to move files around in a portable devices allows for enjoyment, sharing and productivity on the go. Users can record events, work on spreadsheets, get thoughts down and transmit them globally. This is all in addition to the ability to call ahead to inform parties about troublesome traffic conditions.
Warning
Whereas both miniSD and microSD use included adapters to fit into SD slots, they are not usually cross compatible with each other. Today's devices use miniSD much more prevalently due to its smaller size and increased capacities. There are very specific capabilities from device to device in handling memory capacities and data transfer rates. The user is best advised to become familiar with the specifications of their computer, phone, and portable players.
Considerations
Critical to the decision is also in how the memory will be used. Simple text requires little memory per file, music files and pictures can be of significant size, and video can be a serious space hog. Buying the largest capacity available and which is compatible can be fine except that this can easily lead to spending money on unused space and speed. However, it has been observed that a user will most often find a way to fill all available space as they take more pictures, add to their music library or find more applications.
Tags: data transfer, data transfer rates, memory format, move files, portable devices, smaller size, their computer
