USB FlashCard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
USB FlashCard is a new flash memory card format developed by Lexar, and announced on December 13, 2004[1].
There is a plethora of existing memory card formats such as SD, xD, and CompactFlash; the major advantage of USB FlashCard is that the cards are in fact standard USB flash drives[2]. The USB FlashCard uses a modified USB Type A plug which keeps the total thickness of the card to under 4.5 mm. Because of its small size and USB compatibility, a USB FlashCard could, for example, be accessed by either a digital camera or a modern personal computer without the need for a card reader.
Lexar has published the specifications for its USB FlashCard form factor[2] on its website in an open and royalty-free format, in the hopes that other memory card and portable device manufacturers will adopt it.
[edit] Physical size
The specifications for the USB FlashCard published by Lexar show its dimensions to be 31.75 mm × 12 mm × 4.5 mm. The volume is comparable to the widely-adopted SD cards (32 mm × 24 mm × 2.1 mm). The USB FlashCard has nearly the same length as the SD card, but is half as wide, and approximately twice as thick.
[edit] External Links
- Photograph of the USB FlashCard, comparing its size to a U.S. penny
- Article about the USB FlashCard from Engadget.com
- Another article about the USB FlashCard from CNet.com
