Several days ago it was my pleasure to see the
SanDisk 512 MB MicroSD card included in my purchase of a new cellphone - the
Motorola V3i iTunes. A family member had lost the
PEBL phone I had given her and it had become necessary to visit my nearest
Cingular company store.
What is it - where is it?
Okay, the store sold me the new iTunes Motorola for the current Internet price of $299 plus tax and standard $18 activation for new phones, no doubt the card was somewhere included in the price. The iTunes phones had just come in to the store that day. The people there were still unaware of what came with the phone, but we opened the box and authorized my new phone, and inserted a new 3G SIM card (for the lost phone's service) to my old reliable and well liked
RAZR V3. Guess what?
Neither of us noticed the tiny SD Micro card, for 512 MB. of added data storage, installed by the battery and we both concluded it was probably an accessory - it really is that small, not even half the size of the bright white and orange Cingular 3G SIM card. I went on my way with the new phone and stopped to visit a friend before returning home - so I didn't bother to read the paperwork on my new phone or to do anything other than use it for a few calls.
The next day, imagine my surprise to read the card was already installed! I took the phones battery cover off again as I had to see for myself. Once I saw it, I realized the fingerprint of my small finger covered more area than this midget - so I would be careful handling it. You don't want to touch those contacts on its backside end or static could ruin it. A small piece of tape is and will be of benefit to handle this card as it is so small. (chuckle) Some of us may need a magnifying glass just to keep up with it.
Performance:
After loading my phone's included iTunes software CD, I loaded 100 MP3s (limited to 100 by the CD software) in about twenty minutes using a 2.0 USB computer to phone connection to access this card. That's 6.5 hours of continuous music and I still had well over 100 MB. of SD memory space left for pictures and videos on the card. Now that's not only a lot of storage, but it's also a fairly fast transfer when you consider the software was modifying those MP3s to a format the phone uses (197 bit rate maximum) - and installing them through the phone to the chip in programmable orders.
The following day I proceeded to enjoy that music with headphones. The stored stereo music was flawlessly reproduced, so the chip did work properly - as I purposely left it in operation for that 6.5 hours with only a few intentional breaks during use.
For you?
Current pricing is about $30 for this card. For 512 MB. of storage this is not an unreasonable price. But, one should consider their needs before purchase. I could easily install the more expensive 1 GB. or 2 GB. card to my phone, but my software would still only provision 100 songs and this is more than enough for me as I probably won't fill the left space with pictures and videos for the phone - I have an
Olympus C-750 UZ 4 mega pixel camera with only 256 MB. of storage using the larger XD memory card, and it's always been adequate for me. Now, if you take loads of pictures, videos, and/or recordings, the 1 GB. version may be for you at its roughly $60 price, or 2 GB. at its much higher price. Of course, this
Trans Flash™ card is designed for many different uses - so check for the style and type you need, and how you will be using it before a purchase.
Specifications courtesy SanDisk:
Universal compatibility with TransFlash™ memory card slots
Comes bundled with an SD Adapter for use with microSD or TransFlash cards.
Built-in security features enable users to download, store, and play secure content just like an SD card.
Dimensions: 15mm x 11mm x 1mm(L x W x D)
Capacity: 512MB Flash Memory
5-year limited warranty
Final Thoughts:
Would I have purchased this card for my phone if it hadn't been included? Yes, and I am very pleased with its performance in my new phone. Now that it's installed safely in place, I think I'll just leave it alone except for changes in stored content - I wouldn't want to lose this tiny gem.
Look for the V3i in an upcoming review here at Epinions - the Micro SD card is used in all RAZR models and others using added memory cards, and all these phones available on the Internet don't include it. Maybe you'll like or need it too?
Compuplus.com
