SanDisk(R) Corporation (Nasdaq:SNDK) today doubled the capacity of its xD-Picture Card(TM) and introduced a one gigabyte (GB)(a) version (Type M) of the popular flash memory card.

The announcement was made at the annual CeBIT show where SanDisk is demonstrating products in Hall 1, Stand 4E6.

The announcement follows the introduction last month of 10 new, four-megapixel and higher digital cameras by Olympus and Fuji that are fully compatible with the 1GB xD-Picture Card.

Susan Park, SanDisk's xD product marketing manager, said, "These new Olympus and Fuji digital cameras are all in the four-to-seven megapixel range, and consumers who buy them are going to benefit significantly by using high capacity flash storage cards. Higher megapixel cameras and video recording features typically require higher data storage capacities. Our new 1GB xD-Picture Card will ensure that consumers can take plenty of pictures each time they use their camera and not worry about running out of memory capacity."

For example, when used with a five-megapixel digital camera, a 1GB xD-Picture Card can capture and store approximately 800 images shot at the high quality setting.(b)

Chris Chute, senior analyst at IDC market research, said, "As Fuji and Olympus continue to strongly support the xD-Picture Card for use in their digital cameras, we believe that the card ranks as a key format in the flash card family. Both companies have recently developed and introduced several new digital cameras that use the xD-Picture Card, and we believe that future Fuji and Olympus cameras presently under development also will be based on that card. With the ongoing success of the xD-Picture Card, SanDisk should be able to pursue growing sales opportunities for the format."

SanDisk is expected to start shipping the M Series, 1GB card in April at a suggested retail price of $139.99 in the U.S. (Pricing in other countries has not been determined.) The company now offers a complete line of xD-Picture Cards ranging from a 64-megabyte model, at a suggested retail price of $24.99, on up to the new 1GB card. The M series xD-Picture Cards, whose capacity can be increased to 8GB in the future, will be sold in SanDisk packaging under the Olympus and Fuji brand labels. The Type M cards will be so identified on the packaging. SanDisk products are sold worldwide at more than 100,000 retail outlets.

SanDisk is the original inventor of flash storage cards and is the world's largest supplier of flash data storage card products using its patented, high-density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has operations worldwide, with more than half its sales outside the U.S.