Professional Digital Users Now Have Advantage of Kingston SD Ultimate Cards' 133X Speed

Kingston Technology Company, Inc. today announced the further expansion of its Secure Digital (SD) Card product line with the release of new ultra-performing 'Ultimate' SD cards, initially shipping in 512-MB and 1-GB capacities.

The new SD Ultimate cards offer significant performance benefits over the current Standard and Elite Pro lines of SD cards, including 133X super-fast transfer rates of larger size files-ideal for the shooting demands of professional digital photographers.

"Kingston developed the SD Ultimate line to give pro users and serious digital enthusiasts a greater array of choices for their digital media," said Mike Kuppinger, senior product manager, Kingston. "Our SD Ultimate cards provide superb performance to help users optimize their high-end digital equipment-whether it's a digital camera, MP3 player or PDA," continued Kuppinger.

Nikon's new 6.1-Megapixel D50 SLR is one of the first digital cameras to standardize on high performance SD cards. Targeting the broadest range of consumers, Nikon touts the D50 as the smallest, lightest and easiest-to-use Nikon digital SLR camera to date. The Nikon D50 is due in stores in June and Kingston will have SD Ultimate cards ready to support it.

"X" Speed Ratings

Many current devices are sold with an 'X' speed rating, much like CD-ROM drives, to give users a performance indicator of how fast the card can transfer (read and/or write) images. Some manufacturers use 'X' to indicate read or write speeds; others use both as 'data transfer' and a few manufacturers do not define their cards' speed at all. Kingston X-speed ratings are based on 'write' speed and X-speed performance is a function of MegaBytes per second (MB/sec) of write speed. Higher X-speed ratings equal faster cards.

The SD Ultimate cards are the first to ship from Kingston's Ultimate family of digital media. Starting with the rollout of the SD Ultimate 512-MB card, part #: SD/512-U and SD Ultimate 1-GB card, part #: SD/1GB-U; the cards will have an MSRP of $72 and $164, respectively. The SD Ultimate line will be followed by CF Ultimate card offerings.

Kingston SD Ultimate Features and Specifications:

Capacities - 512 MB, 1GB
Dimensions - .94" x 1.25" x .08" (24mm X 32mm X 2.1 mm)
Speed Rating** - 23MB/sec. read rate; 133X / 20MB/sec. write rate
Operating Temperature - 32 degrees F to 140 degrees F (0 degrees C to 60 degrees C)
Storage Temperature - -4 degrees F to 185 degrees F (-20 degrees C - 85 degrees C)
Standardized - complies with SD Association specification standards
Small - about the size of a postage stamp
Secure - built-in write-protect switch prevents accidental data loss
Simple - as easy as plug-and-play
Reliable - lifetime warranty
Economical - low power consumption is easy on device's batteries
Data Retention - up to 10 years