Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. and Olympus Corporation have today announced the joint development of a new 1GB version of the ultra-compact xD-Picture Card digital camera storage media. The new xD-Picture Card M1GB* will be available commercially from the first quarter of 2005.

The xD-Picture Card, launched in September 2002, has earned a popular following as an ultra-compact digital camera storage media format. The new 1GB version was developed to meet customer requirements for larger capacity storage.

The xD-Picture Card M1GB is based on the latest high-density MLC (Multi Level Cell) memory technology, making it possible to pack 1GB of capacity in an ultra-compact (20mm x 25mm x 1.7mm) card. This new technology offers storage capacity potential of up to 8GB.

Fujifilm will continue to boost the performance of the xD-Picture Card to meet the trend for increasingly high-resolution digital cameras and the diversification of shooting styles.

Notes to Editors

* The ‘M’ in M1GB stands for MLC (Multi Level Cell) memory, a new high-density flash memory technology.

1. The xD-Picture Card M1GB will be compatible with models of Fujifilm digital cameras released from now on. As this card uses a new memory format, firmware upgrades will be made available for certain existing digital camera models. The details will be announced before the product launch.

2. xD-Picture Card is a trademark of Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.