SD Association adds secure NFC support to its smartSD memory cards

SD Association introduces smartSD specification with NFC support

Though companies like Visa and Device Fidelity have already come up with a way to make NFC payments via microSD card, the SD Association (the standardization body for SD cards) has introduced a spec that opens up that ability to others. It essentially adds the single wire protocol (SWP) as a Secure Element to enable NFC authorizations like mobile payments and identity verification. Now that any of its members can implement the standard to their microSD cards, perhaps some day we can truly replace our wallets with our phones. We've included the press release and a short video demo after the break if you feel like understanding the tech a little better.

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Source: SD Association

Eye-Fi’s Mobi SD card sends images straight to a phone or tablet

EyeFi's Mobi SD card sends images straight to a phone or tablet

When Eye-Fi first launched its wireless SD cards back in 2006, most of us weren't carrying smartphones, much less tablets. At the time, the idea was to send your photos straight from your camera to your PC, where you could run slideshows or upload them to the cloud (if you were already into that sort of thing). Lately, though, Eye-Fi has been forced to rethink its product: the company just announced the Mobi, a $50 Class 10 card that sends images directly to your mobile device, bypassing the computer altogether. Designed for people already used to storing pics on phones and tablets, it works with a free iOS / Android app that acts as an image viewer. To set it up, you enter a 10-digit activation code included in the packaging, which you can use with as many gadgets as you like. After that, the card will continuously send photos and video to your device. And because the Mobi is a hotspot unto itself, your gear doesn't all need to be on the same network, or even in range of a router.

The Mobi is available today, priced at $50 for 8GB and $80 for 16GB. For those of you who expect to do some heavy-duty editing, you can still buy Eye-Fi's existing X2 cards, which send images to PCs, and can handle both RAW and JPEG. Additionally, those pro-level cards can be configured to send different file formats to different locations. If that seems like overkill, though, the Mobi might be the better option -- it's not like you can't eventually get those photos off your phone, right?

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Humax’s take on an IP-connected TV box for Comcast passes through the FCC

Humax's take on an IPconnected TV box for Comcast passes through the FCC

Comcast isn't opening up its set-top boxes (UI and all) in the way we'd like, but it has established a reference spec (RDK) for potential hardware partners to build their own versions of its next generation setup. As reported by Light Reading, Cisco, Humax, Pace, Technicolor and others are working on hardware for a new multiroom setup based on a central gateway (or maybe a Cablevision-style network DVR) that streams video to IP-connected extenders called the XI3. Now Humax's Xfinity-branded XI3-H has been revealed in an FCC filing spotted by Wireless Goodness. It sports a coax in/out connection for MoCA and TV, HDMI in and out, Ethernet and a USB port for a WiFi adapter. There's also an SD card slot interestingly, which could potentially be used as local DVR storage for quick pause and rewind without pulling from the main server.

Continue reading Humax's take on an IP-connected TV box for Comcast passes through the FCC

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Source: Wireless Goodness, FCC

Samsung brings speedy UHS-I class SD and microSD memory cards in new 64GB sizes to IFA 2012

Samsung brings speedy UHSI class SD and microSD memory cards in new 64GB sizes to IFA 2012

We've seen UHS-I class SD and microSD cards capable of incredible speeds before, and Samsung unveiled a few 16GB microSD modules of its own earlier this year, but now it's showing off 64GB sized versions at IFA 2012. The top of the line Pro editions intended for high speed LTE-connected phones and tablets are capable of read/write speeds at 80MB/40MB per second (SD) and 70MB/20MB per second (microSD). If you're not with us in Germany, you should be able to get your hands on them in mid-October.

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Samsung brings speedy UHS-I class SD and microSD memory cards in new 64GB sizes to IFA 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 02:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic preps SD cards that survive heat, water and X-rays, will probably outlast you

Panasonic preps SD cards that survive heat, water and Xrays, will probably outlast you

Much ado has been made of weather-resistant cameras, but it's all a moot point if the memory card dies, isn't it? Panasonic wants that level of survivability in its SDHC and SDXC cards, and its new UHS-I-level SDAB and SDUB lines are tested for the kind of abuse that could see the camera give up the ghost first. The cards can take the kinds of punishment that we often associate with rugged gear, such as temperatures from -13F to 185F, immersion in 3.3 feet of water for half an hour and the usual steep drops. It's beyond this that the resistance levels become truly exotic: the cards are also built to survive zaps of electricity, proximity to magnets and exposure to X-rays. If it all becomes too much to bear, the design will even fuse on the inside to prevent fire burning the card from within. Those who like what they see will only have to decide whether or not they want the SDAB range's 95MB/s read speeds and 80MB/s writes or are willing to settle for the SDUB line's respective 90MB/s and 45MB/s transfers. We have yet to see if or when the SD cards cross the Pacific after their September 8th launch in Japan, although we hope so -- with that kind of extra-tough design, our photos are more likely to endure than we will.

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Panasonic preps SD cards that survive heat, water and X-rays, will probably outlast you originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nifty MiniDrive for MacBooks: Internal External Drive

As with most Apple offerings, the option to get increased storage space for new Mac notebooks are insanely expensive. Sure, external drives are cheap nowadays, but it would be more convenient if you didn’t have to carry another gadget around. That’s where the Nifty MiniDrive comes in.

nifty minidrive for apple macbook

The Nifty MiniDrive is simply a microSD card adapter that plugs into the SD card slot of MacBooks. Its main selling point is that it sits flush with the computer’s side when plugged in. You can just leave it there and make it part of your laptop.

A pledge of at least $30 (USD) on its Kickstarter fundraiser will make you one of the first owners of a Nifty MiniDrive. It’s available for the MacBook Air (note that the 11″ Air doesn’t have an SD slot), MacBook Pro and the MacBook Pro with Retina Display.


Windows Phone 8 to support multi-core CPUs, HD resolutions, SD cards and NFC

STUB  Windows Phone 8 to support multicore CPUs, HD resolutions

Microsoft is on stage at the Windows Phone Developer Summit offering us a bite of what's to come in Windows Phone 8, and one of the tastiest morsels may just be the noticeably more diverse hardware it will support. The new platform won't just support dual-core processors -- it will support as many as 64 cores, should such massively parallel chips come to exist in the platform's lifetime. Also gone is that long-criticized 800 x 480 display resolution ceiling: if phone builders like, they can either opt for the increasingly common 1280 x 720 or a rarer 1280 x 768. A few subtler feature parities are coming with the upgrade, such as NFC for tags and payments as well as a long, long requested support for SD cards beyond the crude initial expansion. All told, Microsoft just brought Windows Phone right up to hardware parity with its biggest rivals, and possibly a bit beyond.

To check out the latest updates from Microsoft's Windows Phone event, visit our liveblog!

Windows Phone 8 to support multi-core CPUs, HD resolutions, SD cards and NFC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on with the Electric Imp at Maker Faire (video)

Hands-on with the Electric Imp at Maker Faire (video)

Yesterday at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012 we visited the Electric Imp booth to chat with the startup's founders and get some hands-on time with the tiny wireless computer. What is the Electric Imp? It's a module containing an ARM Cortex M3 SoC with embedded WiFi that's built into an SD card form factor. While the device looks just like and SD card, it's not pin-compatible with the standard -- the idea is to leverage a reliable and affordable connector for the Electric Imp. The module is not very useful on its own -- it only comes to life when inserted into one of several boards, which provide the Electric Imp with power and access to the real world. In turn the device gives these boards a brain and an Internet connection. Eventually the company hopes that appliance manufacturers will incorporate Electric Imp slots into products to make them network aware.

We talked with CEO Hugo Fiennes (formerly with Apple) about the past, present and future of the Electric Imp so hit the break to read more and to watch our hands-on video.

Continue reading Hands-on with the Electric Imp at Maker Faire (video)

Hands-on with the Electric Imp at Maker Faire (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 00:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic introduces new microP2 SD-sized storage at NAB 2012

Among several new announcements for NAB 2012, Panasonic had time to show off its new microP2 card. It does all the high speed transfer pro video shooters have come to expect from their P2 hardware, but in a package that's the size of an SD card. Panasonic also showed off a companion adaptor that could be used to make the new micro-sized cards compatible with existing PCMCIA-based hardware, however they will need a firmware upgrade (at an unspecified cost, of course) first. Of course, that's all still off in the future, since these won't hit the market until spring 2013. Check out our gallery for a few more pictures and look after the break for the press release.

Continue reading Panasonic introduces new microP2 SD-sized storage at NAB 2012

Panasonic introduces new microP2 SD-sized storage at NAB 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung rolls out Ultra High Speed microSD cards destined for LTE phones and tablets

Samsung rolls out Ultra High Speed microSD cards destined for LTE phones and tablets
While so far the Ultra High Speed Class 1 memory card designation has been reserved for SDXC and SDHC cards, Samsung just announced new microSD cards that support the faster interface as well. Currently being produced in 16GB sizes, they have maximum sequential read speeds of up to 80 MB/s, four times that of the high speed cards it introduced last year. There's no word on the write speeds but Samsung is already busy calling its next shot, planning to offer cards with even more storage in the future. Of course, you'll need compatible devices to make these new cards worth it, we wonder what kind of Advanced LTE smartphones with 3D gaming and HD video capabilities might be in store from Samsung soon...

Continue reading Samsung rolls out Ultra High Speed microSD cards destined for LTE phones and tablets

Samsung rolls out Ultra High Speed microSD cards destined for LTE phones and tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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