Kingston 512-MB microSD Memory Card Review

Kingston’s 512-MB microSD Card

After getting back from the CTIA Wireless 2006 tradeshow it was obvious that smartphones have been on a diet and that slim is in. The Samsung t509 (below right) is the thinnest phone on the market measuring a mere 0.38 inches thin. The Samsung t509 takes the title away from the Motorola SLVR as the slimmest phone in the U.S. Speaking of the Motorola SLVR it too got reduced, but only in terms of its features. Like the idea of a sleek phone but could care less about the SLVR?s iTunes features? Then the just released Motorola L6 should be up on the top of your list and it is just tad thicker than the Samsung t509 at 0.4 inches, but costs only $49! If you like music phones then you know about the LG VX8100 and will be happy to know the LG 8300 has come out to replace its predecessor.

What do all these Smartphones have in common? They all use microSD Flash memory cards for storage!

All of our readers that have the LG VX8100 music phone know that they phone utilizes a MiniSD card for memory storage. MiniSD has been around longer than microSD and offers Flash memory capacties up to 1GB. The only bummer on these new phones is the switch from miniSD sards to microSD cards, while this makes this phone lighter it decreases the amount of memory that we can use. Last month we took a look at the Kingston 256-MB microSD memory card (Read It HERE) and noted how it was largest capacity that could be had in the microSD form factor offered by Kingston. This month that all changes as Kingston was one of the first to launch 512-MB microSD cards in North America. While microSD still doesn’t have the capacity that miniSD has we are told by our sources at Kingston that 1GB is possible. If you are changing to a newer phone and freaking out that you are losing memory capacity, rest assured that you are not alone with your gripe and the memory companies are working on making everything fit in these 11mm x 15mm x 1mm microSD cards!

Let’s take a closer look at the microSD memory card and see why memory companies are having a tough time getting higher capacities.

All microSD cards are fully molded (you can’t open them) and can be designed with the capability of stacking memory die within a single footprint on the same substrate. This means that the memory density can be achieved without redesigning the substrate or leadframe. Kingston Technology informed Legit Reviews that their 512-MB memory card has a their die stacked a number of times to reach the 512-MB density that consumers demand. Keeping in mind that these cards are only 1mm thick that is a extremely tight space to stack multiple layers of anything!

Let’s take a closer look at the Kingston 512-MB microSD memory card (part number SDC/512).