flash

Memory Stick PRO (2003 – early 2010s)

Sony Memory Stick 32 MB and Sony Memory Stick PRO 512 MB
Comparison of Sony Memory Stick form factors, anticlockwise from top: Memory Stick PRO 512 MB, Memory Stick PRO Duo 512, and Sony M2 (Memory Stick Micro) 512 MB

The Memory Stick PRO, introduced in January 2003, was a joint effort between Sony and SanDisk and offered a much larger capacity than the original Memory Stick introduced in 1998.

Most devices that could use Memory Stick could use Memory Stick PRO, though some needed a firmware upgrade. High Speed Memory Stick PRO versions were also available, and these were backwards-compatible with devices that couldn’t make use of the higher speed.

A smaller version was introduced later in the year in the form of the Memory Stick PRO Duo, superseding the Memory Stick Duo, and this found use in devices such as mobile phones, small digital cameras and the Sony PlayStation Portable. The smaller Memory Stick PRO Duo format could be used in devices supporting the full-size PRO format by the use on an adaptor, and around 2010 the Memory Stick PRO seems to have disappeared from the Sony US website.

The Memory Stick PRO only appears to have been available (from Sony at least) in capacities up to 2 GB.

Figures

Dimensions: 50 mm × 21.5 mm × 2.75 mm

Capacity: 256 MB to 2 GB

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60-pin memory card (mid-1980s – early 1990s)

This design of card appears to have been a proprietary format introduced by Mitsubishi around the mid-1980s, and was possibly used by the NEC Ultralite and the Texas Instruments Travelmate, though it seems that despite using the same form factor, 60-pin cards were not interchangeable.

Mitsubishi appeared to have sold the design under the name Melcard (not to be confused with later PCMCIA cards under the same brand) and also used the card for internal use in various devices. These internal cards seem to have had a shutter covering the pins, rather then the pin holes of the removable cards.

The 60-pin design was also used for Hammond organ ROM cards, introduced in 1989.

The 60-pin memory card design is unrelated to the 68-pin JEIDA and PCMICA (PC Card) standards, which were unified in 1990 to avoid problems of incompatible memory card formats for sub-notebooks. Mitsubishi were part of the PC Memory Card International Association that defined the PC Card standard and went on to replace the 60-pin memory card.

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2.5-inch solid-state drive (SSD) (1998 – )

Kingston A400 SATA 960 GB (2023)

A solid-state drive is a replacement for a hard-disk drive, and usually uses flash memory for non-volatile storage. It has no moving parts, and so they are quieter and use less energy than a hard-disk drive.

Arguably, the first solid-state drive was the Digipro Flashdisk, a plug-in expansion card for IBM-compatible PCs, offering 16 MB in 1989.

SanDisk introduced a 20 MB solid-state drive using the PCMCIA interface in 1991, and then introduced the solid-state drive in its 2.5-inch form in 1998.

Solid-state drives generally use the same interfaces as hard-disk drives (such as Serial ATA or Serial Attached SCSI), and are seen as disk drives by the operating system. As well as the 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch form factors, modern solid-state drives are available in a variety of smaller form factors, such as mSATA or M.2.

The majority of new PCs and laptops use solid-state drives instead of hard-disk drives.

Like 2.5-inch hard disk drives, SSDs can be used as removable media in a dock.

Transcend SATA3 32 GB
Transcend SATA3 32 GB
Transcend SATA3 32 GB

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SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive (2013 – 2017)

SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive 32 GB (2014)
SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive 32 GB (2014)
SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive 32 GB (2014)

Launched in 2013, the Connect Wireless Media Drive was promoted as a means for users to stream movies to their mobile devices wirelessly, and was a rechargeable flash-memory storage unit that created its own wireless network. Apps were available for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to be able to access the device, and it could stream HD video to five devices simultaneously. As well as video, it could also be used to store photos and documents.

Available in 32 GB or 64 GB versions, it also offered a Secure Digital (SD) / SDHC / SDXC card slot to expand capacity even further. It also connected via USB 2.0 for recharging or to load media from a PC.

SanDisk discontinued the Connect Wireless Media Drive in 2017, and ended support 2021.

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SanDisk Memory Vault (2011 – 2015)

SanDisk Memory Vault 8 GB
SanDisk Memory Vault 8 GB
SanDisk Memory Vault 8 GB
SanDisk Memory Vault 8 GB

The Memory Vault was a USB storage device first offered by SanDisk in 2011. With a rugged metal casing and SanDisk’s proprietary Chronolock Technology, it claimed to offer a lifespan of 100 years for data stored on it.

It was marketed to consumers wanting to preserve their photos and videos and like other USB storage devices, it offered easy plug and play . It came with capacities of either 8 or 16 GB, and had a micro USB port that had a rubber cover. The package also came with a cable for connection, labels to write on the device what was stored on it, and a storage pouch.

Inside its casing, the Memory Vault essentially consisted of a micro USB to USB Type-A converter, and a USB flash drive that was plugged into the converter.

SanDisk claimed that the Memory Vault design had undergone accelerated temperature cycling tests to support its claims of 100 years of data retention.

The Memory Vault appears to have disappeared from SanDisk’s website in 2015.

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Disney Mix Clip (2005 – 2010)

High School Musical 2 (2008)
High School Musical 2 (2008)
High School Musical 2 (2008)

The Disney Mix Clip was a Secure Digital (SD) card that came pre-loaded with music to play on the Disney Mix Stick, and later the Disney Mix Micro and Mix Max.

The Disney Mix Stick was introduced in 2005 and was a portable MP3 player designed for children, and came in a variety of Disney-themed designs with controls shaped as Mickey Mouse’s head. It had no screen, and so you had to scroll through the library to find a particular song. Removing a cover revealed a USB plug to charge the device or to transfer files from a PC onto the built-in 128 MB of storage. A small window allowed you to see which Mix Clip card was inserted.

As well as the pre-loaded Mix Clips, an MMC or SD card with MP3 files could be used.

In 2006, the memory of the Disney Mix Stick was upgraded to 512 MB, and a lower-cost smaller Mix Micro was introduced with 128 MB of memory.

Also in 2006, Disney introduced the Mix Max, a portable music and video player with a 2.2-inch screen and 512 MB of memory. These could play the Disney Mix Clips, but also introduced the new Disney Max Clips that contained a full-length movie on an SD card.

The Mix Stick was later redesigned slightly, and came with 1 GB of memory and a mini USB socket. Some versions had lights that lit up in time with the music.

The Disney Mix Central online media store was taken down in 2010.

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MemoriesCable (2015 – 2020)

PhotoFast MemoriesCable GEN3 128GB USB 3.0
PhotoFast MemoriesCable GEN3 128GB USB 3.0
PhotoFast MemoriesCable GEN3 1m 32GB USB 3.1
PhotoFast MemoriesCable GEN3 1m 32GB USB 3.1
PhotoFast MemoriesCable GEN3 1m 32GB USB 3.1

The MemoriesCable was a combined charging cable and flash memory storage device for Apple iOS products such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad, and was launched in 2015.

Made by PhotoFast, the first generation of MemoriesCable offered storage ranging from 16 to 128 GB with an Apple Lightning connector at one end, and a USB connector at the other. Both USB 2.0 and 3.0 versions were available. Users could download the i-FlashDrive ONE App to manage the data storage and play music and movies direct from the cable. The USB end of the cable could be connected to a Mac or PC, or to a charging point.

In 2016, the GEN3 version of the MemoriesCable was introduced, and this offered a USB 3.0 or 3.1 connection, a braided nylon cable cover with the choice of a longer length cable (1 metre as opposed to the standard 18 cm), and in some cases a USB-C adaptor.

PhotoFast appear to have stopped selling the MemoriesCable around 2020.

Figures

Capacity: 16, 32, 64 or 128 GB

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miniSDHC (2006 – 2008)

The miniSDHC memory card was launched by SanDisk in 2006 with a 4 GB capacity version and the same form factor as miniSD. Like the full-size SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) card it was derived from, miniSDHC cards will not work in older devices. However, with an adaptor they would work in any device that could use a full-size SDHC card.

In the same way that SDHC cards are rated for speed, miniSDHC were also rated, and Kingston produced Class 2, 4, 6 cards in 2007. The class number relates to the MB per second write speed, so a Class 6 card should offer a minimum of 10 MB/second.

In 2007, the microSDHC card was introduced, and miniSDHC cards appear to have disappeared around 2008.

Figures

Dimensions: 21.5 mm x 20 mm x 1.6 mm

Capacity: 4 GB to 8 GB

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Eye-Fi (2007 – 2017)

The Eye-Fi card was a Secure Digital (SD) card with built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, and was introduced by Eye-Fi in 2007. The later Toshiba FlashAir card is a similar format.

The cards were designed for digital cameras without built-in Wi-Fi but with a Secure Digital card slot, to make it easier to transfer photos from them without connecting cables or removing the SD card. Some cameras came with the built-in ability to control Eye-Fi functions.

Users would put the card in their camera, install desktop software or a mobile app, and then connect to the Wi-Fi signal from the card (on some versions it was also possible to connect indirectly via a Wi-Fi router). Any new photos taken by the camera containing the Eye-Fi card could be then be automatically transferred. It was also possible to automatically share photos to photo sharing or social network sites.

The earliest cards were sold in 2007 under names such as Eye-Fi Home, Eye-Fi Share and Eye-Fi Explore, with different features such as the Explore’s geotagging support. These were superseded in 2010 by the X2 line, again with a number of variations such as the Connect X2, Pro X2, Explore X2 and so on. The X2 line was based on Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) and offered capacities of up to 16 GB.

In 2013, Eye-Fi released a new version of the card, branded as Eyefi Mobi, followed in 2015 by the Eyefi Mobi Pro, with the Mobi Pro offering capacities of up to 32 GB.

In 2016, Eye-Fi announced it would stop supporting X2 and earlier cards.

Also in 2016, the Eye-Fi Cloud service was sold to Ricoh and rebranded as Keenai but was closed in 2018. The Eyefi Mobi Pro was sold until 2017.

Figures

Dimensions: 32 mm × 24 mm × 2.1 mm

Capacity: 2 GB to 32 GB

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ExpressCard (2003 – early 2010s)

ExpressCard was primarily a format for adding expansion capabilities to high-end laptops, and replaced the PCMCIA/PC Card and CardBus standards.

It was introduced by the PCMCIA Association, in association with a number of computer manufacturers that supported the standard, and reduced the number of pins from 68 to just 26.

Two different form factors were available. ExpressCard/34 was the more common one and was much smaller that the PCMCIA/PC Card. This form factor was also used by SxS cards, which can be used in ExpressCard slots with a Sony device driver.

The larger card, ExpressCard/54, was in the form of an L-shape and was wider. ExpressCard/34 cards could be used in an ExpressCard/54 slot.

ExpressCards could be used to expand laptops by adding, for example, solid-state drives, additional FireWire or USB connectors, mobile broadband modems, wireless network adaptors or TV tuners.

The PCMCIA Association was disbanded in 2009, and ExpressCard slots died out in laptops in the early 2010s. Many of the devices that could be connected via an ExpressCard slot could be connected via USB ports.

Figures

Dimensions:

ExpressCard/34 75mm × 34 mm × 5 mm

ExpressCard/54 75 mm × 54 mm × 5 mm

Both card may be larger if they include connectors or antennae that stand proud of the ExpressCard slot.

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