An xD-picture card™ is a type of memory storage device often used with digital cameras or related devices to store sounds, pictures, music, and other types of digital data. These cards are a type of flash memory card. Rectangular in shape, they are often found in photography stores or electronics stores. Originally, the name stood for extreme digital, and now the card is made by several different companies including SanDisk, Kodak and Lexar.
The initial creators of the xD-picture card™ were FugiFilm and Olympus. While these two companies pioneered the original development of the card, Toshiba and Samsung were actually responsible for manufacturing most early cards. The xD-picture card™ was first introduced into the general market in July of 2002.
When first introduced, the cards experienced an initial surge in popularity since they significantly increased digital camera memory. However, as many camera manufacturers continued to increase the internal memory of digital cameras, the xD-picture card™ quickly became less of a luxury. Still, the items can add memory to devices, and can make storing and moving media easier, so they remain in use.
The amount of storage space that you need for your digital camera can vary. If you are a person that takes thousands of pictures at a time, you may want to upgrade your camera to include the 2GB xd-Picture Card™. However, you can also purchase cards that have as little as 16MB of storage space.
There are three main types of xD-Picture Cards™: Type M, H, and M+. M Type was the first storage type that originally had limited space of about 16MB to 512MB. The H type cards were an upgrade as they were able to hold anywhere up to 2GB of storage space, but these cards were discontinued by manufacturers due to the high cost of production. However, in August 2008 the M+ card was released that achieved 1 to 2GB of storage space more efficiently.
Most cards are compatible with any digital camera that has an insert slot for them. However, xD-Picture Cards face steep competition as many manufacturers are focusing more on developing SD and SDHC memory cards. These alternative memory cards can store many more types of digital data with greater storage capacity.
xD-Picture Cards™ can be an excellent addition to any digital camera, but they are very limited to this use. Fujifilm created an MP3 device that could use this type of card, but the technology has almost become obsolete in comparison to the SD and SDHC disks that have a wider application, and can store much more data to be used in a wide array of digital devices. Furthermore, xD-Picture Cards have small storage capacity as compared to other digital storage cards on the market.
Also, xD-Picture Cards™ have much slower transfer speeds than other SD cards or USB storage devices, which make it very difficult to persuade buyers. Finally, these cards are also usually more expensive than other storage devices. Although these disadvantages exist, the xD-Picture Card™ still has its place in the market and can be very beneficial for storing digital pictures.