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Most of us who are into technology in some way have already heard of the SD memory card. Where SD stands for Secured Data, these tiny cards are a very popular item now days with everyone who is dealing with PDA's, electronic cameras, notebook computers and the like. So what makes these memory cards so popular and why should you even consider getting one? Well let's look at the following facts:

1. The SD memory cards are what's called a "bridge media" item. They enable you to pass data between different devices, without the use of a PC. For example, if you want to pass a 2 minute video you shot with your new digital camera, on to your iPAQ, you can do that in a few seconds by taking out the SD memory card from your camera and popping it into your iPAQ. Both the devices support the SD format, and the data is therefore transferred easily. It's an sure way to pass data between different platforms because it's a standard memory format the is supported by so many products and appliances.

2. The size of the SD memory cards is a mere 24mm by 32mm by 2.1mm. It's slim size makes it an even easier "bridge media" because it's so easy to carry around, and it fits into even the smallest appliances. There are also smaller standard of SD cards, such as the miniSD 20mm by 21.5mm by 1.4mm, or the microSD 15mm by 11mm by 1mm, but these also have smaller capacities.

3. It has the ability to play music, video and more without a drive mechanism like those in CD and DVD players. This allows for even more creative freedom for product designers.

4. The capacity of those small SD memory cards is growing, as cards with larger capacity hit the market all the time. For example, the 512 MB and the 1Gb cards are already old news, as the newer 2,4, and even 8 GB capacity cards are now beginning to be seen on the market. This allows for longer and higher quality video clips, for example. It's important to add that many appliances don't support these cards yet, and we should expect this to get better in the future.

5. Fast data transfer rate - these SD memory cards are a lot faster in terms of transferring data than that old CD. This is very reasonable, as there are no mechanical part s involved in the process of reading and writing data. This fact makes the SD memory cards a much faster memory device that the old ones we know. Most SD memory cards have the ability to transfer data at a rate that is 15 times faster than a standard CD-Rom.

There is no doubt that the SD memory cards are an important bridge in the world of digital appliances. They make it possible to pass huge amounts of data easily between different appliances without the need of and medium such as a PC. It's a lot easier to see the pictures your friend took on your PDA without going through a PC, especially if you don't have one around. These advantages make the SD memory cards an essential part of the digital lifestyle.

Ron Heller is the owner and operator of a website
devoted to PDA, palm pilot accessories, PDA Accessories, pda computers and more.