14 DAY TRIAL // With all the advancements in NAND Flash storage, memory cards have reached a stage where they not only rival but actually exceed the capacity and even performance of most USB flash drives, among other things, as is again proven by a certain new Buffalo product.
Memory cards are used in everything from smartphones to video cameras and camcorders.
Also, with the increase in video and photo quality, and with the Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) resolution becoming the norm, memory cards have had to evolve as well.
Over time, memory cards were divided according to their form factor, but also in terms of their overall specifications, until the transfer speed became the main issue.
This led to the establishment of the Class ratings, each Class (6, 10 etc.) determining the minimum writing speed of whatever card is being developed.
The newest one to make it out of Buffalo's labs is a particularly capacious member of the SDXC variety, where SDXC stands for eXtended Capacity.
It has the Class 10 rating, which means that the minimum transfer speed is of 10 MB/s, plus a capacity of no less than 64 GB.
Thus, as consumers can easily guess, it is designed for HD-capable camcorders and DSLR cameras, particularly those often in the hands of photographers that like to take high-speed continuous shots.
No doubt the company expects the holiday shopping season, which is quickly approaching, to spur sales.
Since more cameras and camcorders are bound to be purchased during this period, either as presents or as a means of immortalizing the events of Christmas and New Year's eve, memory cards should be subject to a similar phenomenon.
The major, and one might say only drawback, of the 64 GB SDXC is its price, of $719, which basically places it beyond the reach of all but the best financially-equipped end-users.