00 MA XIMUMPC JUNE 2005
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
Removable
Media
Prices, capacities, and cost per megabyte reflect those in effect at press time—hey, we’re not psychics!MicroDrive
USED IN: Digital cameras,
PDAs, and most devices with
a Type II CompactFlash slot
CURRENT MAXIMUM
CAPACITY: 6GB ($270)
COST PER MEGABYTE
(AT MAXIMUM
CAPACITY): $.05
DURABILITY: Don’t drop it!
THE GOOD: A technological marvel; hard
drive compatible with most CompactFlash Type II devices.
THE BAD: Literally a tiny hard drive, the MicroDrive con-
sumes much more power than flash memory, and is still
scary-slow compared with the pokiest flash media.
PROGNOSIS: Iffy—the MicroDrive may be eclipsed by
smaller and less expensive miniature hard drives (such as
Toshiba’s .85-inch hard drive and the Cornice Storage Ele-
ment) that aren’t intended to be removed.RemovableRemovable
Media
MAXIMUM PC’S
VISUAL GUIDE TO
FLASH MEMORY
CompactFlash
USED IN: Digital cameras,
PDAs
CURRENT MAXIMUM
CAPACITY: 12GB ($9,500)
COST PER MEGABYTE
(AT MAXIMUM
CAPACITY): $0.80
DURABILITY: The sturdiest
flash memory around.
THE GOOD: Can be used in the PC card slot of laptops
with an inexpensive adapter; “professional” versions sup-
port transfer rates up to 12MB per second.
THE BAD: Extremely bulky by today’s “World of Tomor-
row” standards; faster CompactFlash cards are signifi-
cantly more expensive (usually around 30 percent) than
the standard variety.
THE INTERESTING: Type I refers to cards that are .14-
inches thick. Type II refers to cards that are .20-inches thick.
PROGNOSIS: The huge number of CompactFlash-depen-
dent devices still in use today virtually guarantees that this
format will remain common.ALL
CARDS
SHOWN AT
ACTUAL
SIZE52 MA XIMUMPC JUNE 2005
During the last two years, the removable-memory landscape
has changed dramatically. Since then, some formats have risen
and others have sunk. Here’s a quick field guide to all the
formats you need to know about today.
—MARK NOACK AND LOGAN DECKER