New Specifications Are Finalized And An E-Commerce Work Group Is Formed

BURLINGAME, CA Mar. 20, 2001 – The Secure Digital card is rapidly emerging as an industry standard as more than 50 mobile electronics products designed to use the card have been introduced and more than 225 companies have now joined the SD Association (SDA). Those reports highlighted the SDA’s first meeting of 2001, a session that attracted more than 150 people. The SDA is an open industry standards organization established in January 2000. Its mission is to set industry standards for the SD Card and promote its wide acceptance in a variety of applications.

“I am extremely bullish on the outlook for the SD Association and the card standard for this year.” stated SDA president Ray Creech. “Our membership continues to grow rapidly and new products are being announced on a monthly basis. To-date, there are over 50 products that have been announced or are in the market. We believe that the unique benefits of size, security and interoperability that SD brings to the market are helping to lead this groundswell of interest.”

The SDA’s technical committee has now submitted three new application specifications; Video (MPEG-4, Motion JPEG), PIM (Personal Information Management) and Image (Bit Mapped Images), for final review and approval by the general membership. These applications are expected to be approved by the end of April 2001. (A complete list of all specifications available from the SDA is attached)

The SDA Application Specifications are critical guideline documents that describe a recommended method for storing data onto SD memory cards. Adherence to these specifications provides a means of ensuring interoperability across a wide range of devices.

Beyond memory applications, the SDA has now completed a final I/O specification. “The specification will enable the SD Card slot to become a multi-purpose expansion port for a variety of new capabilities such as Bluetooth, GPS, Imaging and Communication.” stated Bill Stanley, Principal Engineer for Palm Inc. and Co-Chairman of the I/O working group. “This will extend the capabilities of any SD enabled device.” The I/O technical working group has submitted the specification to the General Membership for final approval that is expected to be complete by May 2001.

The SDA also formed a new eCommerce working group during the meeting, which is chartered to develop a specification that would enable SD host devices to perform secure financial transactions. An eCommerce enabled SD card will have the capability to register, authenticate and exchange information with a secure network server – particularly useful in emerging wireless applications.

The SD Card is being built into a wide range of new digital products such as cellular phones, audio players, automotive multimedia systems, handheld PC’s and video and digital still cameras. The association’s web site can be referenced at www.sdcard.org for more information about SDA membership, applications usage, member companies and upcoming meetings.

Parties interested in joining the SDA are encouraged to visit the website or contact Ray Creech directly at (831) 623-2107. Email is [email protected]