August 8, 2006 – Today, Olympus Imaging America, Inc. and Fuji Photo Film, Inc. each announced 2 GB xD memory cards.
Responding to high megapixel counts on point-and-shoot cameras, Fuji and Olympus separately created greater storage capacity in their tiny memory cards. Ideal for travelers and underwater photographers, 2 GB cards had store high resolution files without having to frequently change memory cards.
“Fujifilm has responded to this influx of high-resolution pictures by providing a media card that doubles the memory capacity of the current 1 GB product,” stated today’s Fuji’s release.
Fuji’s 2GB xD-Picture Card can store 1,640 5-megapixel images or 58 minutes of video captured at 320x240, according to their release.
Likewise, Olympus business manager John Blakeslee of digital memory products said, “The increasing pixel counts of digital still cameras and the growing use of these cameras for advanced audio and video recording are driving the demand for higher capacity storage,” in today’s Olympus press release.
Olympus’ 2GB Type M-Series xD-Picture Card, also known as the M2 GB, measures 20.5mm x 20.0mm x 1.7mm. The MLC (multi-level cell) card can store up to 1,000 8 megapixel images, according to the release.
Olympus also plans to make 8 GB memory cards, stated the release.
The 2GB Olympus xD card comes with free Olympus Master editing software for 3D and ART conversion functions that include cartoon, oil and watercolor effects.
The M2 GB may not be compatible with all digital cameras, stated the release. The Olympus M2 GB card will be available this month. Fuji’s 2GB xD will follow in September. Pricing has not been released for either brand.
