Memory cards

CompactFlash Card
As used in a host of products, such as the Psion Series 5mx, IPAQ and Pocket Loox Pocket PCs, and a wide range of digital cameras. For more on how CF cards work, see Pscience 5's CF page
Below, you'll find a summary of CF card prices from online suppliers:

• Amazon - Last time we checked, Amazon were offering Viking 1 gig cards for £14.
• BT Shop - Fast reliable delivery - Offering a 512Meg for £25.
• Jessops - Stockists of low-priced memory cards and accessories. Worth a look as their own brand of cards, for photographic use, can be cheaper than those on PDA sites TIP
• eBay.co.uk - bid for new cards at low prices!

For advice on CF cards for the Psion range, see our Psion FAQ page

MMC Card
Weighing less than two grams and taking up the area of a postage stamp, MultiMediaCards are ideal for use in portable devices like digital audio players, digital cameras, and PDAs. In addition to its distinct size advantage over other removable memory, the MultiMediaCard's low power draw makes it highly suitable for battery-powered mobile applications. MMC cards will fit into devices that have an SD slot - MMC cards are the same size, and are often much cheaper than SD cards, because they're an 'open' standard (SD card manufacturers have to pay royalties, and MMC card manufacturers don't!).
Note that there's also a variant of this card, the RSMMC (Reduced Size MultiMedia Card).
Below, you'll find a list of some online MMC card suppliers:

• Amazon - Stock a wide range of MMC cards at some of the lowest prices around
• Consider bidding for an MMC card at Ebay.co.uk - nab a bargain
• Jessops - Worth a look as their own brand of cards, for photographic use, can be cheaper than those on PDA sites TIP
• PC World's accessory section
• eBay.co.uk - bid for new cards at low prices!

SD card
The SD form factor represents the one of the smallest, secure flash memory card in the consumer market today and is flexible for use in today's hi-tech devices including MP3 players, PDAs, digital cameras and even games consoles like the Nintendo Wii.
SD cards are the same size as MMC cards (although slightly thicker). The 'Secure' part of a Secure Digital card refers to the fact that it's possible to use these cards to write data in an encrypted way, for protection of copyright (e.g. for e-books, music and video).
You can find out more about the format from sdcard.org.
Below, you'll find a summary of suppliers:

• Amazon - Always a good choice for reliable delivery at good prices - Currently offering a Viking 1 gig card for a silly £11
• BT Shop - Fast reliable delivery - £60 for a 1gig Fuji card
• Dabs.com - Great online store for PC accessories, including some cut price memory cards
• Jessops - Stockists of low-priced SD cards and accessories. Worth a look as their own brand of cards, for photographic use, can be cheaper than those on PDA sites TIP
• eBay.co.uk - bid for new cards at low prices!
• PC World - There's a small range in their Accessories section

Micro SD card
Even smaller than a Mini-SD, these tiny cards are being used in smartphones such as the Lobster 700TV. Below are few suppliers:

• Amazon - At the time of writing, they're stocking a SanDisk Micro SD 1GB plus SD Adapter for £18
• Jessops - Stockists of low-priced memory cards and accessories. Worth a look as their own brand of cards, for photographic use, can be cheaper than those on PDA sites TIP
• eBay.co.uk - bid for new cards at low prices!

Mini-SD card
With smaller and smaller mobile phones being released, the SD card has shrunk. It behaves the same as a standard SD card, but just 38% of the size.
Below, you'll find a summary of suppliers:

• Amazon - At the time of writing, they're listing the Lexar range - 64Meg for £17 and 128Meg for £19. Not as many available as Amazon, but this is bound to change...
• Jessops - Stockists of low-priced memory cards and accessories. Worth a look as their own brand of cards, for photographic use, can be cheaper than those on PDA sites TIP
• BT Shop - Fast reliable delivery on a range of cards
• eBay.co.uk - bid for new cards at low prices!

Memory Stick
The ultra-small, thin design is ideal for use in Sony digital cameras, some camcorders, and PDAs.
The format also includes the Memory Stick Duo, as used in the Sony Ericsson P800 - these are about a third of the size of a Sony Memory Stick.
For more information on the format of the Sony Memory Stick, see www.memorystick.com

Below, you'll find a summary of suppliers:

• Amazon - At the time of writing, Amazon are offering Sony 256MB Memory Stick for just over £30, but prices change frequently.
• BT Shop - Fast reliable delivery on a range of cards
• Jessops - Stockists of low-priced cards and accessories. Worth a look as their own brand of cards, for photographic use, can be cheaper than those on PDA sites TIP
• eBay.co.uk - bid for new Memory Sticks at low prices!

SmartMedia
SmartMedia (SSFDC) memory cards provide mobile data storage in a very small inter-changeable format. SSFDC consists of a single NAND flash EEPROM chip embedded in a thin plastic card. It can be transported between digital systems including consumer and portable electronic devices, PDAs, digital cameras, pagers, MP3 digital music players and more.
Below, you'll find a summary of SmartMedia card prices from large suppliers:

• Amazon - A good choice for smart media cards
• Jessops - Stockists of low-priced memory cards and accessories. Worth a look as their own brand of cards, for photographic use, can be cheaper than those on PDA sites TIP
• BT Shop - Fast reliable delivery on a range of cards
• eBay.co.uk - bid for new cards at low prices!