Go to:
Previous Item
Current News
Next Item

Lexar's 2GB CompactFlash card. Courtesy of Lexar, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins. Lexar ships 2GB CompactFlash cards
By
(Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 21:40 EDT)

A press release from Lexar Media Inc. today announces that its 2-gigabyte CompactFlash cards are now shipping in the USA.

Interestingly, when the cards were announced back in early March, Lexar had predicted a speed rating of 32X - but the final product is apparently an even speedier 40X card. (If you're not familiar with Lexar's X-ratings, the company works on a theory that 150KB/second sustained write speed is 1X, hence a 40X card has a sustained write-speed of 6MB/sec. Lexar says that the card "may operate up to a maximum write speed of 7MB/s or more".

The Lexar 2GB CompactFlash card, which will cost $699.99 street, is a Type-I card - meaning it is physically compatible with any camera featuring a CompactFlash slot. It is also the largest size that most current cameras are capable of addressing, because of their use of the FAT16 file system. Certain cameras which use FAT32 are capable of using larger cards.

Original Source Press Release:

Lexar Media Ships 2GB CompactFlash Speed Rated at 40X

2GB Cards Speed Rated at 40X or 6MB/s Minimum Sustained Write Speed

FREMONT, Calif., April 30, 2003 - Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq:LEXR), a leading designer, developer and marketer of award-winning high-performance digital media and accessories, today announces the shipment of 2GB 40X-speed Professional Series CompactFlash cards. The superior 40X-speed cards are guaranteed to be capable of a minimum sustained write speed of 6MB/s, and may operate up to a maximum write speed of 7MB/s or more. The 2GB Type I cards are expected to have a retail price of $699.99.

The large capacity cards were developed primarily for professional photographers who often prefer to shoot large image files, such as TIFF and RAW, and have a need for high-speed, high capacity memory cards.

"Professional cameras today produce image files ranging from 5MB to 14MB or more. A 2GB card will allow for extended shooting without having to constantly change cards," said Denis Reggie, wedding photojournalism pioneer. "When shooting a wedding, I often shoot in RAW mode and fill 8GB of memory. With 2GB CompactFlash, I can extend my shooting time and be more available to catch the spontaneous moments that make all the difference to my clients. Plus, since it's from Lexar, I am confident that the cards will perform flawlessly - wedding after wedding."

"We've seen the demand for high capacity cards skyrocket due in large part to the convenience they offer professional photographers shooting weddings and sporting events," said Jim Gustke, general manager, business segment. "We anticipate great demand for our 2GB cards with 40X-speed by photographers looking for fast, non-stop shooting."

In addition to carrying a 40X speed rating, the Professional Series cards include Write Acceleration (WA) technology for additional speed performance in certain cameras. Working in conjunction with WA enabled cameras, Write Acceleration increases throughput to take better advantage of the true speed capability of the card. Image write speed is important to photographers because if the camera is busy writing to the card, shots can be missed. To date, Kodak, Nikon and Sanyo support the Write Acceleration standard.

Lexar Media Professional Series cards also include Image Rescue software and a Jumpshot USB cable to recover deleted or seemingly lost images from Lexar Media CompactFlash cards.

"Image Rescue software is an insurance policy for digital photographers. It's something you hope you'll never have to use, but if you do, you're grateful it's there," said John Omvik, director of product marketing. "It's just one of the many reasons professionals turn to Lexar Media for fast reliable digital media."

Lexar Media is the only company to speed-rate CompactFlash based on the minimum sustained write speed. The company uses the 1X equals 150KB/s standard, which was adopted from the CD-ROM industry and pioneered by Lexar Media for solid-state memory cards. Lexar Media tests each memory card prior to shipment to ensure that it meets or exceeds the speed stated on the packaging.

About Lexar Media, Inc.
Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR) is a leading designer, marketer and licensor of award-winning removable flash-based digital storage media, card readers and ATA controller solutions for the digital photography, consumer electronics, industrial and communications markets. Lexar Media brands digital memory cards in the industry's most popular formats including CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard and SD. As a digital storage innovator, Lexar Media was the first to develop and advance proprietary read-write speed standards for its USB-enabled CompactFlash cards and holds over 60 controller patents. Licensees of Lexar Media's technology include Olympus, SanDisk, Samsung Electronics and Sony. Headquartered in Fremont, California, Lexar Media also has offices in London and Tokyo. Lexar Media is a member of the Russell 2000 Index. For more information, please call 1-800-789-9418 or visit www.lexarmedia.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. These forward-looking statements include statements related to the benefits of and consumer demand for Lexar Media's high performance CompactFlash products. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements. These risks include that the growth and success of Lexar Media's business depends on its ability to achieve and maintain technology leadership, and sell and market products that are commercially accepted. Readers should also refer to the risk factors described in Lexar Media's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2002 filed with the SEC on March 31, 2003. Lexar Media assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this news release.

Lexar Media, JumpDrive and the Lexar Media logo are trademarks of Lexar Media, Inc. Lexar Media Inc. is an authorized licensee of the CompactFlash trademark. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

###

Go to:
Previous Item
Current News
Next Item

Powered by Coranto