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Kingston Launches New ''Ultimate'' Line of SD Cards
Professional Digital Users Now Have Advantage of Kingston SD Ultimate Cards' 133X Speed

Fountain Valley, CA, May 16, 2005 -- Kingston Technology Company, Inc. today announced the further expansion of its Secure Digital (SD) Card product line with the release of new ultra-performing 'Ultimate' SD cards, initially shipping in 512-MB and 1-GB capacities.

The new SD Ultimate cards offer significant performance benefits over the current Standard and Elite Pro lines of SD cards, including 133X super-fast transfer rates of larger size files-ideal for the shooting demands of professional digital photographers.

"Kingston developed the SD Ultimate line to give pro users and serious digital enthusiasts a greater array of choices for their flash memory," said Mike Kuppinger, senior product manager, Kingston. "Our SD Ultimate cards provide superb performance to help users optimize their high-end digital equipment-whether it's a digital camera, MP3 player or PDA," continued Kuppinger.

Nikon's new 6.1-Megapixel D50™ SLR is one of the first digital cameras to standardize on high performance SD cards. Targeting the broadest range of consumers, Nikon touts the D50 as the smallest, lightest and easiest-to-use Nikon digital SLR camera to date. The Nikon D50 is due in stores in June and Kingston will have SD Ultimate cards ready to support it.

"X" Speed Ratings

Many current devices are sold with an 'X' speed rating, much like CD-ROM drives, to give users a performance indicator of how fast the card can transfer (read and/or write) images. Some manufacturers use 'X' to indicate read or write speeds; others use both as 'data transfer' and a few manufacturers do not define their cards' speed at all. Kingston® X-speed ratings are based on 'write' speed and X-speed performance is a function of MegaBytes per second (MB/sec) of write speed. Higher X-speed ratings equal faster cards.

The SD Ultimate cards are the first to ship from Kingston's Ultimate family of flash memory. Starting with the rollout of the SD Ultimate 512-MB card, part #: SD/512-U and SD Ultimate 1-GB card, part #: SD/1GB-U; the cards will have an MSRP of $72 and $164, respectively. The SD Ultimate line will be followed by CF Ultimate card offerings.

Kingston SD Ultimate Features and Specifications:

  • Capacities - 512 MB, 1GB
  • Dimensions - .94" x 1.25" x .08" (24mm X 32mm X 2.1 mm)
  • Speed Rating** - 23MB/sec. read rate; 133X / 20MB/sec. write rate
  • Operating Temperature - 32 degrees F to 140 degrees F (0 degrees C to 60 degrees C)
  • Storage Temperature - -4 degrees F to 185 degrees F (-20 degrees C - 85 degrees C)
  • Standardized - complies with SD Association specification standards
  • Small - about the size of a postage stamp
  • Secure - built-in write-protect switch prevents accidental data loss
  • Simple - as easy as plug-and-play
  • Reliable - lifetime warranty
  • Economical - low power consumption is easy on device's batteries
  • Data Retention - up to 10 years
About Kingston Technology Company, Inc.

Kingston Technology Company, Inc. is the world's largest independent manufacturer of memory products. Kingston operates manufacturing facilities in Malaysia, Taiwan, China and Fountain Valley, Calif., including Payton Technology Corp., Kingston's back-end processing facility supporting memory packaging, test and logistics. With the advent of Payton, Kingston supports all memory processing functions from receipt of wafer to completed module. Kingston serves a network of distributors, OEMs, and retail customers in more than 3,000 locations worldwide. For more information on Kingston, call (800) 337-8410, or go to kingston.com.

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Editor's Note: For additional information, evaluation units or executive interviews, please contact Heather Skinner, Kingston Technology Company, Inc. 17600 Newhope Street, Fountain Valley, CA USA 92708, (714) 438-1817 (Voice). Press images can be found in Kingston's press room at kingston.com/press/default.asp

Kingston and the Kingston logo are registered trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation. All rights reserved. All other marks may be the property of their respective titleholders.

* Some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage. For more information, please consult Kingston's Digital Media Guide at Kingston.com/Digital_Media_Guide.

** Speed may vary based on host hardware, software and usage. For more information about X speed, visit Kingston.com/flash/x


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