SD Association issues new ratings for running apps off of SD cards

With Android allowing for Adoptable Storage and the integration of SD cards into the actual flash disk on the phone, you’ll want to make sure that the microSD card you’re using is fit to be attached as part of the device’s internal storage in order to run apps direct from the card.

Well, the Secure Digital Association is out with a new specification, SD 5.1, that introduces the Application Performance Class. Yes, another class rating beyond Speed Classes and UHS Speed Classes, but this one is important if you’re storing more than your pictures, songs and video on your card.

The new rating guarantees that an SD card can maintain a minimum amount of constant input-output accesses per second.

The new and only Class A1 rating sets a standard for read rates of 1,500 IOPS, write rates of 500 IOPS and sequential streams of at least 10MB/s. More ratings will be created as cards and requirements become faster.

Of course, UFS 2.0 cards are also coming into play and they’re already speedy enough to be used in Adoptable Storage. It’s a matter of how much consumers are willing to pay in the technology’s commercial infancy.

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Apple USB-C dongles on sale through end of the year

It’s expected that USB Type-C ports will be the future of any connected accessory. Today is not the future. And Apple has been unforgiving in helping its customers make the transition over by not including adapters and USB-C accessories with its new MacBook Pro, a computer with four Thunderbolt 3.0 slots.

After much gnashing of the teeth, the company has relented and is offering discounts on dongles sold through its physical and online stores until December 31. Here are a list of them:

  • USB-C to full USB: $9 ($10 off)
  • Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2: $29 ($20 off)
  • USB-C to Lightning, 1 meter cable: $19 ($6 off)
  • USB-C to Lightning, 2 meter cable: $29 ($6 off)
  • USB-C to HDMI and USB: $49 ($20 off)
  • USB-C to VDA and USB: $49 ($20 off)

Third-party USB-C accessories are also on sale by up to 25 percent, except for the SanDisk SD carder — it’s now $29 from its original price of $49.

Here is Apple’s statement on why it’s offering this sale as found through The Verge:

“We recognize that many users, especially pros, rely on legacy connectors to get work done today and they face a transition. We want to help them move to the latest technology and peripherals, as well as accelerate the growth of this new ecosystem. Through the end of the year, we are reducing prices on all USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals we sell, as well as the prices on Apple’s USB-C adapters and cables.”

Infinite Loop’s transition prerogative isn’t completely consistent with industrial realities reflected in cameras that use SuperDrive-compatible cards as well as its own iPhones and iPads that use the Lightning connector, lest Apple refer to it as a “legacy connector”. The company and its customers either are effectively waiting on the slow wheels of change or maybe it just wants a few cheap bucks from adapter sales.

As for its progressive stance on USB-C, we consider this move a good one overall, no matter how token it may appear — quick stab discounts are fairly uncouth coming from Apple.

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Now that 128GB is here, Android needs to re-evaluate microSD cards

Back in the early “two point something” versions of Android, most smartphones came with microsd card slots. Sure, cards were a lot smaller back then — around 8GB or so. This was enough for us to store some music on, and even to install apps onto. We really needed that space, too. Smartphones themselves didn’t include all that much on-board storage — the Nexus One only included 4GB, and much of that was occupied by the operating system and core apps. Since then, our phones have gotten faster and have at least doubled their internal storage.  Modern flagships ...

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TLDR: I can get a 64GB microsd card for under $50, so why are 64GB smartphones so expensive?

Before the iPhone was born, everyone wanted an iPod. Back then you could carry around your entire music collection with you. Today, times have changed. MP3s have gotten larger and higher-quality, and individual songs are now easier to find and much easier to download.  Taken together, the size of our music libraries has increased significantly since the “good ol’ days” of the original iPod. Luckily, iPods have improved as well, but now most of us use our smartphones to do that which our iPods used to. Interestingly, a good deal of smartphones still come with only 8GB or ...

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Why does Google hate your SD card?

A long time ago in a smartphone not terribly far away lived a slot that you could fill with a storage card. Most phones even came with a card, albeit a small one. Onto this card you could install games, store music and files, and have the freedom and flexibility of removing it and popping it in another computer. The uses were endless… then, one day, Google decided you didn’t need it any more, so they took it away, leaving us all to wonder: why does Google hate your SD card? Technical Limitations Back in the early days of Android there were some technical limitations to how ...

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