Windows Phone Thoughts: New SD Memory Card Format(s) Coming Soon

"Yeah, we're just as excited as you about a new memory card format, and really can't wait for all the confusion and accessory purchasing that it will entail, but the SD Card Association seems to think it's for the betterment of humanity, and we have to agree that the current 2GB capacity wall that most SD cards are hitting is starting to feel a tad constraining. So enter the SDHC (SD High Capacity) that promises to break the 2GB quasi-barrier, along with bringing some new ways to "protect" the content that is in search of more memory capacity, namely DRMed video and music. They call the protection tech specs SD-Audio, SD-Video, and SD-Binding (for phone content) and they also promise a minimum SD Speed Class Rating that matches MPEG-2 video so device manufacturers can be sure of performance for card applications. The Association says they should finalize the full SDHC spec early this year, and there's no word on when they'll start rolling out the cards, but we're sure it won't be long until we're swimming in yet another card format."

So, what do you do with a great standard like SD? Why you split it into three and add DRM, that's apparently what you do! The press relase uses the phrase "The SD-Audio specification provides content protection via CPRM which is built into each SD card, to prevent theft of data." Umm, whose data would that be? The SD standard certainly did need extending beyond 2Gb and some SD manufactures have databases for SD/device compatibility, as you can see here. This FAQ has scary questions like "Why do some card readers not recognize my 2GB, or 4GB Transcend SD Memory cards?" and "Why is my memory card not working in my digital camera/PDA?" I just hope they don't wreck a great standard by fragmenting it. How hard is it to grasp? We want One Open Memory Card Standard that will work with All our devices! Capeesh?