Sandisk announces new music format on MicroSD
SANDISK SAYS IT'S releasing a new music format called 'SlotMusic', an album on a microSD compact memory card.
With CD sales trailing off into irrelevance and physical media sales generally not doing so well, the MicroSD is a last ditch attempt to woo millions of MP3 and mobile phone users into buying a new format.
The tiny card can be bunged straight into mobile phone slots and just in case that's not enough to tempt people, comes complete with a USB sleeve too.
In the US, giants like Wal-Mart and Best Buy have already shown faith and signed up for the little cards, which come DRM free from EMI Music, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group.
The WSJ claims that the new format will start off tentatively, dipping its toe in the water with the release of 29 albums to begin with.
How much the cards will sell for is still a big secret but it's thought a micro album could set you back between seven and $10. ยต
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Can't wait to riffle through a display of micro sd card-sized album covers.
Since the first Flash chips appeared, oh, a real life generation ago (a generation and a half ago it was Bubble Memory, which was even cooler given the times) I've been waiting for LP's to be released this way. Music on a Chip. Then Movies on a Chip, which is now easily possible, even full HD Surround versions (not avi files). But the time came and went and this is just dumb. Better to take your 8GB stick and load it up from a terminal at Sam Goody's or wherever and pay accordingly. At the very least I presume that the SanDisk version isn't uber-lossy; kids these days have little concept what Hi-Fi and the wonders it brings is all about, which is very sad.
sounds like a reasonable and fair price to me, especially if its drm free. But the question is, are they going to keep their word
This is a joke, right? It's got the same chance of success as UMD.

Only fools or complete technophobes would possibly consider this as an option to ripping a CD (or multiple CDs) onto a single memory card - sure a high capacity microSD card may cost a little more but the added convenience would be well worth it. Tell me what happens when you lose a pocketful of these tiny microSD cards with your precious original music on it? Oh yeah... oops.
I have to take apart the back cover on my cell phone to switch my micro SD card. I also save my phonebook on there as I use voice dialing, background, java games, etc. So everytime I want to listen to an album, I have to take off my phone cover, switch SD cards, make sure I don't loose my other card and I can't call anyone cause my phonebook isn't stored on the albums SD card. People by 20gb iPod's and stuff and so they don't have to switch media around. Could have stuck with my 10 minidisc player if I wanted that "convience."
Trying to invent a new format to solve a problem that doesn't exist is doomed to fail. 

No one wants to build up a collection of Micro SD cards, they are easy to lose in any case.

Still, not quite as silly as Sony trying to sell a DRM-encrusted version of Ghostbusters on a USB stick.
I guess we buy ourselves some really tiny shelves? lol
Nice idea. It's almost as convenient as p2p, actually it's nowhere near as convenient and you're still paying for songs you don't want.

Those music execs are so dumb, they deserve to go bust. It was there in the palm of their hands 10 years ago, but they wouldn't take it.
Sony's phones use MemoryStick. Not SD.
People who like to have physical media (like me to some extent) are the only ones likely to be very interested in this idea, but microSd cards are simply too small. Standard Sd cards would have been better, or at the least MiniSD. You can't put any useful kind of identification on a MicroSD card to show what's on it (as soimeone else has pointed out) - no cover art os going to fit without requiring a microscope. At least standard SD you could have some chance to do something that is visible. And the damn things are too easy to drop and to lose, or to accidentally chuck out or vacuum up.
And just why do they use MP3 compression, when at 1 gig they are easily big enough for an uncompressed CD format wavefile. Theres no DRM so why compress? Anyone wishing to copy and compress to MP3, WMA or whatever could do so. Here was a big chance to offer something better than music downloads - uncompressed full quality music, and they blew that one too.
This is perfect for people who either don't have and cannot afford a computer, the expensive media players, or simply for the people who are not as tech saavy as others. Should these people not have a have an alternative way to enjoy music also?