Lexar

Lexar's modest booth is being used to promote two new technologies designed for professional photographers. First is 'ActiveMemory System' (AMS), described as a 'revolutionary technology for digital cameras' that stores information and preferences in a special protected area on a memory card, eliminating repetitive tasks and enhancing productivity. Essentially the idea is that the card contains custom settings that are loaded by the camera as soon as it is inserted. This means, for example, multiple users of the same camera would not need to change any settings when they pick up the camera - it would happen automatically as soon as they put their card in. At the moment none of the major camera manufacturers has agreed to incorporate this system into their cameras (it is, after all, something that goes against the 'open format' nature of memory cards, and will involve a license fee), so we are sceptical about its chances of success. Lexar itself announced a new range of AMS cards and card readers. The second technology, 'LockTight', is a security solution for digital camera users wanting to prevent unauthorised access to images stored on a memory card. Basically a strong password protection system for memory cards, LockTight has already been incorporated into the recently announced Nikon D2X (which can be set to require a PIN to even view images on the camera's screen). It is expected to be initially of most interest to military, law enforcement and medical photographers, but obviously has applications for professional snappers wanting to protect their images against possible theft. Also making their debut this week are two new USB 2.0 multi card readers.