It's apparent that 128MB SmartMedia is now on the shelves of some stores and is making its way into the catalogues of more and more manufacturers thanks to the supply of OEM cards. Today Olympus announced a 128MB SmartMedia ID card and during PMA we missed a press release from Delkin which stated they are now shipping 128MB SmartMedia. The only thing missing from both of these press releases is a compatibility matrix. (Although there is a compatibility matrix on Delkin's site there is as yet no mention of 128MB SmartMedia).

A REQUEST: Please!! No more emails asking me if your camera will work with these new cards, I have no more information than you and no manufacturer has officially stated what products are compatbible. DO NOT EMAIL ME.

Olympus Japan press release:

Olympus announces 128MB SmartMedia

Olympus today announce that its 128MB SmartMedia will be available in the market on March 3, 2001. It is put on the market to satisfy the growing requirement of 3+ megapixel digital camera storage. For instance, taking images with the C-2040Z it is possible to record 257 images in HQ mode, with the E-10 about 117 images in HQ mode.

(Note: no statement about product compatibility).

Delkin press release:

Delkin Devices starts shipping the 128MB eFilm SmartMedia card.

Delkin Devices, the leading innovator of eFilm™ flash memory upgrades and memory related products, today unveiled their new 128MB SmartMedia memory card. With first shipments beginning January 31, 2001, Delkin Devices, Inc. has followed through on their promise to be one of the first to deliver these SmartMedia cards to retail channels & OEM manufacturers looking to bundle the 128MB card with their products. Nearly 48% of the digital cameras currently support SmartMedia memory, some of which are 3.3 megapixels or higher. The 128MB eFilm card will greatly expand the number of pictures stored on a single card, reducing the need to change eFilm in the middle of photo shoots or download images to a computer during vacations. Users of MP3 players will also benefit from this cutting-edge technology because of the card’s ability to record and play twice as many songs. A single 128MB SmartMedia card can store approximately 32 MP3 formatted songs (MP3 files tested were 3 min in length– 4MB each).

The new 128MB SmartMedia card still remains the same physical size (45mm x 37mm x .76mm thick) as previous 3.3v SmartMedia cards, yet stores two additional flash memory chips. "To increase the capacity of the SmartMedia card to 128MB without increasing the size, engineers needed to redesign the layout of the PCB board to hold a total of four 256Mbit NAND flash memory chips. Together, these 256Mbit chips would act as a 1Gbit chip," said Arthur Blanck, Chief Technical Officer, Delkin Devices. "Utilizing the latest 0.18-micron design technology, engineers were able to shrink the die enough to fit all four chips inside the 0.76mm plastic card base," continues Mr. Blanck. "Consequently, Delkin can offer a higher density SmartMedia card more quickly and cost effective per bit, without waiting until Quarter 4, 2001 for the 1Gbit chips to hit the marketplace."

Doubling the industry’s current capacity ceiling of 64MB, Delkin’s 128MB SmartMedia offers digital photographers the ability to always shoot in hi-res mode; a benefit previously only enjoyed by CompactFlash consumers. This higher capacity is ideal for professional digital cameras like FujiFilm’s FinePix S1 Pro SLR and Olympus’s Camedia E-10 with a 4.0 megapixel resolution. Other SmartMedia applications like the Diamond Rio 500 MP3 player will support the 128MB SmartMedia card with a firmware update. Please consult with the device’s manufacturer for more details about memory card compatibility.

Engineers tested the new 128MB eFilm SmartMedia card with the FujiFilm Finepix S1 Pro digital camera. This 6.1 megapixel (max) digital camera has a resolution of 3040 x 2016. The test results indicate that 264 pictures could be stored with Basic JPEG mode, 110 at a Normal JPEG resolution, 52 images in Fine JPEG, 10 pictures in TIFF-YC, and 6 images in TIFF-RGB recording mode. For a complete list of digital cameras, handheld PC’s, and music players that use Delkin’s memory cards, please call 1-800-637-8087 and ask for the eFilm Cross Reference Guide, or log onto www.delkin.com.