To coincide with the Olympus announcement (which just pipped them to the post) Fujifilm has also today announced their 512 MB xD Picture Card. The xD Picture Card format was jointly developed by Fujifilm, Olympus and Toshiba (who produce the cards). Adrian Clarke, Director of Consumer Products at Fujifilm, said: "The new capacity for the xD-Picture Card™ takes it into a commanding competitive position compared to other storage formats, whilst the tiny physical dimensions are of considerable benefit with regard to camera design and size."

Phil: Despite my early reservations about 'yet another storage format' Fujifilm, Olympus and Toshiba appear to be doing a fair job of improving xD's profile, seeing such high capacities at this stage is very encouraging, Kudos.

Press Release (Fujifilm UK):

Fujifilm xD-Picture Card™: ultra-compact memory media, now with increased capacity

Fujifilm announces retail availability of the 512MB xD-Picture Card™

27 May 2003 - Fujifilm today announced the retail availability of the 512MB xD-Picture Card™, offering even greater memory capacity from the smallest storage format on the market. The new higher capacity card will be available at photographic retailers from July 2003.

The xD-Picture Card™ was developed in 2002, in response to consumer demand for greater memory capacity at an economical price. The card allows high-speed data transfers with less power consumption than comparable storage options. The miniature size of the card has also enabled the development of even smaller digital cameras with high performance features.

Adrian Clarke, Director of Consumer Products at Fujifilm, said: "The new capacity for the xD-Picture Card™ takes it into a commanding competitive position compared to other storage formats, whilst the tiny physical dimensions are of considerable benefit with regard to camera design and size."

The xD-Picture Card™'s principal benefits include:

• Capacity: Fujifilm xD-Picture Cards™ are currently available in capacities of 16MB, 32MB, 64MB, 128MB and 256MB, with the 512MB card widely available in July 2003. The media's development roadmap shows storage capacity potential of up to 8GB.
   
• Dimensions: 20mm x 25mm x 1.7mm (0.8 x 1.0 x 0.07 inches). This size makes the xD-Picture Card™ the smallest memory card available.
   
• Read/Write Speeds: The xD-Picture Card™ has one of the fastest read/write speeds on the market. These high speeds can greatly enhance the user's experience with a product. For example, a photographer can take new pictures or view existing images more quickly with the xD-Picture Card™ media than with other, slower media formats.
   
• Power Consumption: The xD-Picture Card™ is designed to use minimal power. Users will benefit from the convenience and savings of longer battery life on a single charge.
   
• Compatibility: Adapters make xD-Picture Cards™ compatible with other media. A PC card adapter, CompactFlash™ adapter and USB card reader are currently available for the xD-Picture Card™.

Availability

xD-Picture Cards™ are currently available in capacities of 16, 32, 64,128 and 256MB. The 512MB card will be available in July 2003.