Cingular Go Phone: SanDisk SDSDB-512-A10/A11-512 MB Secure Digital Card (Retail Package) Review

[Note: This review was originally posted on 20-Oct-2003 and contains an important update made on 29-Oct-2003!Be sure to read the entire review for details!]
SanDisk's 512MB SD card is by far the cheapest available. In most cases, the other cards are at least 50% more than this one.
I was curious about speed since SanDisk is known for being a bit on the slow side. This card was relatively newly released when I wanted it, so I was unable to find any good speed figures online. Therefore, I bought it anyway -- and ran the speed tests myself.
Testing on a Toshiba/AudioVox Genio e550G with Kai's Speed Test application, I ran the Write Test 5 times with the following results:
Trial #1: 263KB/Sec
Trial #2: 263KB/Sec
Trial #3: 181KB/Sec
Trial #4: 171KB/Sec
Trial #5: 196KB/Sec
Not very consistent, for some reason. I was not running any other applications at the time, so I am not sure why the fluctuation.
For comparison, here are the results using a Lexar 256MB SD card:
Trial #1: 263KB/Sec
Trial #2: 271KB/Sec
Trial #3: 279KB/Sec
Trial #4: 256KB/Sec
Trial #5: 256KB/Sec
So, at their best, the two cards seem quite comparable. It is just that the Lexar card is clearly more stable as far as speed fluctuations go.
In any case, I'm happy with it -- especially for the huge difference in price in most cases. Works for me. Plus, 5-year warranty -- just in case.
- John...
---UPDATE---
The fact that the card always performed well for the first two tests but then slowed and stayed slow until the device was reset was really bothering me, so I contacted SanDisk about it and gave them the same results that I shared here.SanDisk said that they thought the card was defective!I therefore had this card replaced (very quickly and easily by Amazon, I will add) and have just repeated my tests with the new card.Good news!The replacement card is usually faster and much more consistent than the original!It no longer slows down after the first two tests -- the results are repeatable at any time.
For comparison, here are the new figures for the 512MB SanDisk card:
Trial #1: 329KB/Sec
Trial #2: 263KB/Sec
Trial #3: 341KB/Sec
Trial #4: 279KB/Sec
Trial #5: 318KB/Sec
As you can see, the card is now performing at or above the speed of the 256MB Lexar that I had previously tested.I am now quite satisfied with this card -- it appears to be giving the same speeds or better than other cards well above this price range.
- John...

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Product Description:
Cryptographic security for copyrighted data based on proven security concepts from DVD audio - High transfer rate for fast copy/download - High storage capacity - Non-volatile solid-state; no moving parts maximizes battery power. Data is not lost when power is turned off - Low battery consumption to maximize battery life in small portable devices - User selectable mechanical write protect switch on the exterior card casing - New devices with SD Card slots will accept existing MultiMediaCards - Operating shock rating of 2,000Gs, equivalent to a 10-foot drop to the floor - Unfazed by drastic weather conditions ranging from blistering heat to freezing cold - Security level complies with both current and future Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) portable device requirements

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