This article explains the different types of memory cards available for Windows Mobile device, as well as how to pick the right type of card for your device and your needs.
Introduction
The number of memory cards available for Windows Mobile devices can confuse users into buying the wrong type of memory cards for their own personal Smartphones and Pocket PC's. In this section i've outlined the differences in memory card types and how to choose the right type of card for your device based on your cell phones specifications.
Types Of Available Memory Cards
Secure Digital (SD) cards - These are the largest of the SD cards and come equipped with a write switch built in for added protection against overwriting or deleting your files.
Secure Digital (HC) AKA SDHC Cards - The same in size as the SD cards of old with more capacity for extra storage space.
MiniSD cards - About 60% smaller than your standard SD cards, while still offering the same type of write protection found on those cards as well.
MicroSD cards - MicroSD cards are the smallest of available memory cards for mobile devices and offer up to 4GB of storage space.
MicroSDHC cards - These cards are the same size as MicroSD cards but offer the SD 2.0 compliance standard which can give users up to 32GB of storage capacity (Although at the time of this article 16gb is the largest available capacity).
Before the above sizes there was of course compact flash cards and other larger memory card sizes, however the SD and MicroSD card variants have largely taken over the market as of late.
Determining The Type Of Card You Need
As mentioned above the card types vary greatly in size, if you're device says it requires an SD card only an SD card sized memory card will fit your device and you can find up to 32GB cards with SDHC Compliancy if your device supports SDHC for that type of use. On a similar note you can also buy a Mini SD card slot or a MicroSD card and place them inside SD Adapters which will allow them to work in the larger slot. This adapter method works for both SD and SDHC cards of a smaller nature.
Conversely an SD card is different than an SDHC card so you'll want to check device compliancy.
Where you run into compliancy issues is the MicroSD and MicroSDHC compliance department. A device that accepts the size of both may not necessarily be SD 2.0 compliant and therefore MicroSDHC cards will not work. In this instance you actually have two choices, you can use a standard MicroSD card, or you can look for hacks that will make your device 2.0 compliant. Many of those types of hacks can be found at Forums.Xdadevelopers.com a great resource for downloadable system upgrades.
On the other hand a MicroSDHC enabled device is backwards compatible with MicroSD cards so you do have some choice in saving your old cards or upgrading to the newer standard, its all about your own personal memory storage needs.
Find The Type Of Card You Need
To quickly and easily find the type of card you need visit: Windows Mobile Browse and Buy catalog.
Type in your Mobile Phone manufacturer and model number and look at the "Expandable memory" section to determine your devices card type.
Of course you can always look in your devices manual to find the card type specification you're phone requires.
Conclusion
Memory cards for mobile devices vary in sizes, capacities, and compliancies. Choosing the right Mobile Card is a matter of your device as well as the size of memory storage you require. As MicroSDHC has quickly taken over much of the market the other available cards have slowly begun to disappear, and eventually a new card with new standards will emerge and more choices will need to be made, thus is the nature of Mobile memory card choices.