Extreme III means the SandDisk cards achieve minimum write and read speeds of 20 megabytes per second (MB/s), and are ideal for professional photographers who shoot RAW or high-resolution JPG files. However, since CompactFlash slots - once the dominant (and, indeed, the oldest) memory expansion method for PDAs based on a standard - can still be found in some handhelds, there may be those who will find an additional 12 to 16 GBs of additional solid state storage welcome.

SanDisk lists the 16 GB version for $800 and $1050 for the 32 GB model, far more than most of the PDAs and smartphones they'd be accessorizing. As is the case with most advances, prices may come down or the higher capacities should find their way to cheaper product lines eventually. Extreme III cards carry a 10-year limited warranty in Europe, the Middle East and Africa but will have a lifetime limited warranty in the rest of the world.

For Pretec, access speeds will vary depending on the application for its 16 GB CompactFlash card. It can be up to 80X (12MBs) for the company's industrial card and up to 133X (20MBs) for the commercial edition.

Mass production is expected to start in the fourth quarter. The company didn't say how much it would cost.

Here's a number to show you how far storage capacities have grown over the last years: When Pretec first released its first CompactFlash product in 1996, that card was only 4 MB in size. That's a 4,000x increase in a decade.

And yet, if you think 16 GB sounds like a lot, remember Samsung already has prototypes of the first 32 GB and 64 GB CompactFlash cards based on a new 40-nanometer design that's enabled by a Charge Trap Flash architecture, which, in other words, allowed the electronics giant to increase memory reliability and reduce inter-cell noise levels to greatly increase capacity levels.

According to the CompactFlash Association, over 150 handheld/palm-size PCs still embed compatible slots, in addition to over 325 digital cameras and more than 410 other electronic devices.

In related news, Kingston Technology today introduced its first Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) product, a 4 GB full-size SD card. SDHC memory is a new standard set by the SD Card Association that promises higher capacities and faster performance.

So, for example, while present day SD cards top out at 2 GBs, SDHC types will be able to eventually reach 32 GBs. There's one caveat. SDHC cards only work on hosts - PDAs, smartphones, MP3 players, cameras etc. - that support the newer specification. These hosts will read older SD cards, however.

Kingston is shipping the new 4 GB SDHC card now for $199.