Compact Flash vs. Secure Digital

Other than size is there any difference between them?

i really dont know the ans either,maybe the secure memory has secure algorithms that act like a lock and u get the key? does anyone know?

Secure Digital: Has a small slider you can set that prevents data from being written or deleted from the chip. Similar to the "Read Only" slider found on a floppy. Reduced size and power consumption. Smaller max bandwidth in comparison to CF media. More expensive per MB than CF. Max capacity currently far less than CF media. Quality and speed varies widely by manufacturer. The fastest and most reliable cards are built in Japan. Simpletech and Lexar 32X SD media are the fastest and most reliable... and most expensive. Avoid Sandisk SD cards (and many built in China cards) like the plague. They are by far the slowest SD cards and have huge reliability issues related to usage in PDAs, cameras, etc. Industry is headed in this direction with SD cards set to replace many CF applications in the future.

Compact Flash: A more mature format that is much less expensive per MB. Increased alloweable max power consumption is good (and necessary) in some applications such as CF Wi-Fi or mini HD applications. Besides solid state media, CF allows for mechanical devices such as mini HDs that offer much more bang for the buck. CF mini HDs are available in capacities up to 4GB. Max bandwidth available is higher than with SD cards. Similarities in format allow many CF and PC card media to be interchangeable with commonly available adaptors. Quality and speed seem fairly consistent across the board. Sandisk CF quality for example is not an issue. Usage of CF media in some applications such as with PDAs and camreas will probably be phased out in the near future.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Sorry if it's a little unorganized but it was more of a stream of consciousness approach


Edit - Non-storage devices such as Wi-Fi, GPS, bluetooth, etc devices in SD format are available and useable in devices that have one more more SDIO slots.

The only difference between CF Type I and CF Type II cards is the card thickness. CF Type I is 3.3 mm thick and CF Type II cards are 5mm thick. A CF Type I card will operate in a CF Type I or CF Type II slot. A CF Type II card will only fit in a CF Type II slot. The electrical interfaces are identical. CompactFlash is available in both CF Type I and CF Type II cards, though predominantly in CF Type I cards. The Microdrive is a CF Type II card. Most CF I/O cards are CF Type I, but there are some CF Type II I/O cards. (compactflash.org)

CF is more mature, gives you higher capacity, especially who micro drive comes into play, physically tougher, and it's really not that much bigger.

Thanks for the answers I think thats all I really needed to know