Toshiba has launched a new range of SD format Flash memory cards.

The new range is split into three lines - Standard, High-Speed and High-Speed Professional. The Standard line has data read speeds of up to 20mb/sec and write speeds of up to 6mb/sec – which is twice the rate of many competing products. Available now in 2, 4 and 8gb capacities, people looking for the larger 16 and 32gb versions will have to wait until the end of the year when they will be released.

Second in the range, Toshiba’s High-Speed SD cards offer data read speeds of up to 20mb/sec but write speeds of up to 10mb/sec and are available in 4, 8, 16 and 32gb versions from now.

Finally, for users who require the highest performance, the Toshiba High-Speed Professional SD card line provides a maximum read and write speed of the same 20mb/sec available in 1, 2 and 4gb versions.

These SD lines will be differentiated under a new colour scheme designed by the company, that separates Standard and High-Speed products by using white and black backgrounds respectively, and silver and gold motifs for the High-Speed variants, the latter representing the Professional line. =

Examples of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the new SD cards are between £15 and £45, depending on the card chosen.