MemoryCardZoo.com - Micro SD Cards

Memory Card Zoo is an online shop offering wide range of memory cards, bags, batteries, headphones, and accessories. Based in Guernsey, they carry 100% genuine UK stock. Worldwide shipping is also competitive - it costs only £4-7.50 to ship to Singapore.

This week, I received a micro SD card from them. It claims to be indestructible: water proof, shock proof, and magnet proof.

Some people might choose to abuse the card to test its limits, but I think that kind of treatment is not practical in real life. So I choose to put the micro SD card through reasonable life tests, as follows:
- Washing machine test (water proof)
- Drop test (shock proof)
- Speaker proximity test (magnet proof)

Washing Machine Test
The most common accident on getting the card wet is when you forget to take the memory card out of your attire pocket. So for water proof test, I placed the memory card into my jeans pocket and put the jeans into the washine machine for a wash.

Result: Pass. In fact, I also dumped the card into a cup of water. The card still works after drying.

Drop Test
This is another common accident which could damage the card. For my test, I simply drop the micro SD card on the hard surface - many times over and over again. Here's a "dramatisation video" (shot at 160 fps).

Result: Pass. The card suffered no visible damages, since it is so small. You can't say the same if you were to drop a CompactFlash card. At the very least, the corners would be dented, no?

Speaker Proximity Test
To test for magnet proof, I decided to place the micro SD card near to my home speakers and played some music loudly so that the speaker magnets can attempt to cause an affect on the card. I cannot think of any other home devices with higher magnetism than speakers, so if you do, please let me know and I will gladly do this test again.

Result: Pass. I even did a low-level format to see if there are any damaged sectors.

I believe most of the micro SD cards sold today should be able to sustain such abuse due to its solid state nature, so such claims on being indestructible are merely marketing tactics. The real test should be whether the memory components can stand thousand of times of read-write states.


This article is supported by MemoryCardZoo.com. Check out their website for their wide range of memory card solutions.

What Do You Want To Be Recognised For?

Everyone loves to be recognized for achieving something that they are proud of. Society has realized this and has implemented means for people from all walks of life to apply themselves and experience personal success. For example, with the rise of the Internet, niche groups have emerged as well as specialized education avenues like music production programs online. Opportunities have been extended to all to achieve and succeed regardless of age, background, and location.

When I was a young school-goer, I wanted to be a model student. Imagine my elation when the form teacher nominated me as the stand-in classroom monitor. It was only for a few days, but to me that was recognition. Into my teens, I put in my best effort in my Choir ECA (the schools now call it CCA). And when the teachers-in-charge assigned me as the sectional leader, I knew that my musical talent is recognised.

During my university, I composed lots of music for my hall musical productions for 3 years, earning me a Cultural Award and recognition. After I left school and started my working career, my colleagues knew me as a tech-savvy guy, and came to me for advice and help in gadget issues. When I started to publish my piano compositions under the Piano Spa album series over 4 years, friends saw me as a “successful” composer of calming therapeutic music that helps people in coping with their stressful lives. Then I started developing my photography interests, and in a few years people recognised my style of wedding and portraiture photography.

Few days ago, Pepperconn invited me to share with my blog readers about a contest organized by Aviva. For Aviva, their business is all about people. And because you are their big picture, they want to hear from you! This contest aims to recognize YOU by asking you to share the moments that are uniquely yours and defines you openly through the Aviva Singapore Facebook. Every week, from now till 28 Nov, the top 3 entries with the most number of ‘Likes’ will each win a 64GB iPad 3G!!! It’s easy to participate, because you do not need to write long essays. Besides, it's a meaningful campaign that lets you think about the past incidents that you have been recognised for – without even you realizing it. And precisely, thanks to this campaign, I spent some time reflecting on my past to identify some meaningful incidents, and I realized how much recognition I have had from people.

Here’s one that I could submit for the contest: Several months ago, I bought a toy for my 3 year old daughter. Once a while, we would ask her who was the person who bought the toy, and she would say "papa". So, yes, I want to be recognized for being a doting dad who buys toys for his daughter.

Here’s another one: I was the official photographer for a long-time buddy’s wedding. I was so glad he requested for me because it means he recognizes my skills. And he certainly did, for he kept reminding me during the event how blessed he was to have me taking pictures for his wedding. He again thanked me, after I delivered the photos and the custom-designed photo book, for the wonderful memories I have captured for his family.

No moment is too small to be recognized. What do you want to be recognized for? Share your story at Aviva Singapore Facebook and get your friends to like your story. And if you try hard enough, you could be recognized as the person who wins the iPad!

This blog entry is kindly sponsored by Aviva Singapore. Aviva is a leading provider of retirement, investments, insurance and health products. With a history of more than 300 years, Aviva is one of the biggest providers of employee benefits and healthcare in Singapore.