Hi, I am travelling to NY soon and need a cheap larger Smart Media
Memory card for my old Fuji Pix digital camera. (at the moment I only
have a pitiful 16MB Card!)

I've been looking online but suspect it may be cheaper to buy when I
get to the US, as i live in Dublin, and usually have to order items
like this from the UK online.

What does a 128 or 64MB (or better still, 256MB) Smart Media card go
for in a store in New York? It doesnt need to be branded, a generic
model would do, once it works! I have looked online but am aware that
the price from a big ecommerce site may not be the same as a
traditional store, so i wont be able to get something delivered etc.
I'll be largely based in Manhattan so would also appreciate a tip as
to what sort of store, e.g. a computer superstore or where else is
cheap to buy such an item! Thanks.

Hello suzomalley,

Thank you for your question.


There are numerous NY dealers though some that you will find by online
price searching are in Brooklyn and offer no storefronts. There will
be sales tomorrow that we can not find online today. And memory is a
volatile commodity and prices fluctuate often.

64-256 MB Smart Media cards are not an expensive item. Since you will
be in Manhattan, and since the customer service of a store is every
bit as important as the price, I strongly suggest going to B&H Photo.
Their reputation is amazing and prices, while maybe not THE very
lowest, always more than competitive.

Their home page is here:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home/

You will find them a 420 9th Avenue at 33rd Street.

Hours of Operation:


Sunday: 10:00 am to 5:00 p.m. 
Monday through Thursday: 9:00 am to 7:00 p.m.
Friday: 9:00 am to 2:00 p.m.
Saturday: Closed
Our Time Zone (GMT ?05:00) Eastern Time

Note also, that with digital cameras, Smart Media cards can vary in
speed and a faster card allows a faster capture and store. I always
use cards like the Sandisk Ultra II's for this reason, but if this is
not important to you, just buy a good quality card.

Searching B&H for smart media cards and limiting my searches to Lexar
(my favorite) shows:

Lexar
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=search&Q=&b=603&shs=smartmedia&ci=1&ac=&Submit.x=18&Submit.y=11

Lexar      Price : $ 44.95  128MB SmartMedia Card  
 
Lexar      Price : $ 27.95  64MB

You will find more choices in the store.

Also, there are numerous Staples, Office Depots and Office Max stores
in Manhattan, often with memory sales.

Check:

www.staples.com
www.officedepot.com
www.officemax.com

Let's try one for example:

Staples:

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaplesSearch?keyword=smart+media&storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&errorUrl=searchnoresults&searchSumUrl=searchresultssummary&searchUnsumUrl=searchresults&fromUrl=home

Sandisk 128 MB   $54.99
Lexar 128MB  $49.99
Edge 128 MB  $32.99


34 stores in Manhattan

http://www.staples-locator.com/Multi.asp?WorldX=-73.957246&WorldY=40.78794&MinHeight=13.1648952979138&MaxHeight=100&LayerName=CityState&RecID=NYMANHATTAN&mapheight=13.1648952979138&reqsites=5&city=manhattan&state=NY&MAPSIZE=&Cmd=LOOKUPADR&siteid=&zip=

Smaller selection than I imagined. Seems that SmartMedia is not as
popular as it once was. As a matter of fact, Office Depot shows none
online!

And only two at Office Max:
http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/search/search.jsp?bvc=yes&searchType=product&searchString=smart+media&searchBtn.x=20&searchBtn.y=13

So, just to extend your options, I checked Circuit City:
http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/Ntt/smartmedia/Ntk/All/catOid/-13067/N/0+21013067/link/ref/rpem/ccd/categorylist.do

Only one!

Might be time to stock up if you intend to keep your Fuji Camera.

I must say, I am surprised that SmartMedia seems to be in the process
of being phased out as more devices are now using SD and other memory
card options. I do hope this will lead you to acquiring the cards you
need.


Search Strategy:

Personal bookmarks


If a link above should fail to work or anything require further
explanation or research, please do post a Request for Clarification
prior to rating the answer and closing the question and I will be
pleased to assist further.

Regards,

-=clouseau=-

Great answer, and my trip to B&H was quite an experience! Glad I
didn't miss out on the unique store experience!

Check out pricewatch.com.  You should even find a merchant that's in
NY that you can pick it up from.