Samsung's Windows Phone 7-powered Focus has had some well-documented problems with SD cards, but today AT&T addressed the whole situation and said that a solution is coming.  The carrier pointed out that "Windows Phone 7 requires a certified high-speed microSD card for optimal performance."  The only problem is that there are no microSD cards on the market that bear the "Certified for Windows Phone 7" marking.  Until those cards are made available, AT&T is advising customers to hold off on expanding the memory in their phone, lest they end up screwing up whatever microSD card that they try to use.  If you just can't wait for the certified memory and decide to use your own microSD card, keep in mind that you won't be able to use the card for anything else.  Samsung says on its site that any card used with a WP7 device "will no longer be readable or writable on any other devices such as computers, cameras, printers, and so on."  The full statement from AT&T can be read below:

"Windows Phone 7 requires a certified high-speed microSD card for optimal performance. Because the Samsung Focus is expandable via a microSD card, only microSD memory cards certified for Windows Phone 7 should be used. This information is not currently marked on any microSD packaging in market today. As a result, we are advising customers to delay purchasing an external microSD card until the cards identified as "Certified for Windows Phone 7" are available commercially or in AT&T stores."

We heard that using a microSD card with Windows Phone 7 could be an issue even before the OS launched, but luckily, most of those concerns ended up not being a big deal.  Still, not being able to use any SD card with a shiny new WP7 phone is kind of disappointing, especially since we've never heard of a problem like this with Android phones.  There's no word on when the WP7-certified cards will be made available, but for the sake of Focus owners everywhere, let's hope that they come soon and that they don't command a premium over the price of normal microSD cards.

Via Engadget