02-09-2006, 02:00 AM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Sony Go For Broke: ANOTHER Proprietary Memory Stick 'Standard'
"We were hoping it was just a bad dream when we heard last year that Sony was launching yet another version of the Memory Stick. But it looks like the company was serious about it, and you can soon begin adding Memory Stick Micro (aka M2) cards to your collection of Sony-specific media. . . [C]hances are good that if you pick up any Sony Ericsson phone announced from now on . . .you'll have no choice but to go with M2 if you want to add storage. And chances are even better that you'll never see it used in any other manufacturer's products."
'Nuff said?
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02-09-2006, 02:35 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 67
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Fully agreed. I wish everyone was going with the normal SD cards interface. They are not huge, and they can go up to 8 GBs. I think the SD format has the best compromise between size and storage capacity.
Instead, we now have over 25 flash storage formats, and this is simply making the life of everyday folks, difficult.
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02-09-2006, 02:43 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 147
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8O
Will they ever learn?
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Clinton Fitch ~ MVP-Mobile DevicesPrincipalClinton Fitch (Dot) Com!
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02-09-2006, 02:55 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 381
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Eugenia
Fully agreed. I wish everyone was going with the normal SD cards interface. They are not huge, and they can go up to 8 GBs. I think the SD format has the best compromise between size and storage capacity.
Instead, we now have over 25 flash storage formats, and this is simply making the life of everyday folks, difficult.
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SD cars are unfortunatly, slighty too big for ultra thin/portable phones.
I'm totally cool with 3 sizes. tiny (m2, transflash), mini (sd, ms duo), and larger (cf/ms pro). It makes sense.
but really, why is everyone blaming sony? in terms of the memory stick line, i think it's reasonable to add an ultra tiny card to the list (m2, duo, ms pro). So long as there are readily available adapters from smaller to big (which im sure there will be).
Sony makes so many cameras and camcorders and other consumer devices that it makes sense for them to develop their own memory format.
of course i'd wish the industry to standardize on one format, but it's just not gonna happen, and i'm not gonna blame sony for making their own for their own products. There was a time when MS prices were much higher, but now you can find comparably priced duo and sd 1gig cards.
what we need is an OPEN industry standard. If i'm not mistaken, Toshiba has the rights to SD, Sony to Memory Stick, and Panasonic to xD? 3 companies with their own formats.
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02-09-2006, 03:17 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 718
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Well, no, it only makes sense for Sony to make their own proprietary standard because they are money grubbing. It makes no sense for the consumer though. What, is SD, MiniSD and MicroSD not good enough for Sony? There is absolutely no purpose in Sony making what amounts to exact copies of the SD standards other than to suck money from consumers in the form of accessories. We already have to buy their overpriced batteries and chargers for their cameras. But that isn't enough, Sony wants to make sure we buy every possible accessory from them and them alone.
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02-09-2006, 04:54 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 810
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by heov
...If i'm not mistaken, Toshiba has the rights to SD, Sony to Memory Stick, and Panasonic to xD? 3 companies with their own formats.
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Close. Toshiba is xD, while Panasonic (or Matsu****a, its parent company) has the rights to SD.
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02-09-2006, 06:24 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 381
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by DaleReeck
Well, no, it only makes sense for Sony to make their own proprietary standard because they are money grubbing. It makes no sense for the consumer though. What, is SD, MiniSD and MicroSD not good enough for Sony? There is absolutely no purpose in Sony making what amounts to exact copies of the SD standards other than to suck money from consumers in the form of accessories. We already have to buy their overpriced batteries and chargers for their cameras. But that isn't enough, Sony wants to make sure we buy every possible accessory from them and them alone.
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Why should Sony pay royalties to Panasonic, when they can make their own format at a cheaper price, and make money off of each sale? You don't have to buy Sony products, if you don't want to 
Now normally I woudl agree- simply license out a format that's popular, if you're a small company. For example, kodak and cannon simply make cameras- they dont' need to make their own format.
But sony's market is HUGE. from tv's, cameras, camcorders, psp, phones, stereos, music players, etc. I really don't understand why so many ppl hate sony for making the memorystick.
again, i can understand why consumers (like my self) would want one, universal memory standard, but I'm not gonna blame Sony anymore than Panasonic or Toshiba for having their own standard, either.
as for "copying," i dont' really want to get in to that. I don't consider making a smaller memory format "copying," regardless of whether another company came out with it first.
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02-09-2006, 06:44 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,097
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Keep up the good work, not
This is why Sony products are always last on my list to consider for my personal products. The only reasons T-Rex is a Sony Ericsson are price and features (that and I don't like Nokia the only other viable option at the time of my purchase)
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02-09-2006, 07:09 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 805
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Re: Keep up the good work, not
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Kacey Green
This is why Sony products are always last on my list to consider for my personal products.
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I too agree with you. 1.5 year ago, I'd a Sony Ericsson P910i,which made me bought the properitory ms duo pro format. It was $20 more expensive than the same capacity SD format. Why sony, why ? Why cant they just settle on one format ? I think they should FINALLY settle on ms duo pro format. Its small,fast and cheerful enough to make way for most of their devices
BTW, nice background picture Jonathon
Sunny 
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02-09-2006, 07:31 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 316
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A note about Secure Digital (which I am an unabashed supporter of, despite the redundancy of miniSD and microSD):
The SDA is a standards organization, started by Matsu****a/Panasonic, SanDisk, and Toshiba but now comprising 915 members. Canon, Kodak, HP, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, and Samsung all sit on the board; executive members include the likes of Broadcom, Hitachi, Hynix, Microsoft, TI, and Nintendo.
The number and diversity (ranging continously from pure hardware to pure software and from pure B2B to pure B2C) of companies that support SD give it great leverage over Sony's proprietary formats, as do its straightforward variations and longstanding support for I/O. In my opinion, Memory Stick is far inferior and wouldn't have a leg to stand on if not for Sony's market breadth. But even if you don't go that far, you must admit that a reasonable person can definitely find fault with the Memory Stick format(s).
P.S. Could someone please explain to me the difference between the Memory Sticks? I have no idea what the MagicGate, PRO, Duo, or PRO Duo designations mean. 
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