@johnbo

TransferJet only works 3cm from the device. As the name implies it designed to "transfer" data really quickly without plugging in devices between each other.

Bluetooth will still be used for your accessories. WiFi still used to connect to the internet.

Hitherto, if you wanted to transfer say a photograph between two devices, say your cellphone camera to your own point-and-shoot then you had to go through an intermediary (your PC). Either send yourself an email, then connect the device via USB or copy the picture via SD.

Now you just have to touch the two transferjet devices to each other after selecting what you want copied. takes a few seconds maximum. Beyond that you should be able to easily transfer data between devices that previously you couldn't transfer data between without a PC (like TVs, Printers, cameras, cellphones, MP3 players, etc)

You should be able to say, pick a song you have on your MP3 player and touch the TV to have it play that song, and/or touch the sound system and have it play it. Theoretical possibilities are endless.

..the real question is how much they could have this technology adopted. They seem to be off to a good start.

@gadgetboyj

Engadget isn't clear on this, either they can be selling individual SDIO cards to consumers or they could be selling "samples".

Usually 'samples' are prototype devices that other manufacters can use to build their system around.

For instance, if Dell wanted to include TransferJet in their next desktop they could buy the PCI and build drivers, etc. Or they could just check it out to see if they can easily intergrate it. Once they have everything in place they can order the chips at much cheaper bulk rate (probably a couple dollars) and have them installed in their machine.

@Wwhat

First off, everything is proprietary, SD cards, USB, etc. The difference is if they open up the standard to other companies or not.

Secondly, its obviously open to all companies that want to implement it.

Let's also consider that this is first coming out on SD cards not memory sticks.

RTFA:

"a standard backed by big-hitting camera companies like Canon, Nikon, Samsung, Casio, Kodak, and Olympus and Japanese cellphone interests like NTT DoCoMo, Softbank Mobile, Toshiba, and Sony Ericsson."

@Teqknowledgee

Sony has shared their "Toys" more then you think.

Think CCD and CMOS sensors, they resell their sensors in use in everything from Nikons, Pentax, Casio, Leica, and even Canon for their point-and-shoot CCDs.

The fact is they are a large supplier, and something like transferjet makes Sony more money if everyone uses it and buy their chips.

@mocax

TransferJet needs to be 3 centimeters away from your device, and just because you touch it it doesn't mean it autmatically transfer all your data to another device.

The thief would need to initiate your device to transfer data, and then decide on what data to transfer. Its not that easy.

@Eternity

I think you're referring to hydrogen fuel cell power (in this case hydrogen is taken from methanol). In this case methanol fuel cells, and they aren't dead, they are still early in development. Toshiba has shown a bunch of prototypes, and has released one last month.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/22/toshiba-dynario-fuel-cell-the-battery-revolution-begins-october/

Also, they aren't batteries at all. And BTW, they don't used any specialized methanol, any methanol will do- its dirt cheap.

>>Autoblog, national news networks, cable news networks, printed news, all extensively covered the Ford recall.

NOPE. Not one story regarding Ford's massive recall last month. Feel free to search yourself: http://www.autoblog.com/search/?q=ford+fire+recall&sort=date

Its funny that had the largest recall in history last month which has resulted in 550 vehicle fires and 1,500 complaints, a significant number of which has lead to injury and death, and yet we are still talking about Toyota's sludge problem?

Ford has now recalled 14.1 million vehicles in eight separate recalls over 10 years. A problem that they still haven't fixed, and is still causing deaths.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20091014/AUTO01/910140327/1148/Ford-recalls-4.5-million-vehicles-for-faulty-switch

Let's really talk about the huge double-standard here at Autoblog. A minor recall is covered, but not a peep over a massive multi-million recall last month by a domestic automaker that has lead to deaths.

Its funny, MS seems to be going the exact opposite direction as Google conceptually. Meaning a bigger, more hardware reliant browser, using GPUs to speed up performance. Google on the other hand seems to be going for a more is less approach; less reliant on hardware, ARM processors, the browser is the operating system, less OS overhead, etc.

Sad to think they are a "luxury brand" rather then a brand for real photographers. I still own my M3 which I've had for a good two decades, and which was in the hands of my uncle before me.

I've lost a lot of respect for this company, with lens quality being so good these days from the likes of Nikon and Canon, its come to a point where you have to be truly stupid to pay $10,000 more for an M7 with a different colored Hermes brand attached for EXACTLY the same camera that cost 10 grand less (the M7 sells for ~$4,000 new).

Even if you could afford it its a stupid purchase. My old M3 is in horrible shape, dented, scratched, and generally ugly. Its seen some tough times, looks like shit, all at the cost of taking the best pictures in my life. Who cares what the camera looks like? Real photogs should really care what the photograph looks like.