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MemoryStick posts

Ninja Kunai USB Drive: the tech equivalent of getting a foreign language tattoo

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 21st 2009 at 8:08AM

You know how the vast majority of us would like to be ninjas, but don't know where to start? Well, we have found the answer -- that missing link between geek and ninja -- in the form of the Ninja Kunai 2GB flash drive. This USB accessory-cum-gimmicky 90s toy is inscribed with ... something, and, well, looks mildly threatening. Here's the really awesome part: it costs $125.35. Some might scoff and others might scowl, but just think of how exclusive this thing is going to be. Buying one of these will mark you out as truly individual.

[Via TechnaBob]

Gresso Grand Monaco USB is the closest you'll get to a supercar 'drive'

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 8th 2009 at 9:42AM

Le's face the cold hard facts: with only a single-digit percentage of the global population able to afford a Ferrari, most of us are just gonna have to make do with an Atom-based replica instead. Spending inadvisable amounts on USB drives, on the other hand, that's something we can all do. Say hello to the $200 Grand Monaco Classic, a 32GB memory stick that continues Gresso's tradition of wasting expensive materials -- titanium, ceramic and carbon, in this case -- on otherwise fungible goods. Not outlandish enough for ya? Click past the break for the 64GB Double Security version, which costs $500. Disregard for basic economics comes as standard on both models.

[Via Luxury Launches]

Continue reading Gresso Grand Monaco USB is the closest you'll get to a supercar 'drive'

Sony announces specs for 2TB Memory Stick XC

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 5th 2009 at 10:02AM

Looks like those Sony 2TB memory sicks we warned you about way back in January are finally coming to pass, and Sony Insider has dug up the details. As appearing on Sony's oss-formats.org site, the Memory Stick XC keeps the current form factor for memory sticks (most likely these guys will be backwards compatible) with the XC series (XC Duo, XC-HG Duo, XC Micro (M2 XC), XC-HG Micro (M2 XC-HG)) using the exFAT file system, and the PRO series (including the PRO Duo, PRO-HG Duo, Micro (M2), HG Micro (M2-HG)) using the tried and true FAT12/16/32. Memory freaks can thrill to the specifications for the new class after the break.

[Via Sony Insider]

Continue reading Sony announces specs for 2TB Memory Stick XC

Brando HD Media Player Docking Station does multi-format 1080p

by Vladislav Savov posted Jul 27th 2009 at 3:59PM

It seems that Brando can't go a month without bringing out yet another slightly-improved domicile for your orphaned SATA HDDs. Following in the footsteps of the very recent Multimedia Dock, the latest unit adds H.264 decoding to the already present DivX, Xvid and MPEG-4, while output graduates to full 1080p. Featuring HDMI and a plethora of supported media formats, the humble docking station has certainly grown up, but is it enough to compete with standalone media players? Input flexibility would suggest so -- the new device accepts 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives, alongside USB flash memory, SD, MMC, and MS cards -- but alas, Brando loses the plot at the final hurdle, asking for an astronomical $199. With prettier alternatives available at half the price, this is unlikely to sell like hotcakes, but Brando's breakneck refresh cycle give us the feeling it won't be long before we see that perfect do-it-all dock.

Sony's 32GB Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo HX proves that product naming is hard

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 13th 2009 at 4:28AM

What's not to love here? Just look at that handsome blister pack, ready to mince flesh in your enthusiasm to get at Sony's largest and most convolutedly named Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX. The 32GB stick is rated at 20MBps reads or 15MBps writes when using the bundled USB adapter. Imagine, had you purchased pretty much any device other than that Cyber-shot, Handycam, or Alpha shooter from Sony you could have been enjoying 30MBps read/writes from 32GB SDHC class 10 cards. Nope, no availability date or pricing announced, how could that information possibly be useful in a press release?

Solid Alliance's $10,000 Mnemosyne USB drive is built for style, not convenience

by Vladislav Savov posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 5:47AM

The Greek goddess of memory, Mnemosyne, would surely be proud of this product bearing her name. For starters, it comes at a price few mere mortals can afford and is couched within an extravagant all-aluminum body. The puzzle cube certainly provides a ceremonial feel to accessing the data within, and makers Solid Alliance are pitching it as a luxurious receptacle for your most treasured memories. Yes, under all the sheen, you are still looking at 16GB of standard issue flash memory, but can we really put a price on mythology-infused style?

Sony Ericsson ditching Memory Stick Micro cards in favor of MicroSD

by Donald Melanson posted Jun 1st 2009 at 5:46PM

Sony Ericsson already tipped its hand by including nothing but plain old microSD in its recently announced Satio, Yari and Aino phones (not to mention the K850 even further back), but it looks like TrustedReviews has now gotten the official word straight from the source: SE is dropping Sony's own Memory Stick Micro format (or M2) in favor of the decidedly more standard microSD. While it's not clear if that'll be a clean break from here on out or not, Sony Ericsson Global Marketing Director Fortuné Alexander did say that the company is "moving in that direction," and at least a few more still unannounced handsets have apparently already made the switch. Next thing you know Sony will be dumping UMD. Oh wait.

ATP PhotoFinder Pro loses the base station, takes us to geotagging nirvana

by Tim Stevens posted May 28th 2009 at 10:18AM

Despite new cameras being riddled with borderline useless features and modes, useful functionality like automatic geotagging is getting little love from the big players. All the more reason for third parties to sneak in and make a few bucks, and ATP certainly seems to be on top of it. We liked the idea of the company's PhotoFinder, but that base station looked like needless desk clutter. The new PhotoFinder Pro does away with it, featuring an integrated SD, Memory Stick, and MMC card reader. Just sync up the clock in the unit with that of your shooter, clip it onto your camera bag for a day of scenic photography, and then pop your card in before downloading the pics that night. It'll automatically add coordinates to each photo's EXIF information, drastically reducing the likelihood of future spousal arguments about the whereabouts of certain Kodak moments. That sounds like a beautiful thing, and at $119 a good deal, too.

Update: Dan commented to point out that, with the help of an external USB card reader, the PhotoFinder Pro can also tag pics on CF, xD, or any other FAT/FAT32 formatted cards you might have sliding around in the bottom of your junk drawer.

[Via Photography Blog]

Sony, SanDisk announce plans for 2TB Memory Sticks, high-speed Memory Stick HG Micro

by Donald Melanson posted Jan 8th 2009 at 7:51PM

It's apparently not quite as far along as the newly-announced SDXC card format, but Sony and SanDisk have just announced that they're jointly developing a new Memory Stick format (tentatively dubbed the "Memory Stick format for Extended High Capacity") that'll reach the same dizzying 2TB heights as its SD counterpart. There's no more details on the format beyond that, unfortunately, but the pair has also announced that they're working on a new Memory Stick HG Micro format as well, which promises to boast a blazing 60MBps maximum data transfer speed. That's made possible, in part, thanks to a new 8-bit parallel interface with an increased 60MHz interface clock frequency. Sadly, there's no indication of a release date either of 'em, with the companies only going so far as to say that format licensing for both new formats is "scheduled to start in 2009."

Lexar kicks out Eye-Fi powered Shoot-n-Sync WiFi SD card, other less interesting flash cards

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 18th 2008 at 7:27PM

We'd heard Lexar and Eye-Fi were getting snuggly back in January, and look at that -- nine months later the Lexar Shoot-n-Sync WiFi SD card has arrived on our doorstep. The 2GB card is basically just a Lexar-branded Eye-Fi Share, so you pretty much already know how it works -- you shoot, it uploads -- and it's even the same $99 price, so yeah, yawn. Hopefully these two will do something a little more interesting now that they've gotten used to working together. Lexar also kicked out a number of other cards, including a new 4GB Memory Stick Micro M2 card, a 16GB Platinum II 60x SDHC card, and a 16GB Platinum II 80x CompactFlash card -- no pricing or availability on any of those yet, but we'd expect them soon.

[Via Gearlog]

Read - Shoot-n-Sync
Read - Platinum II cards
Read - M2 card

Sony reveals MS PRO-HG Duo HX, pushes the limit on flash card naming schemes

by Darren Murph posted Sep 5th 2008 at 3:29AM

Hey Sony, since you're so in love with tacking on random letters and such to your flash memory line, how's about we toss three capital consonants in your direction capped off with a lovely question mark? In a move that is depressingly not at all surprising, Sony has introduced the Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX, that latest in a long, long line of proprietary Memory Stick products that it insists on producing. These are supposedly "ideal for high performance digital cameras and HD camcorders," and they rely on an 8-bit parallel interface to achieve whatever level of performance they're capable of. Weirdly, Sony only quotes transfer speeds (a maximum of 20MB/sec read and 15MB/sec write) when the card is used in conjunction with the bundled MSAC-UAH1 USB adapter, but anywho, they'll be available in 4GB / 8GB flavors this October for those who care.

[Thanks, Rob]

SanDisk's 8GB Extreme III Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo clocks 30MBps

by Thomas Ricker posted May 29th 2008 at 3:37AM

Beating Sony to the punch is SanDisk's new 8GB Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo card. The "Extreme III Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo" touts the most convoluted name in portable flash storage as well as 3x the performance -- 30MBps read and write -- of standard Memory Stick Pro Duo cards. As such, they are perfect for high performance DSLRs and camcorders. Available worldwide in June for $150.

Sony rolls out speedy Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo cards

by Donald Melanson posted Apr 25th 2007 at 5:08PM

Sony first announced its speedy new Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo cards all the way back in December, but it's now finally gotten a bit more specific about them, including providing the all important details on pricing and availability. Set to be available in 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB capacities, the cards boast a new 8-bit parallel interface that Sony says translates to a 30MB/sec transfer rate, which makes 'em about three times faster than the standard Memory Stick Pro. To take advantage of all that speed, Sony's also providing an ExpressCard adapter for the new Memory Sticks, although they will still be compatible with standard 4-bit parallel interface hardware, albeit at a significantly reduced speed. While there doesn't appear to be any word on how much the adapter will cost, you can look for the cards themselves to set up back $60, $90, and $150 for the 1, 2, and 4GB variations, respectively, with all three available in August.

Marsilli kicks out cellphone-controlled toy car / flash drive

by Darren Murph posted Jan 22nd 2007 at 6:05PM

We're not exactly sure what's up with Asia's infatuation with toy cars and shoving completely irrelevant (but entirely useful) features inside of them, but now Marsilli is offering up its own admittedly peculiar flash drive in the shape of a vehicle. Presumably in direct competition with Gold Kiwi's Bluetooth GPS receiver ride, this Mobile Remote Control Car is a diminutive four-wheeled ride with impressive aerodynamics, a 512MB flash drive built-in, USB connector in place of a central-mounted exhaust, and it even allows users to drive it around a cardboard course with "any cellphone." Of course, we're not entirely sure if all that controlling action is done over Bluetooth or some other propriety channel, but we have strong suspicions "every mobile" might not be equipped to handle this road burner. Nevertheless, you can probably pick one of these up in the near future at your favorite street corner vendor in Asia, but for now, click on through for a more closeups.

Continue reading Marsilli kicks out cellphone-controlled toy car / flash drive

Sony doubles Memory Stick Pro Duo format capacity to 8GB

by Barb Dybwad posted Jan 8th 2007 at 1:07PM

They're slightly behind schedule on this, but Sony today announced the expected doubling of the Memory Stick Pro Duo format to 8GB. You'll be able to pick one of these bad boys up in February for the low, low (as we say in Kazakhstan: NOT!) price of $300.