From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaMemory Stick is a removable flash memory card format, launched by Sony in October 1998, and is also used in general to describe the whole family of Memory Sticks. This family includes the Memory Stick Pro, a revision that allows greater maximum storage capacity and faster file transfer speeds; Memory Stick Duo, a small-form-factor version of the Memory Stick (including the Pro Duo); and the even smaller Memory Stick Micro (M2). In december 2006 Sony added the Memory Stick Pro-HG, a high speed variant of the Pro, to be used for high definition still and video camera's.
The original memory stick was available in sizes up to 128 MB, and a sub-version, Memory Stick Select allows two banks of 128 MB to be on the same card. An 8 GB card was unveiled at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but according to Sony the Memory Stick Pro has a maximum potential size of 32 GB.
The Memory Stick is defined in the minds of many by its proprietary nature, as the majority of portable devices that use it are Sony and Sony Ericsson devices. The significant third-party licensees that make Memory Sticks are SanDisk and Lexar. In spite of its proprietary nature (or because of Sony's continuing support for the format), the Memory Stick has outlived almost all other strictly proprietary flash memory formats, and has a longevity comparable only to CompactFlash and Secure Digital (SD), though critics would attribute this more to Sony's stubbornness than any virtues inherent to the format.
Applications
Typically, a Memory Stick is used as storage media for a portable device, in a form that can easily be removed for access by a PC or Mac. For example, Sony digital cameras use Memory Sticks for storing image files. With a Memory Stick-capable reader (typically a small box that connects via USB or some other serial connection), a user could copy the pictures taken with the Sony digital camera off to his or her computer. Sony uses and has used Memory Sticks in digital cameras, digital music players, PDAs, cellular phones, the PlayStation Portable (PSP), and in other devices, and the Sony VAIO line of personal computers has long included Memory Stick slots.
Aside from copying image files from digital cameras, a user could also copy any type of file to or from a stick. There are also readers that use PCMCIA, CompactFlash, 3.5" floppy drive, and other formats. In terms of compatibility, older Memory Sticks can be used in newer MS drives (Memory Stick Duo with an adapter can be used in newer drives as well). However, Memory Stick Pro and Memory Stick Pro Duo are often not supported in older drives. Also, while high-speed Pro or Pro Duo cards will work in Pro drives (Pro Duo needing an adapter), their higher speed may not be available.
Formats and form factors
Memory Sticks include a wide range of actual formats, including two different form factors plus a third announced.
The original Memory Sticks were approximately the size and thickness of a stick of chewing gum, and came in sizes from 4 MB up to and including 128 MB. This size limitation became limiting fairly quickly, so Sony introduced the now-uncommon Memory Stick Select, which was similar in concept (if not in execution) to the way in which 5.25" floppy disks used both sides of a disk. A Memory Stick Select was two (or rarely four) separate 128 MB partitions which the user could switch between using a (physical) switch on the card. This solution was fairly unpopular, but did allow for users with older Memory Stick devices to use higher-capacity flash memory.
A special Memory Stick can be used by Sony's AIBO robot pet, to enable the use of Aiboware, software intended for use on AIBOs. The Sticks allowing users to write programs include a copy protection mechanism used by the robot, are coloured pink and referred as programmable or programming Memory Sticks. Only 8MB and 16MB versions are available.
The Memory Stick Pro, introduced in 2003 as a joint effort between Sony and SanDisk , would be the longer-lasting solution to the space problem, and most devices that use the original Memory Stick form factor support both the original Memory Sticks and the Pro Sticks; some readers that were not compatible could be upgraded to Memory Stick Pro support via a Flash ROM update. Memory Stick Pros have a somewhat higher transfer speed and a maximum theoretical capacity of 32 GB (as of June 2005 they are available in sizes up to 4 GB). High Speed Memory Stick Pros are available, and newer devices support this High Speed mode, allowing for faster file transfers. All Memory Stick Pros larger than 1 GB support this High Speed mode, and High Speed Memory Stick Pros are backwards-compatible with devices that don't support the High Speed mode. High capacity memory sticks such as the 4 GB versions are usually extremely expensive compared to other types of flash memory such as SD cards and CompactFlash.
Memory Stick Duo Adaptor and Memory Stick Pro Duo.The MagicGate standard for Memory Sticks is an encryption system to allow music to be downloaded to the card and played back by an authorized device, but not shared. Certain standard Memory Stick and all Pro sticks are MagicGate compatible.
The Memory Stick Duo, which is slightly smaller than the competing Secure Digital format and roughly ⅔ the length of the standard form factor, was developed in response to Sony's need for a smaller flash memory card for pocket-sized digital cameras and cell phones, as well as Sony's PSP handheld game console. Memory Stick Duos are available in all the same variants as their larger cousins: normal ones limited to 128 MB, higher capacity Pro Sticks (called Memory Stick Pro Duo in the Duo form factor), with and without High Speed mode, and with and without MagicGate support. There's also a simple adapter (often sold along with the Memory Stick Duo) which allows a Duo to be used in any device that can accept its larger cousins.
Memory Stick Micro.In a joint venture with SanDisk, Sony released yet another new Memory Stick format on 6 February 2006. The new Memory Stick Micro (M2) measures 15 × 12.5 × 1.2 mm—roughly one-quarter the size of the Duo, around the size of a fingernail—with 256 MB, 512 MB and 1 GB capacities (could theoretically have 32 GB in the future). Maximum transfer speed is 160 Mbit/s. It comes with an adapter, much like the Duo Sticks, to ensure compatibility with current Pro devices.
On December 11 Sony, together with SanDisk, announced a new version of Memory Stick. The Memory Stick PRO-HG evolved out of the PRO, and offers a theoretical speed increase to 480 Mbps (3 times as fast as the Pro) and a write speed of 120 Mbps. The speed increase was achieved by increasing the bus frequency to 60 MHz and adding a parallel 8-bit interface. The Pro-HG is compatible with the older Memory Stick Pro. If inserted into a device that only recognizes Pro, it will operate at Memory Stick Pro-speeds.
Specifications
Transfer speedsStandard:Maximum write speed: 14.4 Mbit/s (1.8 MB/s) Maximum read speed: 19.6 Mbit/s (2.5 MB/s)
Duo/Pro Duo:
Transfer: 160 Mbit/s (20 MB/s) Minimum write speed: 15 Mbit/s Maximum write speed: 80 Mbit/s (High Speed Pro Duo)
Micro (M2):
Transfer: 160 Mbit/s (20 MB/s)
Form factorsStandard and Pro: 50.0 mm (W) × 21.5 mm (H) × 2.8 mm (D) Duo and Pro Duo: 31.0 mm (W) × 20.0 mm (H) × 1.6 mm (D) Micro: 15.0 mm (H) × 12.5 mm (W) × 1.2 mm (D) (i.e., ~1/4 the size of Duo)
, ~1/4 the size of Duo)
