Categories
Archive

Mini Sony Memory Stick Expands Phones


Sony Memory Stick DuoThe new, smaller, 16 MB Sony Memory Stick Duo “is about one-third the size of the original, and is meant to fit into devices such as cell phones and small digital audio players” according to C|Net.

DP Review says “After well over two years (first announced in April 2000) the first tiny Memory Stick Duo is about to go on sale in Japan. The first model, MSA-M16A will have a capacity of just 16 MB but is about half the size (and considerably thinner) than a normal Memory Stick, this makes the Duo about the same size as an SD/MMC card.”

Sony Ericsson P800The MS Duo (a tribute to PB Duo owners?) will be the expansion media of choice for the forthcoming Sony Ericsson P800 smartphone due in Q3 2002. The P800 smartphone has the potential to be a category killer, its embedded PDA running Symbian OS v7.0:

The P800 imaging and messaging capabilities makes it ideal to capture, show and send images. It features a large color screen: 208 x 320 pixels flip open (and 208 x 144 pixels flip closed) in 4096 colors, a fully integrated camera and storage space… Once captured images can be sent via all the standard protocols supported by Symbian OS such as MMS, email and Bluetooth. With support for GSM 900, 1800 and 1900, GPRS and HSCSD, the P800 works across the five continents.

From the TheRegUSA’s review:

The device uses Ericsson’s own AU System Browser, which can handle real HTML, cHTML or WAP 2.0 pages, so you don’t have to carry two browsers into the shower. There’s also been some effort to make download Java midlets easier, with a built-ion AppLoader fetching them directly from the server…

It’s a triband device, so it will work on US networks, and the camera will allow you to store 200 pictures in VGA format. (The screen supports 4,096 colors).

If the S/// P800 has all the features of the T68i World Phone, and includes a PDA and polyphonic ring tones, I want one!

Sony MiniDigiCamAnother cool application for the MS Duo is in the ultra-mini, spy-esque, prototype Sony Mini DigiCam as seen on DP Review in July 2000.

So is this a worthwhile technology or just another removable media standard to deal with?

[Update 11/10/2002] Amazon.com is selling the Sony Ericsson T68i color, Bluetooth mobile phone for only US$50 for a limited time.

By Jason O'Grady

Founded the PowerPage in 1995.