Memory Stick
A flash memory card from Sony designed for digital storage on cameras, camcorders and other handheld devices. Introduced in 1998 with 4 and 8MB capacities, storage was increased to 1GB with the first Memory Stick PRO card. The 2" long modules are about a tenth of an inch thick (.85 x 1.97 x .11").
Sony has also introduced Memory Sticks for use as I/O devices in such products as Memory Stick cameras, GPS systems and Bluetooth modules; however, some units are only available in Japan. See flash memory.
The Standard Memory Stick
A regular Memory Stick holds 128MB. An earlier "Memory Select" card had two 128MB memory banks, but the user had to select one or the other with a tiny switch on the card.
PRO and MagicGate
Memory Stick PRO cards hold up to 2GB. Introduced in 2003, PRO provides faster recording (160 Mbps vs. 14.4 Mbps) and supports the MagicGate SDMI copyright protection used in Sony's ATRAC3 audio format. Sony music players, such as Network Walkmans, only accept MagicGate cards, which were available up to 128MB before the PRO came out. See SDMI.
Duo, Duo PRO and Micro
For cellphones and small devices, the Memory Stick Duo is a smaller card that holds up to 128MB. The Duo PRO dramatically increases storage to 8GB. Duo cards can be used in regular Memory Stick slots with an adapter. Even smaller than the Duo is the Memory Stick Micro, which holds 1GB.
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| Memory Stick Drive |
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| This is one of the early Memory Stick drives and cards. Stand-alone drives were used before digital cameras included USB cables. Today, many PCs and printers build in Memory Stick slots. |
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| Memory Stick Duo |
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| These first Duo cards hold a pittance compared to the later Duo PRO models with gigabytes of storage. The adapter on the bottom right enables a Duo card to plug into a regular Memory Stick slot. (Image courtesy of Sony Corporation.) |
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| Memory Stick Camera |
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| Memory Sticks can be used as I/O devices. This digital camera on a Memory Stick plugs into Sony's Clie PDA. (Image courtesy of Sony Corporation.) |