On Memory Stick

A couple of comments re: Sony, Memory Stick, new cameras, and life in general. (In response to Gadget Watch No. 15.)

Memory Stick's a great format, in that it's small and robust. What Sony has failed to do is roll out increased capacities in a timely manner: 128MB is just available, yet they have a roadmap to 2GB. Their problem is milking the market for every capacity increase. So they've fallen way behind Compact Flash, for example, with 320MB in static media and 1GB in rotating media. Their new 4-megapixel chip has the same physical dimensions as their 3-megapixel chip, so the camera's optical path doesn't have to be redesigned to use it (compare with the silliness of the DCS-55 and DCS-55V). But they also have a 5-megapixel chip out, so expect cameras designed around that really soon now.

Finally, I note (but only after purchasing) that the latest US PCF-FX series of computers no longer have Memory Stick slots (nor, indeed, infrared ports).

Have you noticed how every single bit of Sony kit, even if the numbering suggests it's an incremental upgrade, appears to have been designed by a different set of people?

Paul Hardy