MS Pro compatibility in "old" devices...

[Jeffry]

This is a no-brainer, but what is the difference between a regular MS and MS pro (other than capacity)? Why is MS Pro not compatible with old devices?

[JenixSJ30]

Sony just wants all their current users to buy new pdas so they make more money.

[robrecht]

Originally posted by JenixSJ30
Sony just wants all their current users to buy new pdas so they make more money.

Not only that, but before the new Memory Stick format was announced, SONY purposefully decieved their loyal customers to believe that the older Memory Sticks foramt would continue to increase in capacity and transfer rates without any incompatibility problems. They did this to sell as many soon-to-be-obslete PDAs, laptops, cameras, etc as possible. The inevitable conclusion is that SONY purposefully deceived their loyal customers.

[cbulock]

While it was very decitful in how Sony promised larger size sticks that would be compatible, I'm sure there was some technical barrier they didn't anticpate as being the reason they released a new format of sticks. I doubt they did this to force people to buy new equipment.

[hobodale111]

I read somewhere that you would be able to download a patc so that you could use memory stick pro on the NX and a few other SONY devices. Is there any truth in this and if there is can other devices do the same?

[SprSaiyan8]

Originally posted by hobodale111
I read somewhere that you would be able to download a patc so that you could use memory stick pro on the NX and a few other SONY devices. Is there any truth in this and if there is can other devices do the same?

yes i read that too but i think it for only high end devices like the NX

[phil ng]

and NZ. I read somehwere this is because they ran out of addresses to address memory over 128MB.

(sort of like page numbers. suppose you could represent a page number using 4 numbers. Now since technology has advanced, using just 4 numbers just doesn't cut it, and you need to do something new, like using 5 numbers :)

The fact that it can't address the newer sticks meant that you could probably plug the MS pro stick in, but only could see 128MB of the stick.

This is similar to FAT32, bios limitations, etc. (like older pentium 1's couldn't handle hard drivers greater than 8gb)

The patch is sort of like drive spanning software that could let you access the areas you couldn't "reach" before.

[GreatOldOne]

If that's the case, wouldn't it be possible to write a driver that access successive pages of 128Mb of an MSPro? Like Partitioning a HDD?

[JackAxe]

I just read an article that mentioned that the new MS Pro didn't even work in the author's 4 month old Vaio. Nice job SONY, keep up the good work and go **** yourself.

http://www.dp-now.com/news/0103/news248/news248.html

I hope someone does figure out how to utilize the CF slot on the newer Clie's for other storage media and that it substantially eats into SONY's MS Pro sales.

I'm not bitter, at least not with other tech companies.

<]=P

NR70v, the LAST SONY PDA/product that I will ever own.

[rob_squared]

In other words, no hope for the NR.

Too bad though, it would have been nice watching 3 hour movies and carring around my entire MP3 collection on a 1GB MS.

[hobodale111]

I think it is so stupid that SONY are not making the mspro compatible. No one will buy them for two reasons 1)They arent compatible with aything 2) They are going to be to darn expensive. I think SONY is just shooting them selves in the foot with the mspro.

[ClieMarty]

sorry, but i could hear it no longer. the ms is nice but limited to 128, the only thing you may blame sony for is not announcing that earlier; i do have a nr so it's no mspro for me with this one; whereas the mspro will work in my f717. it's like always, new things come and - unfortunately - compatibility is sometimes the issue. but anyhow, as far as i know new mspro-compatible devices will work with older sticks so you just need to decide whether or not you want to use those thinggies. if yes, you need a new device. it's that simple. and you should also see the benefits, the new sticks should be a tremendous improvement in speed.

regarding 1)
not true; mspro will wor with nx/nz, some cameras, camcorders and other stuff

regarding 2)
in the beginning of course. just be patient and don't buy 'em at sonystyle. i'm sure one will get 256mb for $120 soon

[hobodale111]

Unless they com out with a new clie like the NR I probably wont upgrade for a while. I love my NR it is awesome I love the clamshell design and the size and there are lots of other things to. I dont think I could go much bigger than the NR though. I still think sony is making a mistake wth the compatibility of mspro.

[JackAxe]

This compatibility list isn't that large. 2 cameras is an insult to anybody who's ever purchased a SONY camera in the past.

SONY intentionally did not create a larger capacity MS for older devices, as they conveniently did not release CF drivers for the NX series. If a PALM M515 can use a 512meg SD card, then SONY is flat out lying about technical issues preventing larger sticks.

<]=)

More recent Vaios
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F717 and F77 digitalcameras
Sony digital handycam TRV-350 and TRV335E Sony DPP-EX5 and EX7 digital photo printers Sony Clie PEG-NZ90/H
Sony Clie PEG-NX70V/H
Sony Plasma WEGA KE-42MR1
Sony LCD TV WEGA KLV-30MR1
Sony LCD Projector CINEZA VPL-HS10
Sony MSAC-US7 and US70 USB optical mouse and Memory Stick adapter
Sony MSAC-PC3 PC Card Memory Stick adapter
Sony USB Memory Stick Adapter MSAC-US2 and US20.

[ClieMarty]

it still seems to me that the (old) ms-standard is just capable of 128mb not more. i mean, why would they bring a 256mb stick as select with a manual switch? because it is cool? na, because the see market potential for larger sticks with older devices. they can just the interface not bring to work with more than 128. sd card like in the m515 or tungsten are a totally different story.

the nx/nz cf-driver thing is also different. here sony does cripple IMHO with not making memory cards possible. on the other hand side. is there any palm-device with cf-slot/-access for memory?

finally, yep, sony wants to make money out of it. that's true. just take the 8mb-memory for their playstation2. now that's a ridiculous price per mb.

[JackAxe]

I remember reading someplace that the MS has it's own IO controler, so if SONY released a MS of larger capacity older devices would still be able to use it. The 128x2 besides being a slap in the face, it seems like it was the cheap route for SONY.

Putting a CF card into a PALM smaller then a NX would look kind of funny.:)

I'm just happy to say that since finding out SONY would no longer support my Clie' with larger MS, I have only purchased CF and SD equipped products and stopped buing MS devices.

<]=)

[Jeffry]

So do you think that the MS Select (128 MB x2 = 256MB total) is Sony's solution for larger MS capacity on old devices? If it costs the same as 256MB MS pro then that would suck. Different MS transfer speeds for the same price.