CNN.com - Sony hangs its memory on a key chain

Sony hangs its memory on a key chain

By Martyn Williams

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (IDG) -- As computers and other digital devices become more pervasive, the need to transfer files between machines becomes greater.

Sony has joined a small number of lesser-known companies in unveiling its Micro Vault, a stylish and cool new key chain device designed to make this task easier.

The Micro Vault is a chunk of flash memory that can hang on a key chain. Available in 16MB, 32MB, 64MB, and 128MB capacities, the device is small, portable, and doesn't come with all the hassles of memory cards that require dedicated drives or adapters and often special drivers too. However, this convenience comes at a not-so-cool premium price.

Like competing products, it gets around these hassles by employing a USB interface, which means it can connect to almost any personal computer. Machines running Microsoft's Windows 2000, ME, or XP, or Apple Computer's MacOS 9 and above, don't require a driver to be installed. Other machines will require a driver but it's a standard one that is supplied with the Micro Vault and might already be on most systems. It also includes Sony's Privacy Zone software, which allows users to create a password-protected zone for storage of personal files.

With a loop so that it can be attached to a key chain, the small device is certainly cool--something not unusual from Sony. However, users will have to decide on what premium they attach to this coolness: The cheapest Micro Vault, the 16MB version, will carry a $50 manufacturer price tag, and the 32MB version will cost $90. At 64MB, the device will cost $150, and the 128MB version will cost a cool $300.

The 16MB model is $15 more expensive than a Sony Memory Stick module of the same capacity, and the price difference gets larger as the capacity increases, with the 128MB Micro Vault costing double the price of the equivalent Memory Stick.

Cost of convenience

The price difference is largely a tax on convenience. With Memory Stick, users need to purchase an adapter and install a driver on the computer they are using, says Deborah Szajngarten, a spokesperson for Sony Electronics, explaining the price difference between the two devices.

And while the Micro Vault will connect to personal computers, it won't be able to connect to, say, a digital still camera via USB for storage of images. That function will have to wait for the new USB On-the-Go system, which is still being finalized. Just like memory cards, the Micro Vault does not require a battery because flash memory only needs power when data is being read or written and that can be gained from the USB cable.

The Micro Vault will be available first in the United States in January 2002, and Sony plans to follow with launches in other markets, although timing has not been decided. The devices will come in four colors, coded to the four capacities. The 16MB device will be orange, the 32MB one red, the 64MB one blue, and the 128MB model black, says Sony.

Competing products from manufacturers such as JMTek and K&C Tech are already available -- and typically below Sony's recommended pricing -- and come in capacities as large as 1GB. However, they're not widely distributed. Sony's entry into the market should mean that such devices become better known and could also increase the profile of such lesser-known companies.

• Intel to offer flash memory using 0.13 micron process
(ITWorld.com)
• SanDisk files suit against Micron over flash memory
(IDG.net)
• AMD announces new multi-chip memory packages
(InfoWorld.com)
• Sharp unveils smallest flash memory for cell phones
(ITWorld.com)
• Samsung gets lower chip costs with 300-mm wafers
(IDG.net)
• Hard times for DRAM industry means good news for users
(ITWorld.com)
• P4 memory: New options
(PCWorld.com)
• ROM version of Memory Stick demonstrated
(IDG.net)

• Sony Corp.
• Microsoft Corp.

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