Customer Reviews

Sony MSX-256 256 MB Memory Stick Pro

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Just to clarify the previous negative review, yes this 256MB memory stick pro is not compatible with many older devices, but I think sony is doing a good job at addressing this .. they have a separate product, a 256MB memory stick with memory select, that is basically an old style memory stick with two switchable 128MB memory banks. I have several older mem stick devices and am happy that they are offering this product that allows 256MB for older devices. Search for "MSA128S2" for more info.

I purchased this memory stick to use for MP3s on my Sony Clie NX70V...but when I tried to transfer MP3s to it, I got an error that MP3 cannot be saved on a MagicGate card due to possible copyright infringement issues...Granted the MP3s I was trying to transfer were freshly ripped from CDs that I BOUGHT and ripped for my own use, but that small detail is apparently less important then the POSSIBILITY of someone breaking a copyright law...There are 256MB memory sticks that do not have the MagicGate "technology"...I'd recommend getting one of those instead.

I have a Sony P/10 5.0 megipixel camera. This camera requires a lot of memory to store 5.0mp pictures, thus one may find it more convienant to get a large memory size Sony memory stick.
I really wanted just ONE memory stick for convienance, but after some research I opted for 2 128 meg (regular) memory sticks instead of this product.
WHY?

With this product, it includes MagiGate(some type of protection scheme that may make it difficult for you to store MP3s and other data in the future), which takes up more memory and is a hassle I don't need to deal with, and don't want to pay for.

With this product, instead of 256megs of memory, you get a useable 230megs, but with regular 128megs cards, you get 123megs 123megs x 2 = 246megs (that's about 5-6 more pictures).

This product has faster memory speeds for recording VIDEO with your digital camera. However, the video quality(even if it has improved) is still not as good as a DV video camera, so the high speed memory of this product for me was a useless feature.

Finally, COMPATIBILITY. Since I have a notebook that has a memory reader, plus other Sony products that may not be compatible with this product, it was safer to go with the regular memory sticks.

Dissapointed because SONY(so far) doesn't offer a large size memory stick without all of the issues one may encounter above.

HOWEVER, if this is your first Sony product purchase, and your product is compatible with this memory stick, AND you don't have to worry about other equipment compatibility issues, then perhaps this product is for you.

This won't work in pre-2003 Sony devices, as Sony made a design mistake on original memory stick (and kept its consumers in dark). Neither would existing card readers work.

These sticks contain MagicGate protection. This means that you won't get even 244 MegaBytes of actual space from this 256 MillionBytes stick. MagicGate uses up significant space and create all kinds of hassles in transfers of things like mp3's.

But wait that's not all, these sticks are kinda obsolete already. These won't work in any SonyEricsson cell phones or smaller Sony devices like Stick Walkman & newer U series Cybershot cameras.

If you want to invest in sticks buy a MS Duo Pro, the latest of half a dozen stick formats from Sony. (Soon most cell phones will have a slot for removable flash media) Or you can say no to all Sony devices and buy SD/MMC based gadgets to avoid all these hassles.

you people need to realize that this is a Memory Stick PRO, and not
just the ordinary kind. All memory stick pros won't work on your old cameras, so don't review this stick as bad just because you didn't notice that

This stick works fine in my DSC P10
Thank's to Magic gate I had to upgrade the firmware for the built in stick reader in my Desktop - after the upgrade the stick is read/writeable on the computer directly.
Only gripe: Why not advertise it as 227MB since that is the real user memory...

The memory stick pro is just like its predecessor, the normal memory stick, a very small storage device for sony products. The 256MB one is in fact only 227MB because of MagicGate protection or something. Since most Sony products do not store data on anything other than memory sticks, the storage options are pretty narrow when buying a Sony product such as a digital camera. I think the price should go down a bit more and I think they should sell the sticks with an effective storage label (in other words when it can only store 227MB, advertise it as a 227MB stick). Other than those minor problems the stick works great, stores data and transfers quick and easy.

I have both this stick and SanDisk's 256 MB Pro. For the money the SanDisk is a better deal. If you have a camera that is compatible with a Pro stick I highly recommend getting the SanDisk 256 or 512 Pro sticks.

I love this memory stick pro, I use it in a Sony DSC-P10 camera that requires a lot of memory for pictures. This memory stick pro stores a lot of pictures, and writes at a fast speed (which you need for taking another quick picture). You don't need to switch between memory banks like the older models, which is great because it would be an inconvenience to keep taking the stick out and putting it back. It's a little bit more money than the Lexar and Sandisk brands, but if you consider how much you've spent on your Sony product, it is well worth the extra few bucks.

This product works well enough and has an extensive amount of memory. It is more than enough unless you take an insane amount of pictures or you want to take a 50 min video, in which case I recommend you just buy a digital camcorder. If you are thinking about getting the 512 or bigger i would not recommend it because you will probably find that you simply dont need that much space. However, if I could do it all over again I would buy the SanDisk which works just as well for half the price.