Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

Discuss the news item here.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Columbia, MO, USA
Posts: 68

I think this is a terrible alliance specifically because they are going to use Sony's proprietary memory stick.

The memory stick was designed by Sony as a specific mechanism to control what content is placed on the memory. (Taken from a recent tech magazine: "When used as a distribution method for copyrighted music, the sticks employ an authentication technology to protect the contents against illegal duplication.")

Sony is just too much big brother and too proprietary for me...

It would make far more sense to use Compact Flash. The advantage is that all of those Win CE users would be able to throw away their CE devices, but continue to use the memory they invested so heavily in.

LarryD

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

Regardless of what is out there, there can be springboards for CF or mem sticks. That makes the Visor pretty attractive.

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James Hromadka
VisorCentral.com
Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/jehromadka

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: San Francisco, USA
Posts: 75

Well, Memory stick is a proprietary technology, but then again so is the Springboard. So, I don't really know why one would be better than the other, apart from the fact that Springboard is much more general-purpose, whereas Memory Stick is aimed just at storage.

It's easy to see what's in it for both sides of the deal. Sony endorsing Palm is a big deal, since Palm is working to sign up licensees and Sony was the last holdout from the big Japanese consumer electronics manufacturers. It's great that they didn't go with WinCE. Sony, on the other hand, wants to promote Memory Stick, and getting it into zillions of Palm devices is certainly a way to promote the format.

Is this bad for Handspring? Probably not, unless a Memory Stick adapter for Springboard fails to appear. Who knows, maybe Sony will make the Springboard-to-Memory Stick adapter. It's probably more of an issue for Handspring in that they will now have to compete with Sony-branded units on store shelves.



[This message has been edited by mportuesi (edited 11-15-1999).]

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 148

I actually thought it was cool that the two are collaborating. I mean yeah, we have visors... So what.. What I see is memory sticks being in color pilots next year. Sony has great digital cameras and their nicest ones use memory sticks (same w/DV Camcorders). I actually have a memory stick digital camera and it would be nice to pop that lil sucker into my pilot to view them at a bigger size. Also, sony isn't the only one making memory sticks too.. They licensed out the technology to a few other companies to also make memory sticks. Who knows, maybe we'll get really great designed palms too coming out of sony!! Think Vaio.. now if Apple joined in too, we'd REALLY have great products.. Don't think Handspring VS. Palm. ... think Handspring, Palm, and Sony Vs. WINDOWS CE!!

Mike

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Posts: 195

I'll be surprised if this hurts Handspring at all. Like mportuesi said, I'm sure that there will soon be a Springboard that you can plug Memory Sticks into. Handspring has made such a big splash, and has enough momentum that I think they'll be around for the long haul. This may turn into another VHS vs. Beta type thing. Even if the Springboard technology as it is right now fades away, it will only do so because Handspring will have created something better, or will have adopted whatever the standard will have become.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Baltimore MD, USA
Posts: 717

I enjoyed how this news was characterized in Wired Magazine. The collaboration was described as "a move that may make Bill Gates nervous", and as something that would make the Palm OS the "Windows of the PDA world"

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Jefferson City, MO, USA
Posts: 1

I see this partnership as a "win-win" situation for both PalOS and Sony. Obviously, Sony had to do something. The Memory Stick is widely being touted as the "betamax" to CompactFlash's "VHS". Obviously, Sony would also be wise to promote use of Memory Sticks in as many devices as possible (i.e., in Visors via a Springboard adapter).

The mention of PlayStation 2 in the lead-in article is right on target. In terms of audio/video content, such as music, movies and videogames, Sony is the leader. However,
Sega got the jump on Sony by offering a module for the Dreamcast that lets you perform some functions (like training up characters in a game) while it is disconnected from the main console. If Sony could offer the same functionality on a module that plugs into a PalmOS PDA, it would be a big selling point. The flip side of this is that developers for PlayStation might also decide to develop for PalmOS.

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Jim Kovar

Registered: Nov 1999
Location:
Posts: 62

Isn't it more likely that Sony will use PalmOS in electronic devices other than PDA's - like Stereo's, High-end remotes, Cameras and other consumer electronics. They can probably save a fortune on R&D bystandardizing their hardware/software/interface standards this way. And they open up a huge market for Memory sticks. If Palm agreed to let Sony market PDA's they are crazy . . . but it won't be the first time a Japanese company negotiated a one sided deal with an American company.

I am not up on the specifics but are Memory sticks a better technology than CF?