... In this case, buying SanDisk paid off because out of the two 256MB MemoryStick Pro Duo cards I’d bought for my digital camera, one was faulty.
I spent a few days sending messages back and forth to SanDisk customer services (via an online help system on their excellent website – www.sandisk.com) ... Read review
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(+) Comes with a wide range of features, Very good value for money, Easy to use, Good looking. (-) Has a long load up time, When putting the stick in to the USB port the connector tends to retract.
A review by TheDuke on SanDisk 256MB Memory Stick PRO Duo November 9th, 2004
Author's product rating:
Memory / capacity
Excellent
Reliability
Excellent
Ease of use
Very easy
Speed
Very fast
Value For Money
Satisfactory
Advantages:
Small, reliable, robust .
Disadvantages:
Small, Expensive compared to other memory formats
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Memory’s just memory, right? I prefer name branded stuff, not because of better reliability or quality, but because of customer services, just in case. In this case, buying SanDisk paid off because out of the two 256MB MemoryStick Pro Duo cards I’d bought for my digital camera, one was faulty.
I spent a few days sending messages back and forth to SanDisk customer services (via an online help system on their excellent website – www.sandisk.com) where they confirmed that it was a problem with the card (at this point I hadn’t yet opened the second card as it was meant to be a present) rather than a compatibility issue with the camera and that if the firm who had sold me the card wouldn’t exchange/refund, they’d gladly issue an RMA. However, my second original card and the subsequent replacement have worked impeccably.
The MemoryStick Duo is a new type of memory from Sony, presumably for use in digital cameras and mobile phones due to its small size. The Duo is actually only about the size of a mobile phone SIM card, but comes complete with an adapter so that it can be used with standard-sized MemoryStick devices. However, the problem here is that practically no-one uses the MemoryStick format with the exception of Sony, and it is expensive compared to similar capacities in the more popular formats ($119.99 compared to $79.99 for a 256MB Secure Digital card from SanDisk on the same site).
The card has performed well, easily taking on all the tasks that you’d expect of a memory card for a digital camera – stores pictures, transfers them easily and quickly and seems fairly robust when I’m rushing to change cards to take yet more pictures of scantily clad totty. It couldn’t be simpler to use – Duo slots are configured so that there is only one way to insert the card and this requires practically no force. If the card doesn’t seem to be fitting, then it’s probably wrongly inserted and should be tried in a different way. This is true of both my camera and the adapter.
There is an element of frustration with the MagicGate technology that this memory card uses, and for its fancy title, it’s nothing more than a fancy name for DRM (digital rights management or anti-copying device) meaning that copying copyrighted material will not be allowed, but sharing your own work should be feasible. I’ve only used the card in my camera, so I can’t really say if this is restrictive in any way.
At $64.95 from www.flashmemorystore.com, I really can’t complain at all, especially when SanDisk (and the website) were so helpful. However, I can’t see why anyone would choose to buy Sony’s proprietary MemoryStick format cards if they had the option of buying/using one of the other formats. Surprisingly, Sony sells an adapter so that MemoryStick Pro Duo cards can be used in Compact Flash devices, but this is the same price as a 256MB Compact Flash card anyway!
