rice75's Full Review: Lexar Media 128MB Memory Stick Digital Film
For the past two years, random access memory (SRAM in particular) has been my life. I eat, sleep and breathe memory. Why? Because my Master’s Thesis is about an exciting type of memory that has been on the brink of exploding for about 6-7 years now but still has yet to hit the mainstream. As I began this review I thought about going into a technical discussion about Fowler-Nordheim Tunneling and how it works. FN tunneling is the basis on which different types of flash memory are built. To an Electrical Engineer like myself, it is fascinating beyond belief, but to the average electronics user it will be techno mumbo-jumbo that will sail right over their heads. All the average person needs to know is that when they insert the memory stick into their camera that the pictures will still be there when they take the stick out. I just think knowing how the pictures are still there is much more exciting. But I won’t bore you with details. (If you’re really interested, do a Google search for Fowler-Nordheim.)
So what is the Lexar 128MB Memory Stick stick? Well for some time now Sony has eschewed the rest of the digital media world and marched to the beat of their own drum. While other companies were building their digital cameras and other electronic goodies that use Flash Memory around existing technologies like CompactFlash and SmartMedia, Sony used their own Memory Stick. For a while, Sony was the main manufacturer and supplier of the Memory Stick. Sony and Lexar Media recently signed a joint technology agreement and Lexar Media has also joined the Memory Stick fray. Lexar Media has been producing their own version of the Memory Stick and currently the Lexar 128MB Memory Stick is the largest capacity they offer. (Note: Lexar Media recently announced Memory Stick Pro™ which will have capacities up to 1GB)
So what do you use the Lexar 128MB Memory Stick for? My main usage comes from my Sony DSC-S85 digital camera. Some genius at Sony decided to package their 4.1 Megapixel camera with a 16MB memory stick. Since I’d rather not have to switch memory sticks every 8 shots, I decided to get the Lexar 128MB Memory Stick. This afforded me much more storage. I still use my 16MB stick for simple stuff, but for important gatherings (like the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl) I pop in the Lexar 128MB Memory Stick so I don’t miss a single shot.
Storage Capacity
With the Lexar 128MB Memory Stick and my Sony DSC-S85 I have plenty of space for all the pictures I can take. At the highest resolution (2272x1704) I can store 65 pictures. That’s equivalent of almost 3 rolls of film so I have no problem with needing more space. For the most part, though, I don’t take pictures at the highest resolution. Since a lot of the pictures I take end up on the web, the lower resolutions are sufficient. And with the Lexar 128MB Memory Stick I can fit plenty. I can capture 133 pictures at 1600x1200, 202 pictures at 1280x960, and a whopping 789 photos at 640x480. The Lexar 128MB Memory Stick provides plenty of space.
Setup, Installation, and Use
Both of these are no-brainers. The only thing that is important here is making sure you are inserting the stick with the right side up. It probably won’t go in very far if you don’t, but regardless, don’t force it in. If it isn’t going in, you’ve got it upside down. As far as looks, the Lexar 128MB Memory Stick’s case is a clear purple with a little light that flashes when data is being stored. This is to stop the impatient from carelessly ripping the stick out of its socket before everything is stored. Since the Lexar 128MB Memory Stick goes into the camera and out of sight I have no need for this feature. In fact, I would say 99.9% of the electronics population can do with out it, but there’s one moron out there who will rip the stick out with reckless abandon so this feature is there. The stick also has a little slider switch that acts as a lock so data won’t be overwritten or erased. This, unlike the light, is a useful feature.
Once the memory stick is in your device (in my case my camera) will recognize it and take care of any formatting or setting up any type of device structure. This is usually hands off but there is the possibility some manual input will be required.
Getting the files onto or off of the Lexar 128MB Memory Stick can be accomplished in many ways. The easiest and fastest is using a memory card reader. Lexar Media, among other companies, make multi-card readers that are usually attached to the computer via a USB port and your OS recognizes the card as another “hard drive” which can be read from and written to. Most Sony computer products have a built in Memory Stick card reader so no extra hardware is needed. Another way to get files off of the device is the device itself. My Sony DSC-S85 connects to the computer with a USB connection and my files are automatically transferred right to my computer. Really quite simple.
Versatility
The Lexar 128MB Memory Stick is a great little piece of silicon. Anything that can use the Memory Stick format can accept a Lexar 128MB Memory Stick. MP3 players immediately come to mind, and with 128 MB of memory, that’s a good 30+ songs that you can fit there. The newer Sony TVs are coming out with a memory card reader so you can display the pictures on your memory card right there on your television. The possibilities are limitless. I've had quite a few ideas myself that could effectively use the Memory Stick format. With its small size (it’s no bigger than a 5-pack of gum) and portability the sky really is the limit with how far things will go. If they can fit a gigabyte on one of these little suckers, look out. Car stereos will have memory stick readers. Who needs a DVD burner when I can put a Gig of video on a memory stick? I could go on, but then everyone would steal all my ideas.
And finally, here’s something to think about: the first computer I actually purchased with my own money had a 125 Megabyte hard drive. Now I can hold that same amount of space in the palm of my hand.
Measures 1.77-inches long by 1.46-inches wide by .03-inches thick and weighs only .08 ounces. 128 MB storage capacity Rated for 3.3V and 5.0V devices ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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