Review on Enhance Data Transfer and Storage with Sony MSAC-US30 Memory Stick USB Reader/Writer by Josh Lewis

I bought the MSAC-US30 card reader because it is listed in the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) manual. It is the only reader that is fully compatible with all Memory Stick and Memory Stick Duo media. The term "Memory Stick" itself refers to the original Sony (and several other manufacturers such as Lexar, Sandisk and TDK) Memory Stick. . "Memory Stick Duo” is a second generation Memory Stick that is much smaller than the original Memory Stick. Each generation (MS and MS Duo) has a standard media and a "PRO" media which is faster and more suitable for high speed video devices, ie most of us (including PSP owners) don't need the PRO MS line or MS Duo. To make matters worse, some memory cards (Original or Duo) come with something called MagicGate technology, copy protection used only by Sony. memory card formats. (The only other USB reader I know of that can read the Memory Stick Duo is the Sandisk 12-in-1, but it's poor quality, slow, and not MagicGate compatible.) Which memory card should you choose? Here's my take: 1) If you want to store music files encoded with Sony ATRAC3 or ATRAC3Plus (i.e. files ripped from CDs using Sony SonicStage software, or files purchased from the Sony Connect Music Store) you should consider a MagicGate Memory Stick 2 ) If you intend to use the flash memory in the latest Sony or Playstation Portable (PSP) camcorders, you will need to purchase a Memory Stick Duo. (Think of MS Duo as Sony's answer to Secure Digital, while full-size MS competes with CompactFlash.) 3) If you're using something that requires high-speed access (e.g. some Sony digital cameras and camcorders), you will require a Memory Stick or Memory Stick Duo labeled PRO. I know this is all very confusing and it took me a while to figure it out. In fact, the story doesn't end here; Older Memory Stick users know that some of them used two separate memory chips in one MS card. Anyway if you have any questions email me at gaddester @t hotmail.