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Review by Mark:

Even though I have been slowly weaning myself off of the newer Sony cameras, I still have some Sony devices that need memory pro duo cards. There are some advantages and a few disadvantages, namely the cost and availability. Sony’s memory format averages 30 to 100 percent higher prices for the same capacity of SDHC cards. While that sucks, if you have a Sony Camera or a PSP there’s not much you can do about it.

To that point, both the new Sony Cybershot DSCT300 Digital Camera and upcoming PSP God of War Entertainment Pack will benefit from any of these memory cards. Both of those devices, along with most Sony devices for that matter are only comaptible with the memory duo platform.

But like I said, if you need one of these cards, there are some advantages especially if you get a Mark II card. Namely, the performance speed of the mark II format is about 50% higher than the fastest available SDHC card at the moment. The rating is for 36 MB/s and what I’ve seen through some basic tests seems to indicate real performance close to this. In fact, the solid performance has to be the biggest pro for these cards. So while it sucks to have little choice, when you factor in the premium performance it’s easier to swallow.

The 2 and 4 GB cards are a better value than larger capacity ones right now. Sometimes you want the largest card you can get, but till the 8 and 16 GB cards come down I see no reason to buy them. Not to mention, this isn’t for my primary camera but for an older one that I use as a backup.

Make sure your device is compatible with the card. Some older electronics aren’t compatible with larger capacities, although in general Sony has been better with making these guys backward compatible than others.

It’s always a good idea to have several extra cards on hand just in case. This 4 GB card is a nice performer. If you have a high capacity camera (10 Megapixels or more) and are storing videos or RAW images, the extra cash for the 8GB card may be worth it if the price is right. Or you may want to step up to the larger 16 GB size that is now available. But if you wait a little longer you can save yourself some cash. I have to take off at least 1 star for value, but in terms of performance I couldn’t be happier.

Enjoy!

Review by John J. Robinson:

This 16GB Memory Stick Duo II card works great with the PSP portable gaming system. It comes pre-formatted, so all you have to do is stick it into your PSP and go. In fact, there is a picture of the PSP right on the packaging.

The usable space on this device is actually 14.9 GB, however.

The “Mark2″ certification on the card has to do with higher writing speed requirements and indicates the memory is certified to operate with AVCHD recording products.

Review by Mark:

Even though I have been slowly weaning myself off of the newer Sony cameras, I still have some Sony devices that need memory pro duo cards. There are some advantages and a few disadvantages, namely the cost and availability. Sony’s memory format averages 30 to 100 percent higher prices for the same capacity of SDHC cards. While that sucks, if you have a Sony Camera or a PSP there’s not much you can do about it.

To that point, both the new Sony Cybershot DSCT300 Digital Camera and upcoming PSP God of War Entertainment Pack will benefit from any of these memory cards. Both of those devices, along with most Sony devices for that matter are only comaptible with the memory duo platform.

But like I said, if you need one of these cards, there are some advantages especially if you get a Mark II card. Namely, the performance speed of the mark II format is about 50% higher than the fastest available SDHC card at the moment. The rating is for 36 MB/s and what I’ve seen through some basic tests seems to indicate real performance close to this. In fact, the solid performance has to be the biggest pro for these cards. So while it sucks to have little choice, when you factor in the premium performance it’s easier to swallow.

The 2 and 4 GB cards are a better value than larger capacity ones right now. Sometimes you want the largest card you can get, but till the 8 and 16 GB cards come down I see no reason to buy them. Not to mention, this isn’t for my primary camera but for an older one that I use as a backup.

Make sure your device is compatible with the card. Some older electronics aren’t compatible with larger capacities, although in general Sony has been better with making these guys backward compatible than others.

It’s always a good idea to have several extra cards on hand just in case. This 4 GB card is a nice performer. If you have a high capacity camera (10 Megapixels or more) and are storing videos or RAW images, the extra cash for the 8GB card may be worth it if the price is right. Or you may want to step up to the larger 16 GB size that is now available. But if you wait a little longer you can save yourself some cash. I have to take off at least 1 star for value, but in terms of performance I couldn’t be happier.

Enjoy!

Review by John J. Robinson:

This 16GB Memory Stick Duo II card works great with the PSP portable gaming system. It comes pre-formatted, so all you have to do is stick it into your PSP and go. In fact, there is a picture of the PSP right on the packaging.

The usable space on this device is actually 14.9 GB, however.

The “Mark2″ certification on the card has to do with higher writing speed requirements and indicates the memory is certified to operate with AVCHD recording products.

Review by Mark:

Even though I have been slowly weaning myself off of the newer Sony cameras, I still have some Sony devices that need memory pro duo cards. There are some advantages and a few disadvantages, namely the cost and availability. Sony’s memory format averages 30 to 100 percent higher prices for the same capacity of SDHC cards. While that sucks, if you have a Sony Camera or a PSP there’s not much you can do about it.

To that point, both the new Sony Cybershot DSCT300 Digital Camera and upcoming PSP God of War Entertainment Pack will benefit from any of these memory cards. Both of those devices, along with most Sony devices for that matter are only comaptible with the memory duo platform.

But like I said, if you need one of these cards, there are some advantages especially if you get a Mark II card. Namely, the performance speed of the mark II format is about 50% higher than the fastest available SDHC card at the moment. The rating is for 36 MB/s and what I’ve seen through some basic tests seems to indicate real performance close to this. In fact, the solid performance has to be the biggest pro for these cards. So while it sucks to have little choice, when you factor in the premium performance it’s easier to swallow.

The 2 and 4 GB cards are a better value than larger capacity ones right now. Sometimes you want the largest card you can get, but till the 8 and 16 GB cards come down I see no reason to buy them. Not to mention, this isn’t for my primary camera but for an older one that I use as a backup.

Make sure your device is compatible with the card. Some older electronics aren’t compatible with larger capacities, although in general Sony has been better with making these guys backward compatible than others.

It’s always a good idea to have several extra cards on hand just in case. This 4 GB card is a nice performer. If you have a high capacity camera (10 Megapixels or more) and are storing videos or RAW images, the extra cash for the 8GB card may be worth it if the price is right. Or you may want to step up to the larger 16 GB size that is now available. But if you wait a little longer you can save yourself some cash. I have to take off at least 1 star for value, but in terms of performance I couldn’t be happier.

Enjoy!

Review by John J. Robinson:

This 16GB Memory Stick Duo II card works great with the PSP portable gaming system. It comes pre-formatted, so all you have to do is stick it into your PSP and go. In fact, there is a picture of the PSP right on the packaging.

The usable space on this device is actually 14.9 GB, however.

The “Mark2″ certification on the card has to do with higher writing speed requirements and indicates the memory is certified to operate with AVCHD recording products.

Review by Mark:

Even though I have been slowly weaning myself off of the newer Sony cameras, I still have some Sony devices that need memory pro duo cards. There are some advantages and a few disadvantages, namely the cost and availability. Sony’s memory format averages 30 to 100 percent higher prices for the same capacity of SDHC cards. While that sucks, if you have a Sony Camera or a PSP there’s not much you can do about it.

To that point, both the new Sony Cybershot DSCT300 Digital Camera and upcoming PSP God of War Entertainment Pack will benefit from any of these memory cards. Both of those devices, along with most Sony devices for that matter are only comaptible with the memory duo platform.

But like I said, if you need one of these cards, there are some advantages especially if you get a Mark II card. Namely, the performance speed of the mark II format is about 50% higher than the fastest available SDHC card at the moment. The rating is for 36 MB/s and what I’ve seen through some basic tests seems to indicate real performance close to this. In fact, the solid performance has to be the biggest pro for these cards. So while it sucks to have little choice, when you factor in the premium performance it’s easier to swallow.

The 2 and 4 GB cards are a better value than larger capacity ones right now. Sometimes you want the largest card you can get, but till the 8 and 16 GB cards come down I see no reason to buy them. Not to mention, this isn’t for my primary camera but for an older one that I use as a backup.

Make sure your device is compatible with the card. Some older electronics aren’t compatible with larger capacities, although in general Sony has been better with making these guys backward compatible than others.

It’s always a good idea to have several extra cards on hand just in case. This 4 GB card is a nice performer. If you have a high capacity camera (10 Megapixels or more) and are storing videos or RAW images, the extra cash for the 8GB card may be worth it if the price is right. Or you may want to step up to the larger 16 GB size that is now available. But if you wait a little longer you can save yourself some cash. I have to take off at least 1 star for value, but in terms of performance I couldn’t be happier.

Enjoy!

Review by John J. Robinson:

This 16GB Memory Stick Duo II card works great with the PSP portable gaming system. It comes pre-formatted, so all you have to do is stick it into your PSP and go. In fact, there is a picture of the PSP right on the packaging.

The usable space on this device is actually 14.9 GB, however.

The “Mark2″ certification on the card has to do with higher writing speed requirements and indicates the memory is certified to operate with AVCHD recording products.

Review by Jianyu Zhu:

I ordered this from [...] through Amazon for my SONY HDR CX100, worrying if it will provide enough speed for the 1080i HD. When I received the card, it actually has the MARK2 on it which means it is certified for the full HD 1080i!! (The Amazon product image does not have MARK2 on it)

I put it into the CX100 and it has not any problem in recording at HD FH (16M). For this price much lower than SONY’s own card, you can’t go wrong with it.

Review by B. Kessler:

I purchased the Lexar 8 GB Pro Stick Duo for my first-gen PSP, upgrading from a 1 GB Sony stick that I bought the year before. I paid the same price for both, which gives you an idea of what kind of price range you can expect from Sony to Lexar. I was just out today at an electronics store and saw 8 GB from Sandisk at nearly triple the price.

The Lexar Pro Stick Duo works precisely as you’d expect and want and there are no problems with it. It is a Magic Gate stick which supposedly means it transfers data faster; when I copied over my gig of data from the old stick to this new one it transferred in about two minutes.

Overall this is a great price for a stick with a lot of space, especially for a PSP. To give you an idea of how much space you might need, so far I’ve purchased Final Fantasy VII and VIII from the Playstation Network, which on the PSOne covered 7 discs, and it takes up around 3.5 GB. Most other PSOne games available for purchase run around 300-500 MB at a maximum, and many PSP games for download run under a gig. If you pick and choose the right games you could fit around 10 downloaded full games on this stick.

Review by Robert Kelly:

The Sony 8 GB Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX w/USB Adaptor (whew)…once you get past the naming conventions of Sony, it’s a great product. It writes somewhat faster which is good, but the transfer/download rate from the included USB adaptor is where it truly shines. If you have waited an interminable time for ordinary Memory Sticks to download photos, etc., you already know what I mean. I’ve only used it a short time, but wish I had also purchased the 16gb variety as well. Time is important…and simply waiting for stuph to happen, isn’t what you want or need to do.

In addition, having the included USB adaptor is fantastic. I also use it to store another 8 GB memory stick when not in use. You no longer have to have (or worry about) a plethora of other adaptors. Stick with this!

I use it for both HD video as well as still photos.

I recommend the Sony 8 GB Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX w/USB Adaptor without reservation. To Sony, however, make naming these memory sticks something that ordinary people can remember and deal with.

Review by DocRWM:

The new HG version of the Memory Stick Duo Pros has a faster read and write time and it shows on things like Burst mode for photos on some of the newer Sony cameras, in gaming with the handhelds, and in the newer video format for the cameras. Yes, it is pricey. However, when you need the higher read and write speed this card does the trick where no other will.

Review by sirrahs:

I purchased this so that I might not have to buy another memory stick ever for my PSP. It works well and I have lots of memory left over for pictures, saved games, pictures, music, etc.

Review by Jana Taylor:

I bought this memory stick for storing pictures and short movie clips on my Sony SteadyShot digital camera (DSC-T30B) and it can hold almost 1,200 photos at 7.2 megapixels. Impressive. I decided to take a movie on the camera to see how long it would let me film. I got bored after 11 minutes so I don’t know how much longer I could have gone. But 11 minutes is pretty good with a memory stick on a digital camera. I have no complaints with how much this little memory stick can hold, or with the quality.

Review by J. Sayson:

Excellent memory for the Sony digital camera. Works well enough that I can shoot in continuous mode, at up to 5 frames per second, and the memory card has no problems keeping up. Size is large enough to give “limitless” pictures, and video.

Review by K. G. Hornet:

The Pro-HG Duo HX Memory Stick works great with my new Sony HD AVCHD HandyCAM. Fast transfer rates and USB adapter make this the MS Stick of choice. At least for now.

Review by John:

I purchased my Sony MRW66E/H1/181 from “Tech For Less” as an open-item “used-like new”. I received the item shrink-wrapped in its original packaging which had indeed been open, however, the product did appear to be untouched (still even had the protective blue tape to shield it from scratches). Standard delivery arrived within a week.

Reason for my purchase:

I needed a reader/writer for an M2 card I bought for my phone (Adapter NOT included).

Details the seller failed to mention:

Memory Stick Micro (M2) is stated to be a supported memory card under the item’s Technical Details. However, as of 24 Jan 2010, what it fails to mention is that you need an adapter for your M2 card to be used as a Memory Stick Duo which the item does not include new or used. After reading the manual, the M2 card is the only card that requires an additional adapter which you can find here on amazon at nearly give-away prices.

Sandisk M2 (Memory Stick Micro) to PRO DUO Mobile Memory Adapter (Bulk Pack-Memory Card not included)

Conclusion:

Luckily, I own a 4gb Memory Stick Pro Duo card so I was able to test the reader/writer. Compared to my Sony MSAC-US40 which I’ve used for a few years, the Sony MRW66E seems to read (copy from it) just slightly faster and write (copy to it) just slightly slower to my Memory Stick Pro Duo card. I would like to test this item out with the supported HG cards because I hear those are much faster for reading and writing. Works just fine on my Mac OS 10.4.11. Supports Mac OS 10.2 or later as well as various Windows OSs. Also tested this item on Linux Mint 8 and it recognized my Memory Stick Pro Duo without any issues with both reading/writing.

Note: 4 stars was only because I need to buy a separate adaptor for my M2 card which could have easily been stated within the Item Description. Otherwise, this is a 5 star reader/writer and would not have a problem ordering from Tech for Less again.

Review by N. Gilbert:

I have been using this extensively and it has been working well. Works on all formats of Sony Memory Stick Duo.

Review by J. Romine:

If I were to have written a review when I first plugged these in, I would have given them 5 stars hands down. The sound is wonderful, the microphone and control works great, I was so happy with these. They really were great earphones.

Fast forward about a month, and like so many other reviews, they just stopped working. V-Moda seriously has an issue, it’s obvious in the reviews where people have had this product for a month or more, and their earphones just stop working. I was so disappointed, mostly because I really, really, REALLY loved these earphones. But if they just stop working, what good are they worth?

I would say that my usage was light, maybe I’d use them once or twice a week for a few hours at a time. I really am disappointed.

Review by James G. Driscoll:

I sure wish there were other options.

The sound is good, they fit comfortably. And they break like clockwork. I’m on my third set, and this is frankly getting old, especially at the price.

Review by Tek Know Wiz:

What is Amazon Vine and why do these reviewers write so much stuff without saying anything? This review is for people who want to know only one thing: Does this device actually survive a disk failure? The answer is Yes.

My sister recently lost 2 of her external USB hard drives. She had to pay 00 to a data recovery company to retrieve her data. I figure that 0 for a Netgear ReadyNAS Duo is small change, if it actually did what it claimed to do, which is survive a disk crash. The only way to know was to test it out.

I have about 40 GB worth of MP3 files stored on my Linux server, accessible to my Windows laptop using Samba as a network shared folder.

From my Windows laptop, I started copying the MP3 files into the \media share folder on the Duo. Over gigabit ethernet, I estimated a transfer speed of about 15-20 MB/second. More than I expected, considering the weak processing power of the embedded Linux computer on the Duo, and because there are 2 concurrent network copies going on, from Linux to Windows, then from Windows to Netgear. Gigabit ethernet is awesome.

While the copy was in progress, I inserted a second 750 GB hard disk (a Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 series if you are curious; my Duo came with one 500 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 installed) into the second slot. The Netgear recognized it and started to incorporate it into the RAID system in 2 steps: first, format the drive (an ext3 Linux filesystem I think), took about 2.5 hours; second, synchronize the data from the first disk to the second disk, took another 2.5 hours. During this time, the 40 GB MP3 file transfer continued without a hitch.

Next, I configured the Duo to enable NFS (Network File System) and mounted the /media folder onto my Linux box. Now I had access to both the original and the copy on the Duo. I ran a “diff -r” command to do a recursive binary diff between the two directories. Came out perfect, no file corruptions.

I went back to my Windows laptop, and started another 40 GB copy of my MP3 files to the Duo. While the write was in progress, I _removed_ the 500 GB disk. The Duo detected a disk failure within a few seconds, and sent off a notification email to my GMail account, warning me of a disk failure. You can configure the notification email address to send the message to, say, your SMS on your mobile phone. As before, the MP3 copy to the Duo continued without a burp.

I then inserted a second 750 GB drive into the first slot, while the copying was still in progress. The Duo formatted and synchronized the new disk, and after about 5-6 hours, I once again had a fully redundant RAID system. Did another ‘diff -r’ just to make sure the data was not corrupted. None found.

When upgrading from a single 500 GB to dual 750 GB disks, the proprietary Netgear X-RAID filesystem makes the process as painless as possible. After both disks are formatted and synchronized, all you need to do is click on a button in the admin web interface (don’t remmeber the exact wording, something like “Expand Volume”) to take advantage of the bigger disks.

In conclusion, I tested the Netgear Duo through a simulated hard disk crash and hot-swapping disk upgrade, and found that it performed perfectly, did not corrupt the files which were being written to it during the process. The Duo performs reasonably well (15-20 MB/sec write speed over gigabit ethernet) and costs only about 0, far cheaper than what you’d pay to recover your data after your disk crashes. It has an impressive list of other useful features (USB backup, USB printer, NFS, Rsync, FTP, Bittorrent, etc) that you can read about in other reviews. The most important question for me was, will it survive a disk crash? I won’t know for sure until a disk really does crash, but based on my testing, I think the answer is Yes.

Review by Stefan Brunner:

The Netgear ReadyNAS Duo appears to based on the old UltraSPARC architecture, complemented with a SATA controller. It runs Debian for SPARC and Netgear permits root access to the box to install whatever you want. The box is quiet nice. It does Netgear’s own proprietary XRAID mirroring (but not RAID 0). XRAID apparently allows the automatic upgrade to more then two drives, if you would use it in a Netgear box, which supports more then two drives. Unlike with other home office NAS, the firmware is saved in a flash and not on the drives itself. The drives are hot swappable and rebuild themselves automatically unlike with many other personal NAS products. The NAS can share directories via CIFS, NFS, AFP, and HTTP. It also can do FTP and TFTP, which comes in handy in the lab. The ReadyNAS comes with a print server, which is useless as it does not support bi-directional communication, required by most printers these days. You can also share USB 2.0 HD or flash drives, which the ReadyNAS will make available as a share. It can be configured via the WebUI or via standard Linux CLI at your own risk.

It comes with some “services” pre installed: iTunes server, Logitech Squeezecenter, and industry standard Home Media Streaming server and UPnP AV server. It features the BitTorrent server and some proprietary photo sharing server. Since it is Linux you can run your own Webserver. Apache is preinstalled and Netgear tells you how can activate it via CLI you. You can also use it as DNS or DHCP server but you need to install it via CLI yourself. I would be careful to activate too many services as those tax CPU of course. It is a server, but by modern standards a small one. Performance is decent though.

I notice some time lack when opening a file but read and writes are just under 9 MB/s, just about under 100Mbps Ethernet. Writes are a bit slower when journaling is turned on. You can also turn off journaling and connect the box to an UPS. It works with the newer home and commercial APC UPS with USB port. You have granular control over rights and quotas in the framework of the EXT Linux file system. You can manage those rights via the WebUI or the good old Unix way via CLI.

The most important application for me is the built-in backup. It does RSYNC, FTP, HTTP, NFS and a CIFS based clientless backup. You only need to share your files on your notebook/desktop/server, and it will diff it every night and you do not have to worry to loose any files in case your HD should crash. I am still backing up to DVD on regular intervals.

Basically it is Linux server, based in the UltraSPAR, a top of the line server technology 10 years ago. It is better then just building a Linux server, because the box is small, cheap, and only uses up 20W opposed to 200W or more of a real server, which makes a difference when it runs 24/7. The box is slightly larger the two 3.5″ HDs stacked. The ReadyNAS is very quiet. When it first was formatting the drives the fan ran at full speed and was noisy but then they slowed down to 1500 RPM and you hardly can hear it. The box stays cool. Most people will not use the Linux CLI but rather the intuitive and easy WebUI.

It is cheaper to build your own then by the loaded version. Believe it or not the 500GB version is cheaper then the on without drives. I configured the system with mirrored 1TB drives:

- Netgear ReadyNAS RND-2150

- 2x Seagate ST31000340AS

- Crucial CT12864X335 1GB RAM

- APC Back-UPS ES BE750G

The ReadyNAS is reportedly very picky on hardware combinations and you need to check Netgear’s hardware compatibility list.

Review by J. Y. Huang:

I bought this for my PSP to put some movies on it. Let’s just say it does its job perfectly. After reading reviews from some of the gaming websites, SanDisk memory sticks actually outperform the Sony ones…(how ridiculous)

The great thing is the memory stick pro duo adapter is also included, so if you ever need to use it on another Sony product, the memory stick duo could work.

On a 2gb stick, I was able to put a high quality full length movie on it. Who needs to buy UMD movies anyways?

Review by Rolando Rodas:

If you’re looking for a PSP Memory stick, you should buy this one; not only for its good price, but also for its capacity and for being made for an excellent company: Sandisk.

Lets say it does the job perfectly. No problems with my PSP so far.

Another neat plus was that it comes with an MS Pro adaptor, so if you have a PC with a slot for MS Pro, you dont have to worry about buying an USB cable for the PSP, and you can also use them on cameras that use MS Pro.

Great product, highly recommended!

Review by Lee Bais:

This CPU runs very fast and yet cool with my XFX 750i MB. I haven’t OC’d it yet but it has plenty of power running at stock speed. It’s a pretty old CPU but still runs faster than some of the new Core 2 Duo out there. If you are on a limited budget but still wants some power in your CPU, this is the one for you. I highly recommend it to others.

Review by Harold Corley:

Nothing to complain about with this product. For a 2.93 Core 2 Duo, speed kills!

Review by Kristen Davidson:

I bought this to use with my Sony Cybershot T30. I’ll admit I was scared from some of the reviews, but bought it anyway. It arrived in “bulk packaging,” meaning the small plastic case the adapter comes in, inside a huge bubble wrap envelope (no box or cardboard backing included). I put my 4GB microSD card inside the adapter, put the adapter in the camera, and my camera turned on and recognized the newly upgraded GBs! This adapter works properly and securely. I frequently take out the microSD card out of the adapter (to put it into my comp) and put it back in. The adapter is durable. This bulk packaging adapter (and microSD card) has saved tons over expensive memory stick pro duo cards. I’ve had no issues. I highly recommend it.

Review by R. Reese:

I bought this Item to use with my PsP. It is true the PsP will not format the cards in this adapter however you can use your PC to format the cards.(I have tried with a 8gb and 2gb micro SD card). Just Copy and paste your folders on to the card. Your PsP will now read it. Put all your Pictures, saves and movies, etc and enjoy.

NOTE: you need a way for your PC to read Memory Card DUO’s like a multi card reader to make this work.