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Sony has set a July 20 launch date for its tiny Memory Stick Duo flash memory cards, but NTT DoCoMo will ship a combined mobile phone and digital camera with an 8MB version of the card on July 15.

The Memory Stick Duo, which is about half the weight of a standard Memory Stick, will come with an adapter allowing it to be used in slots intended for its larger cousin.

When the Duo is launched in Japan on July 20, the suggested retail price for a 16MB card will be around $24, Sony spokesperson Saori Takahashi says Friday. A standard 16MB Memory Stick sells for under $17 in Japan.

The first device to use the Duo will be one of NTT DoCoMo's latest "I-shot" mobile phones, the D251i from Mitsubishi Electric. It goes on sale bundled with an 8MB Memory Stick Duo on July 15, NTT DoCoMo says in a statement. NTT DoCoMo's I-shot mobile phones are equipped with a built-in-digital still camera, so that users can take pictures and send them by e-mail.

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Although no date has been set for the launch of the Memory Stick Duo outside Japan, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications is planning to include a Duo card slot in its forthcoming P800 mobile phone for GSM networks, according to a Sony Ericsson statement. GSM networks operate in countries on five continents, but not in Japan.

The P800 will ship, with a 16MB Duo card and adapter, in the third quarter this year, according to the statement. The phone will ship first in Europe, and the company is also considering shipping it to North America and Asia, a company source says.

The new 16MB Memory Stick Duo card measures .79 inches by 1.22 inches by .06 inches, about one-third the size of a standard Memory Stick. The Memory Stick Duo will be smaller than flash memory card competitors such as Secure Digital cards and Multimedia Cards.

Sony plans to develop 32MB Duo cards soon, but has not decided when, Takahashi says.

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