Some Vaios, Clies Can't Use New Memory Sticks

Three models of Memory Stick Pro memory card recently launched by Sony and one to be released Friday won't work with some of the company's Vaio desktop computers, Sony says.

The announcement is the second admission within a week from the company that a new version of one of its products isn't completely backward compatible. Late last week, Sony Computer Entertainment, the Sony division responsible for the PlayStation game console, said that a new version of the PlayStation 2 due on sale in Japan on November 23 has problems running almost 50 existing software titles.

Systems Affected

The problem with the memory cards concerns the MSX-M1GST, 1BG Memory Stick Pro Duo card; the MSX-2GS, a 2GB Memory Stick Pro card; the MSX-M2GS, a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card; and the PSP-MP1G, a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card, Sony said in a statement. The PSP-MP1G is scheduled to go on sale in Japan on Friday branded for use with the PlayStation Portable while the two 2GB cards were released September 9.

The cards won't work with the internal Memory Stick readers in several models of Vaio computer and users should either use an external reader or lower capacity cards, the company said. The affected computers are the Vaio type V, models VGC-V202RB, V202, V201, V172B, V172EB, V172S, V171B and V171; Vaio type M, models VGC-M50B/S, M30B/W, M30/W and M70/W; and Vaio P, model PCV-P101. The problem also affects some models sold in Europe.

They also won't work with 13 models of Clie PDA: the PEG-VZ90, UX50, NX80V, NX73V, NZ90, NX70V, NX60, TH55, TH55DK, TJ37, TJ25, TG50, and the PEGA-VR100K. All of the PDAs are based on version 5 of the Palm operating system.

Internal Changes are Culprit

The compatibility problems stem from changes in the internal components used inside of the cards, said Daichi Yamafuji, a Sony spokesperson in Tokyo.

Sony launched its Memory Stick Pro at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2003. At the time the company said the format specified versions of the card up to 32GB and also said a 2GB card was being developed.

The computers that have problems reading the cards were on sale in Japan at various times between late 2003 and late 2004.