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Memory Stick is a format for removable flash memory data storage devices, created by Sony as an alternative to CompactFlash and SmartMedia for use in their own devices.
The original standard was about twice as long as MMC and slighty wider, which Sony advertising describes as "about the size of a stick of gum". It has since been joined by a smaller standard, Memory Stick Duo, which is half as long.
The original Memory Stick interface can only address 128MB of memory physically. This led to the introduction of Memory Stick PRO variant with faster transfer speeds and a capacity of 256MB and higher. likewise, there's a Memory Stick Duo PRO with the faster speed and higher capacity but the same smaller form factor as Memory Stick Duo.
In typical use Memory Stick is used as a storage media on a portable device, and the contents are then transferred to a computer. Since Sony is a major copyright holder in the music industry, they later added an encryption system, MagicGate, in order to block moving content between more than one computer.
For example, a digital camera will store images onto a memory stick. The memory stick may be removed and plugged into a computer or printer with an appropriate slot so the images may be transferred to the computer or printed. However if the content was written to the Memory Stick using software aware of MagicGate (like music "burning" software), that content cannot then be moved to another machine.
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Specifications
Standard transfer speeds
max write speed - 14.4 Mbps (1.8 MB/s)
max read speed - 19.6 Mbps (2.5 MB/s)
PRO transfer speeds
Transfer: 160 Mbps (20 MB/s)
Minimum write speed: 15 Mbps
Form Factors
Standard: : 50.0 mm (W) x 21.5 mm (H) x 2.8 mm (D)
Duo: 31.0 mm (W) x 20.0 mm (H) x 1.6 mm (D)
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