CES 2010: Sony abandons opposition to SD card format

Sony will add SD compatibility to its Cyber-shot and Handy-Cam ranges

LAS VEGAS: Sony has ended its long-standing opposition to the SD format of removable media.

Speaking at CES 2010 in Las Vegas, the company said that it will add compatibility with the storage standard into its Cyber-shot and Handy-Cam video camera range this year. It will, however, still develop the memory stick format.

"It's all about providing consumers with choice," said Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics. "We will continue to develop the Memory Stick range."

The new card slots have been designed to take memory stick and SD cards in a single slot, so as not to increase the bulk of the cameras.

Glasgow also demonstrated a new technology for sending images wirelessly between cameras, dubbed TransferJet. This allows cameras to exchange pictures at 802.211n speeds while being held in close proximity.

Sony said that 40 companies had signed up to use the TransferJet system, and that the technology will be incorporated into Sony's Vaio range and its line of digital picture frames. The first two Sony products to carry the system are the Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V and DSC-TX7.

Sony is also building GPS into the DSC-HX5V, which ships in March, as well as an onboard compass.

"It makes it easy to remember where you took you photos and, using Google Earth, place them on the map and share with friends and family," Glasgow said.

The company is also touting its green credentials, with a new Sony Vaio partially made from recycled CDs and other plastics. Around 20 per cent of the Sony Vaio W Eco Edition netbook will come from recycled sources, including a recycled plastic case. The devices are shipped without an instruction manual to save paper.

Glasgow said that Sony had recycled more than 24.5 million pounds of electronic waste since 2007. The company is committed to lowering the power consumption of its products by 35 per cent from 2008 levels by 2016, and to cut emissions from its plants by 39 per cent over the same period.