Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : WDC/Sandisk Corporation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve 667 who wrote (18296)	1/18/2001 7:50:07 AM
From: Ausdauer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 60323

Steve, SDMI I agree with you that simplicity sells and unnecessary complexity can doom a consumer electronics product. The notion of creating an initiative to satisfy the needs of a manufacturer (the music industry), but not the desires of the target consumer population is simply illogical. The SD card was designed to satisfy the SDMI. Eli said the initial adopters of the technology will probably elect to have the security features switched off. The SDMI needs a viable, easy-to-use system for copyright protection. The check-in/check-out system or a complex encryption scheme is destined to fail. Consumers will simply reject this type of control. Teenagers will continue to freely distribute content. Last I heard there was 140 million registered users of Instant Messaging that AOL invented. 140 million. They are going to buy devices based on the Diamond Rio! model or hopefully even PDA's with both gaming and music capability and bypass the SDMI totally. Bluetooth Yes, I scoffed at Sony's latest invention. I still have a hard time imagining how it will be used. For example, would you take the Memory Stick card out of your digital camera in order to plug in a Bluetooth card so that your camera can talk to your phone which is then wirelessly connected to your home PC or your ISP for on-the-spot uploading of files? Would you connect your digital camera to a friend's camera so that you could stay 10 meters apart and still share files? I mean, it just sounds ridiculous. Until somebody can show that Bluetooth is simple, enabling, practical, reliable and cost-effective I will personally avoid it. Bluetooth, like any other high tech creation, needs a killer app. Right now I don't know what that is. For the time being I am stuck with my flash cards and my faithful $20 SanDisk ImageMate that I installed more than two and a half years ago. It has worked flawlessly from day one. And that is a tough act to follow. I hope Sony bleeds red ink on its Memory Stick R&D, marketing and production. It is a duplicative standard that has not extended beyond the Sony home office. I suspect that many people would buy a Sony digicam with a CompactFlash or Smart Media card anyway, as long as the Sony label was still on the hardware. Now Sony has to encourage others to make expansion modules that will be limited to the installed base of Sony products. OK, that is nothing to scoff at, but it could have been much simpler if companies like Sony and Handspring had considered available options rather than reinventing the wheel. All IMHO. Ausdauer