The main difference between flash drive and memory stick is that the flash drive is an ultra-portable storage device with an integrated USB interface while the memory stick is a portable flash memory storage device used with handheld devices.
Both flash drive and memory stick are storage devices. A flash drive is a good alternative to floppy drives, CD, and DVDs. It is possible to transfer data using a flash drive. It is also rewritable boundlessly. On the other hand, the memory stick is a removable flash memory card launched by Sony in late 1998. It has multiple variants. Memory Stick Duo Media, Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo HX are some of them. Even though people mainly refer the memory stick as a memory card of Sony, some users refer to the memory stick as a flash drive.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Flash Drive
– Definition, Features
2. What is Memory Stick
– Definition, Features
3. Difference Between Flash Drive and Memory Stick
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Flash Drive, Memory Stick, Pen Drive, Thumb Drive
What is Flash Drive
A flash drive is a small ultra-portable storage device. The other names for flash drive are pen drive and thumb drive. They are portable, removable and rewriteable; these are the main advantages of a flash drive. Flash drives can have different storage capacities such as 4GB, 8GB to 64GB.
Figure 2: USB Flash Drive
How to Use a Flash Drive
When you connect the flash drive to a free USB port in the computer, the computer will alert that the flash drive is ready to use . Then, the user can open and view the files in it. It is possible to copy files to the flash drive and use them in some other computer. Students can transfer lecture notes to a flash drive to get printouts using a printer in a different location. An employee can copy a presentation into the flash drive and insert it into the office computer to do the presentation. Those are a few examples of using flash drives in daily life.
What is Memory Stick
A memory stick is a removable flash memory card developed by Sony in 1998. The company used memory sticks for various products including digital cameras, handy cams, and digital camcorders and Play Stations.
The main use of the memory stick is as a storage media for portable devices. The Sony digital compact camera uses a memory stick to store images. A user can copy the images stored in the Sony digital camera to a computer using a memory stick-capable memory card reader. They usually add this memory stick reader hardware to most of their electronic products such as digital cameras, digital music players, cellular phones, PlayStation Portable, etc.
There are variations in a memory stick. The Memory Stick Duo Media (MSH- M128A) can store images and MP3 files. It has 128MB storage capacity. It has minimum 16MB/s data writing speed. It is an ultra-lightweight design.
Figure 1: Memory Stick Duo
The Memory Stick Pro Duo (MSMT4G) has a 4GB storage capacity and has a minimum write speed of 4MB/s. It is a perfect option to store and transfer high-resolution images and videos. It has a 1920 x 1080 AVCHD recording capability. Moreover, there are 16GB and 32GB Memory Stick Pro Duos available in the market.
Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo HX (MSHX series) helps to save images, videos and gaming progress. It has minimum 15MB/s write speed. It contains a new HX intelligent flash memory controller to ensure reliable data transferring at a higher speed. Those are few variants of available memory sticks.
Difference Between Flash Drive and Memory Stick
Definition
A flash drive is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface while a Memory Stick is a type of portable flash memory storage appliance, typically, used with handheld devices.
Usage
A flash drive is an ultra-portable storage device that allows data or file transfer. The memory stick is mainly used as a storage media for portable devices.
Conclusion
Flash drive and memory stick are popular storage devices. The difference between flash drive and memory stick is that the flash drive is an ultra-portable storage device with an integrated USB interface while a memory stick is a portable flash memory storage device used with handheld devices.
Reference:
1. Fisher, Tim. “What Is a Flash Drive?” Lifewire, Available here.
2. “Memory Stick.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 July 2018, Available here.
3. “Memory Cards.” Sony Corporation of America: Sony DADC Announces Launch of U.S. Blu-Ray Disc Production, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “264949” (CC0) via Pexels
2. “Sony Memory Stick MSH Series” By Leo13 – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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