I think this would be brilliant in conjunction with MS' Surface product.. Bin Bluetooth (or not), and use UWB to move things from one device to another, or for streaming on the 'surface' device.

Brilliant. It would also have a slight security measure where it doesn't broadcast your device to 100m.

Like it, carry on!

We don't want Sony's products either

.

Sony seem to be wedded to their proprietary standards when most other manufacturers tend to use more open ones. Look at Sony's professional DSLRs, which have a slot for CF cards and a MemoryStick Duo slot that no professional photog would ever use. Same with their MP3 players, where you have to use Sony's own software, where most ofthers will let you use their devices as a plain vanilla UMS device. It's such a shame, because Sony's hardware is pretty good. At the end of the day it's all about money and maintaining consumer loyalty, though - get you hooked on Sony gear, when you want to go elsewhere for your electronics, you find they're not compatible so you have to stick with Sony.

sounds just like a wireless memorystick ie. does everything other formats (CF, SD) already do but has "added value" (err sony patents)...

can i have mine with a drm rootkit, pleez

UWB is a generic term for a type of modulation. Transferjet is a consortium of companies looking to standardise a particular implementation of UWB. It isn't a proprietary alternative to UWB. Bluetooth and Wimedia are the same basic idea: companies ganging together to standardise ideas. This is a Good Thing (tm).

While we're being pedantic, Wimedia only specifies up to the MAC layer, and wireless USB sits on top of the same MAC and PHY. The distinction between peer-to-peer and star formations is nonsense, ...

Actually ... let's save some typing: this article is a babbling brook of technical illiteracy. Has somebody's Sony laptop just bluescreened while they were downloading the latest series of the Gadget Show?

Like they did with Minidisc? Or IBM did with MCA or OS2 .

People don't want a custom dock for their cameras they want something that just works with anything.

Add in that compact digital cameras are going the way of the PDA and being merged into phones and I think Sony needs to stop sniffing the printer toner.

"Sony" and "Proprietary" in the same sentence?

I'm shocked!

/Paris - because her developments are open to all.

Now lets hope they keep doing this useless "research", and waste all their time and money on things that are already out there in some shape or form, because eventually they should do themselves a mischief and die a painfully slow death, hopefully sooner rather than later....

As you can tell, not a fan of sony! :) PS3 is probably the only thing I would consider buying of theirs these days, and when shops bump UP the prices in the sales from December, why the f*ck would I bother??

Fanboy disclaimer: I already have a 360, had a Wii, got a DS, have an iPhone, have a samsung TV, have a macbook pro, an ACER Aspire, a HP Desktop, have multiple XP/Vista/Linux/OSX installs, and wanted HDDVD to win, and drive a Ford Focus.... thought it might be needed before the fanboys start telling me I'm wrong for considering getting a ps3, or that I'm a m$ whore, or an Apple whore, or a Sony hater.... well, that last one is true....

Why do Sony persist in coming up with proprietary protocols/interfaces/etc which no-one else in the world uses? When I was looking for a new mobile last year, I ditched the Sony ones simply because they used Sony memory cards (which I'd have to buy) and not micro-SD (which I already had).

Vendor lock-in sucks.

"an increasingly desperate research team at Sony with a technology no one wants"

Sounds like pretty much anything Sony makes anymore, and I am guessing that if this shit ever does hit the fan (consumer market), it will cost an arm, a leg, and both testicles...

Paris, 'cause she isn't cheap either...

'sony rallies chums round proprietary standard.'

Surely that should be 'sony rallies chums *a*round prop...' I'm not normally this pedantic but come on el reg this is in the heading.

Must try harder

They should ban Sony from introducing any new standards until they can demonstrate they understand the existing ones. I just got a new Sony Ericsson mobile, only to discover that the data cable on their latest range can't be used through a standard USB hub. Pathetic...

what's the obsession about Sony and locking you in,

my Walkman drag and drop ships with WM 11 but works with itunes

my HDD/DVD recorder has a USB with pictbridge and works with any camera or any drag and drop MP3 player

my TV has a USB which works nicely with my micro SD card in a USB adaptor to show photos and mp3s from my HTC touch pro (see I'm not a total Sony Fanboi)

or the dSLR which has a CF slot as opposed to a SD card which would mean my microdrive wouldn't fit

so tied me in rigtly there haven't they!

Why?

LOL, I just love the totally uneducated comments....

Firstly, Sony Walkmans havn't relied on Sony software for some time, they are MTP devices. You can drag/drop from explorer, use Linux or WMP11.

Doesn't everthing initially start as a Proprietary standards?

I mean come on, didn't Sony's other inventions, like CD and 1.44 Floppy disc start off as Proprietary, until they gained mass acceptance.

The fact that Toshiba have learnt their less speaks volumes. The Sony hate here is laughable, people really do cut off of their noses to spite their faces. I know so called "AV enthusiasts" that havn't bought Blu-Ray because it's Sony. Clearly they actually care about quality, they care about politics.

Philips invented the CD.

Much as I like Sony stuff, their habit of going all proprietry has annoyed me enough that my next point-and-shoot camera won't be one of theirs. I got caught out by one of their MicroMV camcorders (I should have done more research on that one) and the ever increasing amount of storage that calls itself Memory Stick is getting a bit confusing; Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Micro aka M2. It also doesn't help when most things will fit in an original Memory Stick slot (maybe with adaptor) but wether they work or not is a different matter.

Mind you, much as I'd like to say something about having a bit more of a standard like SD, we have SDHC, mini SD and micro SD, then various bastardisations on a theme like MMC.

@Sam Turner Worse. Twice in the middle of a firmware transfer to a controller, the vaio i had bluescreened and scrapped the controllers. had to send the processors back to factory for repairs.Crestron controllers are very expensive and this is unacceptable. That vaio is now used for unimportant mail and web stuff.

For the rest : trust Sony to make the wrong moves. I stay away from them.But on a lighter note. I have a portable 7 transistor Sony AM radio dating back to early 60's and it still works very well. Much of their professional stuff i work with is top notch. Yes they do have a bunch of stuff they invented and still do. Yes as a company ( service and sales ) they do suck , big time ( selling direct to important clients after a company made the sale , happened in Canada ) and all round being hard to deal with.But their equipment works and broadcast would be in shit without them. So ..

Though they are highly dislikeable , they do make stuff work.Proprietary or not if it works , people will buy it. Not because it's a Sony , simply because it works.People need simplicity, Auntie Clarice dosen't see the difference between an open and a shared proprietary standard.

All in all , i don't need it so why should i care ? :) Time for a few pints at the bar

Ric

Both Philips and Sony actually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Disc

The point remains, everything is Proprietary until it gains acceptance. Is Blu-Ray Proprietary? of course it's not...

It's laughable how people have been brainwashed into thinking Sony produce Proprietary products.

The fact is, They make a format, if others don't want to join up, and do their own thing, that's their problem, should Sony just turn around and give in?

More often that not, the formats that Sony come up with are superior to what others are peddling anyway. Look at HD DVD vs Blu-ray, the superior format won out, it's a Sony tech and it's a quick look at CES this year will confirm it's far from Proprietary.

In other words, it's only Proprietary, because other companies are too up their own asses, or have invested their cash in their OWN Proprietary formats to join Sony.

But Ta Ta.

Oh and you can shove blue ray where there ain't no rays

"More often that not, the formats that Sony come up with are superior to what others are peddling anyway. Look at HD DVD vs Blu-ray, the superior format won out"

Oh you did not just say that.... you filthy son of a b*tch! lol

Proprietary is one thing - one can maybe live with that IF the product actually works. Unfortunately Sony has the terrible habit of always, really always, of correctly implementing even the most stupid and corrupt DRM in exactly the way the exploiting b*stard lawyers asked for!!

"They make a format, if others don't want to join up, and do their own thing, that's their problem, should Sony just turn around and give in?"

Well, yes.

What if Sony wanted to use 87V 100Hz mains frequencies. Should we allow them or tell Sony to get with the bloody program?

What if they used a three-bladed screw head (half way between phillips and flat screwdriver) and their own thread pitch, should we just accept that we must allow this new standard.

PS look up what "propriatory" means. It means "their own personal format". So why the LOL? Humour unit broken?

Quote: "Anyone posting here about Sony is clearly ... being paid to post this crap."

IRONY!

Including you?

Thinking back, seems to me that BetaMax FLOPPED!

One day I spent over $200.00 on a sound card that 2 months after I bought it, Sony DISABLED IT. (the wonders of the internet) and why so many people IGNORE "URGENT UPDATES".

Then there is the $300.00 Mini-Disc recorder that ceased to function for 2 years,

'cause $ony was TOO LAZY to enable their code to work with Vista, Like the OS was unexpected.

And then how 'bout a ROOTKIT....

Throw in some DRM,

AND YOU HAVE THE REASON(S)...

"I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SONY PRODUCT"

PS: You can put M$ & $ony in the same s(t)inking boat, and set them afloat

& not showing what's in the pocket of the coat...what's that a drill and sawdust?

Blub,Blub,Blub....