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Sony unveils contactless data transfer kit

Japan launch shows how TransferJet will debut here

Sony's TransferJet moved a step closer to UK gadget lovers' mitts yesterday when the company launched the first memory card to contain the near-field communications data-exchange technology.

Alas, the MS-JX8G will - initially at least - only be available in Japan, but it shows how Sony plans to bring the technology to market.

The Memory Stick contains 8GB of storage in addition to TransferJet. Sony will also offer a USB-connected reader that can grab content off the card and send it to a PC.

Sony anticipates users will plug the MS-JX8G into a handful of Cyber-shot cameras also launched in Japan yesterday. TransferJet can exchange data at a rate running up to 560Mb/s, though the reader will clearly top out at USB 2.0's 480Mb/s.

TransferJet was announced in 2008. It operates in the 4.48GHz band to link just two devices for data exchange. Files are swapped using a simple, universal UI and activated, Sony said, by bringing one gadget to within 3cm of the other.

Sony began shipping TransferJet chips in November 2009.

The MS-JX8G and the TJS-1 reader both go on sale in Japan on 5 February. Sony didn't provide a price for the Memory Stick, but the reader will cost ¥14,910 (£101). ®

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