187x faster than Bluetooth: Sony preps TransferJet-compatible devices

DSC-TX7_sony

TransferJet is a close-proximity wireless transfer technology Sony introduced in 2008. The idea is to let two electronic devices quickly exchange data (theoretically at up to 560 Mbps) just by bringing them close together (touch is possible, too). By way of comparison: The data transfer rate for Bluetooth Version 2.0 + EDR stands at just 3 Mbps.

Toshiba announced during IFA in Berlin last year they are planning to use the technology in their products soon. And now Sony made its move, too (if you don’t count the TransferJet-compatible LSI Sony announced in November).

The company is preparing a number of computers and digital cameras that support TransferJet, enabling users to transfer data between these devices as long as they are no more than 3cm apart (Bluetooth: about 10m). Sony made several big product announcements yesterday in Tokyo, but Sony’s American website shows that some devices featuring Transferjet actually will be available in the US earlier than in Japan.

Sony already lists the DSC-TX7 (pictured above) in their American online store for $400 (to be shipped on January 25), while the DSC-HX5V will set you back $350 and will be available from March 15 in the US (in Japan, both models will go on sale next month). An 8GB Memory Stick with TransferJet is listed in Sony’s American online store for $100 (release date in the US: February 8).

America will also get TransferJet-compatible Sony notebooks (Vaio F series) soon, it seems. This model, the VPCF11MFX, for example, is already listed and has a price tag of $1,720 but lacks a release date as of this writing (in Japan, a total of three Vaio F computers will hit stores as early as this Saturday).