TransferJet: Sony's answer to wireless USB

LAS VEGAS--Sony's got its own solution for shuttling data wirelessly.

TransferJet, a technology under development at the Japanese electronics giant, passes data between cameras, cell phones, video cameras, and other devices at 375 megabits per second (sustained) to 500 megabits per second (optimal). The idea behind TransferJet is to let people swap music or photos without worrying about wires.

While the technology functions like a wireless USB cable, it is an entirely new technology, Sony said.

Want to give someone a video clip from your camera? Just stick it next to a phone with TransferJet embedded in it and press go. The file swaps over. Sony unveiled the technology for the first time during a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show taking place here this week.

The technology, moreover, is somewhat insulated from privacy concerns because the two devices can only be 1.75 inches away from each other for the connection to work. Someone would have to snuggle up awfully close to extract the contact list from your phone.

TransferJet in action

(Credit: Michael Kanellos )

It could also be embedded into kiosks so shoppers could download songs at a record store. In the picture, the video camera sits on a large TransferJet module. But when it comes out in products, cameras and whatnot will just speak directly (albeit wirelessly.)

Randy Waynick, senior vice president of marketing at Sony Electronics, tried to demonstrate it during the press conference and it failed to work. The TransferJet stations at the Sony booth, however, worked fine. Sony showed a TransferJet-enabled video camera sending video to a PC and a camera sending photos to a PC. It was the coolest new thing in the Sony booth.

Ultimately, Sony hopes to embed TransferJet into products. The company has not announced a schedule to put it into products yet.

[Vonmaxx]

Great for file sharing

We can use it to swap music files between MP3 players.

[Galaxy5]

God, I hope not...

Another proprietary standard we don't need...have they submitted
it to ISO yet?

[msimoens]

We already have it don't we?

Is this not the same as what Bluetooth can do? It's great that they
are trying to get rid of wires but just stick with Bluetooth!

[meh130]

Great! Another proprietary format from Sony

I love my Sony TV. But I will never use the memory stick slot.

I really wish Sony would get behind and support broad based standards and formats.

[Sergio526]

This is a bit different than Bluetooth. The way you pair devices is you put them in discovery mode and you touch them together (getting them within 2mm of eachother). This is the first I've read about the devices needing to be and inch and 3/4 from eachother in order to transfer, but I might have missed that in my other readings.