X-bit labs

27 Card Readers Roundup (page 3)

Category: Multimedia

by Aleksey Meyev

[ 03/23/2008 | 11:11 AM ]

HIGHPAQ CRM-E002

This card-reader looks very much alike to the Apacer AM300 and even more imposing due to its cute metallic surface but the assembly quality is depressing. The internals are installed awry making it difficult to insert a card into the SD slot. I was also confused at unexplainable problems with cables: the device would not be identified on its native cord as well as many other cables. It only worked with certain USB cables I had. Inside it I found a NeoDio ND3260 chip with firmware 02.00. This rarity absolutely refused to work with SDHC cards.

Pretec e-Disk II

As opposed to most other models in this review, this reader is very compact but only supports MMC and SD formats and does not support SDHC. It looks like a USB flash drive that opens to reveal the USB connector. It is pretty, original, small and handy. The reader is based on an Alcor Micro AU6332 chip with firmware 1.13. We tested this model some time ago but with different cards.

SanDisk Extreme USB

This model is rather new in SanDisk’s product range and one of the fastest among USB-interfaced models. It lacks an SM card slot but supports SDHC. The case with sharp angles differs from other models, yet it is nothing fundamentally new: it’s got card slots in one butt-end and a mini-USB connector in the other. Unfortunately, it is impossible to find out the chip model in SanDisk’s devices.

SanDisk ImageMate 12 in 1

As opposed to the previous model, this one has four card slots and supports all formats including SDHC. It has a remarkable design: you can connect the card-reader with an ordinary cord using the mini-USB connector on its butt-end or you can install it onto a neat stand that has a USB plug inside. Another distinguishing feature of this card-reader is the button on its surface that can be pressed to copy files to the PC (you need to install special software for that feature to work).

SanDisk MicroMate

Yet another example of the minimalistic trend, this device is but slightly larger than SDHC and MMC cards it can work with. One of its butt-ends is entirely occupied by a card slot, and the other offers a full-size USB connector. So, you can just plug this card-reader into a USB port of your PC. This model is supplied with SanDisk cards but can also be seen selling in retail.

SanDisk USB

This is yet another rather old model from SanDisk differing from the other card-readers in design. The single slot on the butt-end of the silvery plastic case supports MMC/SD (alas, without support for SDHC) and MS cards. Unfortunately, this reader can only work with full-size MS cards while their reduced-size versions go so deep into the slot that you may not pull them out afterwards. Unlike the other card-readers, this one connects to the PC by means of a full-size B-type USB connector. Of course, it offers the quick copy button we’ve seen on the SanDisk Image Mate 12 in 1.