Handy piece of equipment. Recommended for PPC users
Written: Oct 25 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Compact form, versatility, ease of setup and operation.
Cons: Slots are not labeled on the unit itself. Slot-to-drive assignment takes some getting used to.
The Bottom Line: Recommended for camera and PPC users for easy transferring of files (no Active Sync connection required for PPC)
|
|
|
| sidraw1's Full Review: Belkin (F5U248) Card Reader |
If you are like me, you probably have more than one type of compact memory card floating around. This small device allows you to read 8 different types (CompactFlash Type I, CompactFlash Type II, IBM MicroDrive, SecureDigital, MultiMediaCard, Smart Media, Sony Memory Stick, and MagicGate).
They cheat a little by having Type I and II CF cards called separate types of media (as well as the MicroDrive) but okay.
I have Sony memory sticks, Secure Digital and Compact Flash cards that I use and I have this unit mounted with velcro (with the media openings facing me) to the side of my laptop screen whenever it is on. This works well on the side of a desktop monitor, too. It features high speed USB 2.0 (but will fall back to the 1.1 spec if your equipment isn't at the 2.0 level) so transfer speeds are quick and painless.
Setup is also painless. In Windows XP, simply plug it in and your computer automatically will show an additional 4 drives when you look at My Computer. However, if you do just plug it in under Windows XP and go, none of the drives are labeled as to which media types go where, so if there is a card form factor that you use infrequently and don't have the instructions readily accessible (who keeps those around?) it does require a little bit of thought. Hint: place some colored dot stickers next to the slots and label them if you think it is going to be an issue.
I find it easier to pop the media card out of my camera and copy the images manually with this unit rather than digging out my camera connection cable and going through that process.
The unit is 2.25" x 4.25" x 0.625" (57mm x 107mm x 16mm) so rather compact for a device that allows you to read 8 different types of media and it is rather unobtrusive the way I have it velcroed to the side of my screen.
I wish it would ship with a shorter cord since the way I use it, I have way too much USB cable snaking around. This is minor, though and could be solved with a twist tie.
Overall I am very pleased with it and will be picking up a few for some of my people at work.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
sidraw1
|
|
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 1 member
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2008 Shopping.com, Inc.