My new computer and my new car have something in common.  Both have a slot that takes an SD card.  And in both cases, I was initially at a loss as to what I might do with such a thing.

But lately I've been enjoying the convenience of these little treasures.  I very quickly figured out how to put my music files on them, so that I can enjoy my music in the car.  No more loading CD's for me!  Now I just stick this little card into the slot, navigate through the folders (just like on my computer) and select my music.  It's been a delight!  And, not that I would ever do so, but I could just as easily put photos on the card, and view a slide show while I'm driving!

So what are these little cards?  Well, I call them 4 Gigabyte SD cards, but their official name is PNY Optima 4GB SDHC Class 4 Flash Memory Card P-SDHC4G4-EF.  Wow, that's a mouthful!  They're little tiny things, only approcimately 1.25" long X 1" wide with a depth so small, I don't have a ruler that could accurately measure it.   In a smart design move, these cards are asymmetrical (think of a rectangle with a corner cut off).  Shaped as such, it makes it a simple matter to know right away which side is the front without having to figure out where the electrical contacts are. 

Most people are familiar with these cards, as they're used in many digital cameras.  But they can also be used as portable data drives.   For instance, if you need to copy documents from one computer to another, this is a simple way to do so (as long as both computers have a slot for this card).   Similarly, you can use these cards to back-up any data that you don't want to take a chance losing.  There's even a small plastic write-protect tab, for added security.

So how do you use them?  Well, nothing could be simpler.  Assuming your device has the appropriate slot, just stick the card in.  If it's a camera, for instance, the camera should immediately recognize the card, and be able to display the pictures on it, and store pictures back to it.   When I stick these cards into my computer, I'm immediately shown a window for a "Removable Disk".   I can use the drive space like I would any other drive - copying files to and from.   When I stick the card into my car, the top-level data folder on that card is displayed on the car's audio display screen.  And I can use the radio buttons to travel up and down the folder structure to select which music I want to hear.   

Removing the card is achieved one of two ways.  From my computer, I merely give it a tug, as part of the card remains sticking out from the slot.  But in the car and my camera, removal is achieved by pressing the card into the slot all the way, then releasing it whereby a spring mechanism inside the slot pops out the card.

There are many different brands of cards, and they come in many different sizes.  Typically speaking, the larger the capacity, the higher the price.  I went with the 4GB size as that seemed a reasonable compromise between how many songs I really needed on any one card, and the price consideration.  I chose PNY as it is a company I trust.  And, I happened to catch them on a nice sale at BJ's where they were two for $19.99.  Last night I noticed that Best Buy has these cards for $14.99.  I also liked that these cards come with a clear plastic case that snaps closed, and opens easily.  I was able to clearly label the case using a fine-point marker.

According to the package, the "Class 4" in this device's name means that it has a minimum of 4MB/sec write speed.   It also says it will function with Class 2 devices.  I haven't done any formal testing, but I did not find speed to be any kind of hindrance to my use of these cards.  700+ songs were copied to the card in a matter of a few minutes.   (I wasn't actually timing the transactions but they were less than 10 minutes).

If you're wondering how much stuff can actually fit on a 4GB card, I'll quote directly from the package for visual files.  For photos, this card will hold 1179 or 820 (8 vs. 12 megapizels).  100 minutes of video or 60 for HD video.  In my personal experience, I am able to enjoy between 750 and 850 songs per card.

Listening to music in the car, using these cards, is a new experience for me.  One I am enjoying immensely.   The cards feel sturdy, and have never once let me down.  I feel comfortable giving them two happy thumbs up!



Another type of memory from PNY:
PNY USB Flash Memory Stick

Recommended: Yes