My brother’s printer died. What does this have to do with the SanDisk ImageMate 12-in-1 Card Reader/Writer you wonder? Well, the card reader he uses to transfer images and files was located in his printer (an all-in-one unit). No printer ... no card reader. So off I went to the store to purchase my brother a present. You guessed it. He received the SanDisk 12-in-1 Card Reader/Writer.


Description

This device has the “cool” factor to help make this a great gift. It looks futuristic with its slim styling in silver and black colors. It is USB 2.0 compatible, too, and backward compatible to USB 1.1 if needed. The unit comes in two pieces: 1) the card reader, 2) the docking station. The packaging says the removable docking station is a bonus.

This card reader can read 12 types of memory cards: CompactFlash I, CompactFlash II, SD, miniSD, MultiMediaCard, RS-MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick PRO Duo, SmartMedia, xD.

The card reader itself measures 4" long x 2 5/8" wide x 7/8" high. It sits vertically in a docking station with a 2" x 3" footprint. When the two pieces are put together, the unit overall measures 4" x 2" x 6" high. The card reader when mounted on the docking station weighs about a pound.

The card reader has an oval Transfer button on one side. Note that the Transfer button will only work with Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, or XP.

Along the narrow front are four memory card slots arranged in an efficient configuration. Each slot has small silver lettering that labels which slot holds which type of media.

Top Left Slot – CompactFlash I and CompactFlash II

Top Right Slot – SD, MultiMediaCard, RS-MMC, miniSD

Bottom Left Slot – SmartMedia, xD

Bottom Right Slot – MS-PRO-Duo-PRODuo

A USB cord comes out the base of the docking station; it is 42" long. It also comes with a travel cable for use with laptops (the travel cable is 9 3/8" long). No additional card adapters are needed.

This SanDisk 12-in-1 Card Reader/Writer is compatible with: Pentium PC or Macintosh computers. It requires one of these operating systems: Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP or OS 9.2x , OS X v10.1.2 .

A paper User Guide comes with the card reader. The instructions are written in English, French and Spanish. There are additional languages available on the installation CD that comes in the package. The installation CD also has a Windows 98SE driver on it.

The package that I purchased for my brother also includes a CD with the Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 Starter Edition (for Windows ME, 2000, XP).


Installing the Card Reader

You can insert the card reader into the docking station and plug the docking station into the computer using the USB cable. The other choice is to use the card reader without the docking station. Just plug the travel cable into the card reader and then into a USB port on the computer.

When the card reader is connected to the computer for the first time, a message may appear saying that the reader is being installed. My brother uses this card reader with his desktop computer. When the device was plugged in for the first time, Microsoft Windows XP automatically installed the card reader with no problem.

Click on “My Computer” and four drive letters labeled “removable drive” appear. Depending which slot on the card reader is used depends upon which drive letter to click to access the data on the media card. For Macintosh users, four icons with the title “no name” appear on the desktop. These icons represent the removable media slots on the reader.

The first removable drive letter is for Compact Flash I and II cards.

The second removable drive letter is for Smart Media and xD cards.

The third removable drive letter is for SD, MiniSD, MultiMediaCard, RS-MMC media.

The fourth removable drive letter is for Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo.


Our Experiences

It took unbelievable willpower not to open this package before giving it to my brother. I was right at his elbow as he opened the gift paper. He loved it. Sisters can tell these things even if brothers don’t jump up and down and shout for joy.

It didn’t take him long to have the card reader/writer out of the blister package. His first comment was that the travel cord was “ridiculously short” at 9 3/8". After fiddling with short cord, he added, “This would be good for a front USB port. If the laptop has only a back USB port, you’d have to reach behind the laptop to use the reader.” I have a side USB port on my laptop, so this card reader can sit beside my computer. However, I need room beside the laptop to place the card reader. Often when I use my laptop, I am in space-deprived areas.

My brother primarily uses this card reader to access the SD media from his digital cameras and the Memory Stick from his camcorder. He also has some Compact Flash cards that fit in this reader.

The card reader is easy to use, and it is simple to insert the media cards into the slots. The card reader slides out of the base without much effort.

When the card reader is plugged into the computer, an amber LED lights at the top edge of the reader. There are four smaller green LED lights that turn on when media is inserted into a slot. The LED light blinks when data is being transferred to the card or from the card onto a computer. Never remove the media card when the green LED is flashing. It could result in loss of data.

There is an oval button on the card reader. This is the transfer button. Press this button to move or copy all the files on the media card onto the computer. If you want to move selected files/images from the media card onto the computer, just copy and paste the files/images from the media card to a folder onto the computer.

Disconnecting the device from the computer is easy, too. Make sure all the windows relating to the media cards and card reader are closed. Also look to make sure none of the green lights on the card reader are flashing. For Windows XP or 98SE, unplug the device from the computer whether the computer is on or off. Other versions of Windows require the icon in the taskbar to be clicked and the “Stop” option chosen before unplugging the device. For Macintosh users, drag the untitled icon on the desktop into the Trash and then unplug the card reader.


Adobe PhotoShop Album 2.0

My brother is not currently using this software. He has other programs he prefers. There is a single-sheet of instructions in the package that tell how to install the software. This software is a Starter Edition, meaning it is not the full program. The program allows one to use the basic features of Adobe PhotoShop Album, but it is a limited-feature program. Not all the features are enabled. The instructions state that this software is not time-limited or photo-limited. It allows you to find your photos (they are automatically organized by date), edit them and share them. I checked online and there is already an Adobe PhotoShop Album 3.0 Starter Edition available for free download from Adobe’s website (http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopalbum/starter.html).


Purchasing

I bought this SanDisk card reader/writer from my local Staples store for $34.98.


Summary

My brother likes this card reader. He is pleased that it will read 12 different types of media. The docking station is a convenient way to hold the card reader, yet this unit offers the flexibility of being able to remove the card reader for portability. My brother is very happy, and I’m delighted that my gift was so well received!

I hope you have found this review useful.

Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com


Additional Information

2-year limited warranty

SanDisk
140 Caspian Court
Sunnyvale, CA 94089

Toll-free Phone: 866-726-3475
Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. PST


Please read my other reviews:

Dazzle 6-in-1 Card Reader

Sony Microvault 512mb USB 2.0 Flash Drive

Toshiba Satellite Notebook Computer

Belkin Emergency Battery Backup UPS – 750-AVR

Belkin Emergency Battery Backup UPS – 550-AVR

Swingline Electric 3-Hole Paper Punch

Canon PowerShot A400 Digital Camera

Concord Eye-Q Digital Camera 4060AF

Liteon DVD Player/Recorder LVW-5005

Ott True Color Flex-Arm Plus Lamp

Best Buy Online Store

Staples.com Online Store



Copyright 2005 Dawn L. Stewart

Recommended: Yes