Read Six Types of Memory Cards with One Device

Posted By: Ed Monday, April 15, 2002 11:20:23 AM

Kingston Technology has released the USB 6 in 1 Flash Card Reader, which hooks up to the USB port on a PC and has two slots which allow it to read SD, MMC, Memory Stick, CompactFlash, SmartMedia, and Microdrive memory cards. It is available now for $60.

The card reader's dual slots act as two individual drives, allowing users to drag and drop files between memory cards and their system. It is a stand-alone device powered by the USB port.

It supports Windows 98, Millennium, 2000 and XP. It also supports Mac OS 9 and OS X.

Several companies make readers for single types of memory cards but this one might come in handy for anyone with handhelds from different manufacturers, especially developers.

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FINALLY

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 11:39:17 AM #
This is what I've been waiting for!!!
RE: FINALLY
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 11:47:30 AM #
or you can get the Dazzle 6-in-1 reader: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.asp?Sku=A0004597

$40 - $20 MIB...and you might even be able to find a Dell coupon floating around.

RE: FINALLY
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 12:36:22 PM #
or you can get the Imation FlashGo!
http://www.imation.com/en_US/product.jhtml?Id=IM_PRD334

I just wish I could figure out if you can use the CF-type adaptors they use in the CF slots of other devices.

RE: FINALLY
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 12:42:39 PM #
I really hope this new one will be better than Acom Data's Multi-Flash! Memory Card Reader (MF6). I had nothing but problems with the Acom Data MF6 on my Mac.

It would hang while copying data from my SD Card and I would have to force quit it. It would freeze while copying data to my SD Card and I would have to force restart my Mac. No fun.

I sent email to Acom Data a few times asking for help and never received a reply! So I ended up returning the unit and bought a SanDisk SD Card reader instead and have not run into any problems since. Thank you SanDisk!

Dazzle already has one
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 1:21:58 PM #
Dazzle already has a 6 in 1 reader on the market for 40 dollars retail. the unit is USB 2.0 compatible and works great
RE: Dazzle already has one
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 1:57:38 PM #
Yeah... i've one one and it rocks!
RE: FINALLY
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 3:25:20 PM #

where can I find the $20 MIB for the Dazzle reader?
RE: FINALLY
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 4:54:36 PM #
Since all the info I can find on the Dazzle 6 in 1 product describe it as a "reader", can one of you who owns it verify that it can also w r i t e to the cards it reads?

george g.

RE: FINALLY
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 6:43:19 PM #
Hey Acomdata user! I had the same problem with two of their readers. Their tech support sucks Go to the website and get their phone number. Call them and demand to talk to tech support. "Brian" is the guy who always answers. The firmware updates he gave me didn't work. I had to finally RMA both, but the new ones they sent me seem to work fine now (with W2K and W98)

Good luck

RE: FINALLY
fleegle @ 4/15/2002 10:28:52 PM #
"Since all the info I can find on the Dazzle 6 in 1 product describe it as a "reader", can one of you who owns it verify that it can also w r i t e to the cards it reads?"

I have the Dazzle 6 in 1 Reader. Yes, you can write with it also.

RE: Dazzle
sbabcock @ 4/16/2002 11:15:02 AM #
Re: Dazzle

I just gotta say, Dazzle handled their rebate with more class than anyone else I have seen. I got a confirmation, I could check status on the WWW, and I got my rebate promptly. It was nice.

It works great in OS9 (I am told it works OSX, I have not tested it much there.) Reads, writes, mounts. Works great. I especially like how it mounts.

When I was using a Zio, I had to put in the card, then connect the USB. I always worried about the connections as I put in the card if it was attached. With the Dazzle, I put in the card. It waits for 1/2 second. Then, the LED flashes and I see it mount. Let's just say it's operation feels comfortable.

Here is the rebate link I had from February:
<http://www.dazzle.com/sizzle/special.html>

RE: FINALLY
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/18/2002 10:11:24 AM #
"or you can get the Imation FlashGo!
http://www.imation.com/en_US/product.jhtml?Id=IM_PRD334

I just wish I could figure out if you can use the CF-type adaptors they use in the CF slots of other devices."

I was also very interested in that possibility, but I found this in their FAQ:
Product Support > Product Support

"Can I use the Imation FlashGO! adapters in other devices for cross usage of flash memory?

No, the adapters are designed only for use in the Imation FlashGO!™ unit and will not function in any other product"

USB 1.0 or 2.0?

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 11:48:50 AM #
Anyone know if this is USB 1.0 or 2.0 compliant?
RE: USB 1.0 or 2.0?
stephen007 @ 4/15/2002 12:07:05 PM #
It really shouldn't matter.

USB 2.0 is backwardly compatible so no worries there. Also, you aren't going to be dealing with enough speed reading or writing to/from the flash cards to see any benefit from USB 2.0.

Stephen

RE: USB 1.0 or 2.0?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 12:30:09 PM #
> you aren't going to be dealing with enough speed reading
> or writing to/from the flash cards to see any benefit

I would think that is pretty inaccurate. USB 1.x is considerably slower than the rates any common flash card is capable of.

RE: USB 1.0 or 2.0?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 1:01:57 PM #
USB 1.x tops off at about 12 Mbps (that is bits). supposedly, some of the formats can go up to 50 Mbps or more read and write speeds. With something like a Microdrive (1 gigabyte), a USB 2.0 or, better yet, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) connected card reader would be nice for moving data back and forth quickly. The problem is you'd be paying for it.
RE: USB 1.0 or 2.0?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 1:04:04 PM #
I think what he is saying is that it doesn't take that long to move a few megs of stuff, whether it be at USB 1.0 speeds or 2.0 speeds. Who cares about a few seconds here or there?

JBH

RE: USB 1.0 or 2.0?
Fzara2000 @ 4/15/2002 2:54:28 PM #
"I think what he is saying is that it doesn't take that long to move a few megs of stuff, whether it be at USB 1.0 speeds or 2.0 speeds. Who cares about a few seconds here or there?


Time is money my friend.

SONY ROCKS!

RE: USB 1.0 or 2.0?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 3:23:35 PM #
I do care, 12Mbps of USB 1.x is the inflated figure that combines both upstream and downstream bandwidth, the actual transfer speed is 6Mbps one way, or about 800KB/s... That's *SLOW*, which is my I'm also waiting for faster USB reader devices to come to market...

The difference is not a few seconds, with 1GB Microdrive, this can translate into minutes... I don't know about you, but I don't like falling asleep while waiting for a file transfer...

RE: USB 1.0 or 2.0?
higgy @ 4/15/2002 5:20:40 PM #
Go here:
http://www.addonics.com/product/internal_DD.htm

They also have an externa which I have, although I do not think it is 2.0

Higgy

RE: USB 1.0 or 2.0?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 5:25:10 PM #
>>The difference is not a few seconds, with 1GB Microdrive, this can translate into minutes... I don't know about you, but I don't like falling asleep while waiting for a file transfer...<<

Just drop that Microdrive a few times and watch how long it takes to move information onto or off of that thing! Good luck!

JBH

Problems with card readers in general???

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 1:05:51 PM #
I've owned the SanDisk SecureMate USB MMC/SD card reader for a few months. It works great for many things. I even use MMC cards to transport fairly large files to and from work (Although it makes me feel sorta like Robert Hanssen). I also put .jpgs directly on the card and view them with a shareware program I found on Palm Gear.

The problem I've had is that once you put the card in the reader and then take it back out, Windows will continue to think that a new card installed in the reader is the same as the old card. It's not until you try to put new information on the card that Windows sees the conflicting F.A.T. and gives you an error message. Following the error message, the volume represents itself properly.

I've read some on a PocketPC site that there is a somewhat similar problem on those devices (wouldn't know myself). Apparently, some have suggested hacking into the registry on the PocketPC to fix the issue. Maybe its a Windows issue?

JBH

RE: Problems with card readers in general???
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 2:03:57 PM #
i have had a similiar issue with a usb->SD reader and a usb->cf reader. i have found that if I "eject" the card before swapping it, it greatly cuts down on errors. You can eject by right clicking on the drive letter in Windows Explorer or thru the MyComputer window.
RE: Problems with card readers in general???
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 2:16:23 PM #
whos Robert Hanssen?
RE: Problems with card readers in general???
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 2:41:35 PM #
Robert Hanssen is the convicted FBI spy who lived a few blocks away from me in Vienna, Virginia. He used expansion cards (I assume like CF cards) to smuggle information out of the FBI and into the hands of the Russians. He did something called "short formatting" of the cards, basically partitioning out a small area on the cards in which he hid the smuggled data.

JBH

RE: Problems with card readers in general???
TDS @ 4/15/2002 11:28:39 PM #
The above commentor is correct. If you "Eject" the card first, your problems will go away. Look fir a little Icon in your system tray that looks like a little card with a green arrow above it. Double click it and "Stop" your expansion card.
\\* Begin "I Hate XP Rant"
Windows XP now takes over One Gig of hard drive space to install. Why is none of this space used to fix stupid problems like "Removable Media Detection" or "My stupid computer won't boot if there is a floppy in the drive". Instead, we have pretty Icons and little puppy dogs telling us we have mail.
\\* End "I Hate XP Rant"


RE: Problems with card readers in general???
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/16/2002 8:16:34 AM #
> My stupid computer won't boot if there is a floppy in the drive

I'm no Microsoft fan, but the BIOS on the system's motherboard does that, not Windows.

RE: Problems with card readers in general???
TDS @ 4/18/2002 1:09:07 AM #
Point taken... The entire architecture is archaic, not just Windows. Would you believe I sell these things for a living?

RE: Problems with card readers in general???
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/10/2002 2:05:59 PM #
I'm replying to - "My stupid computer won't boot if there's a floppy in the drive."

Go to the BIOS Setup and set your hard drive to be the primary boot source, instead of having your floppy as the initial check.

Atech Flash Pro II

Lucky @ 4/15/2002 2:32:24 PM #
I just bought one of these to read MMCs for my Palm m505. It reads CompactFlash I/II, MicroDrive, SD, MMC and SmartMedia. It can be used externally, like most other card readers, or mounted in a 3.5" drive bay. It also has a USB connector on the front, which is nice if your PC doesn't already have this. I got mine from TigerDirect for abot $60.

RE: Atech Flash Pro II
PFloyd @ 4/15/2002 2:55:12 PM #
http://www.atechflash.com/product_proII.htm
Neat.

RE: Atech Flash Pro II
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/30/2002 7:29:28 PM #
Please check www.atechflash.com for their new product. It's really cool.

Interesting slip of the tongue

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 3:09:58 PM #
LOL: "Memory Sick"
RE: Interesting slip of the tongue
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 3:17:44 PM #
Touché! How à propos...

When will they add Sony Memory Stick?

EnocH @ 4/15/2002 3:50:49 PM #
I just wish for a device that reads MS as well. It would be a real plus to be able to read MS. I think it will sell well also.

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God Bless,
EnocH
RE: When will they add Sony Memory Stick?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 4:06:58 PM #
There are at least three different combo devices mentioned in this thread and they all handle Memory Stick.
RE: When will they add Sony Memory Stick?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 4:16:41 PM #
Kingston's 6-in-1, which the article is about, handles Memory Sticks.
RE: When will they add Sony Memory Stick?
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/15/2002 5:18:20 PM #
RTA (Read The Article) :)
RE: When will they add Sony Memory Stick?
sophmeat @ 4/15/2002 7:50:57 PM #
yeah man, it does say mem stick....

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Oh wow! Guys check this out! The new Clie has more than 1000 dpi!! Guys? Hey come back here! *runs after them holding a spec sheet* I didnt even show you the Keyboard!!!!!
RE: When will they add Sony Memory Stick?
EnocH @ 4/16/2002 10:34:59 AM #
sorry guys, i must have been reading the article after doing some simulations on OrCAD. My eyes are failing me!!! >

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God Bless,
EnocH
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