Originally posted by: nekote
Thanks Kaido for taking the time to post your experience!
Confirming USB 2.0 and hi-speed is just what I was hoping somebody could do for us!
Speed only a benefit for "memory" cards that have (or approach) USB 2.0?
How common / uncommon is that, in the various formats?
Lastly, *ONLY* "USB bus powered" ?
No AC possible (nor necessary - very low electrical need for cards)?
Therefore, no AC power brick / wall wart nor even a DC in port, right?
Yup, it's definately USB 2.0
I mostly use a Lexar Media 128mb CompactFlash memory card, which has a 4x speed. There is a huge improvement over my last card reader. I had an internal one before, but my new computer doesn't have 3.5" external bays, so I couldn't use it, which is why I bought this one. My last one was USB 2.0, but my last computer only had 1.1 onboard, so it was still slower. I've been plugging in the camera directly as of late, which is even slower than that. This one's speed is ridiculous...its only a 4x compact flash card but I copied 43.6 megabytes of pictures over in like a second (59 full-rez 4 megapixel jpgs). The speed is great.
As for card speeds, I guess my 4x is pretty slow. I've been looking at the SanDisk Ultra II 512mb CF cards, which I think are rated at 60X write, 66X read. My 4x card copies stuff pretty dang quick with this new reader, so one of those would fly (not that it would matter, I'm happy with the current 1 second copy speed lol).
Yes, it is
only USB powered, and they include a nice silver USB cable that's a bit over 3 feet long. Under the translucent case at the top are LEDs. One is labeled "Power" and lights up when it's plugged into the USB port, then there are four more that light up when you plug in a card - CF/MD, SM, SD/MMC, MS. The power LED is red and the CF (the one I use) is green. When I restarted, the lights came on for a minute, and it looks like MS is orange, SD/MMC is green, SM is orange, CF/MD is green, and power is red. Nice little color difference so you can distinguish it at a glance.
There are four slots on the front...some of em are multi-function, like the CompactFlash slot - you can also plug a Microdrive into the same slot. It's quiet a compact little gadget.
It also comes with a mini CD that has drivers and an electronic manual. You don't need to install the XP driver if you don't want to, but if you do, it gives the disk icons in My Computer names and little icons that look like the card it reads. Nice little touch.
This device is now on my favorite hardware list. Simple to use, good design, works perfectly, and cheap. Thanks again OP!