SanDisk SDDR-91-A15 CF Type I/II Reader

• Hi-Speed USB 2.0 certified for fastest data transfer
• Backwards compatible with all USB 1.1 ports
• Easy to install and use; true plug and play

So you finally bought that new 5or 6-megapixel digital camera and now you have a 512MB or 1GB compact flash card to hold all those big files. Then you know that USB 1.1 is incredibly slow for transferring files, whether you are hooking the camera directly to your computer's USB port, or using a USB 1.1 card reader.

USB 1.1 has a maximum transfer rate of 1.5 MB/sec, but in real-life tests using my Lexar 512MB 40X compact flash card (one of the fastest currently on the market), the data transfer rate was only 0.6MB/sec. However, with the Sandisk ImageMate's USB 2.0 connection, the transfer rate for the same Lexar card was 3.2MB/sec (about 5 times faster).

This tiny (smaller than a deck of playing cards) USB 2.0 compact flash reader isn't for everyone, however. First, you must have USB 2.0 capability in your computer--something the vast majority of computers don't have. If your computer doesn't, the reader will still work, but only at the slower USB 1.1 speed. However, you can buy a USB 2.0 card to give your computer the capability (Amazon sells a very inexpensive one from Iogear, which I bought for my computer).

Second, you need a relatively fast compact flash card. Just like CD burners, compact flash cards have a maximum speed of their own (40X is approximately 6 MB/sec). If you have an old 4X or 8X compact flash card, then you probably won't see any improvement with this card reader compared to USB 1.1.

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This Compact Flash reader does just what it says, and it does it nicely. It is built well and is very light, and the price can't be beat. It is a USB 2.0 connection (backward compatible with USB 1.1) and I've had good experiences with the speed of data transfer.

I had an old Pocket PC for years but recently had to get rid of. However, in the Pocket PC I had a Compact Flash Card that was still in working condition and I wanted to keep it. Purchasing this product allowed me to take the old data off of it and even use it as an extra storage device (like another disk drive).

In addition, I recently bought a Canon Elph camera (which uses Compact Flash cards) and I wanted the ability to transfer data to my computer WITHOUT using my camera. This was a very important reason for my getting this item. I can now take out a Flash card and send the pictures to my computer even though my camera is low on batteries, or is not available.

It is a pretty simple item, but it does have a couple of minor features. First there are 4 rubber circular pads (about the size of dimes) on the bottom of the reader. This helps prevent it from slipping on a table. (This is important because the reader is so light that the USB cable can curl and push the item around).

Second, there is a little green light (on the top) which comes on whenever you have media inserted. This is good because you can tell if you've inserted it correctly.

I am very happy with this product.

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If you have a digital camera that uses CompactFlash memory cards, this is a must-have accessory. Instead of plugging in your camera directly and draining precious battery life, simply take the CF card from the camera and put it in one of these. Use that battery life to shoot more pictures! If you're using Windows 2000 or XP (I can't comment on Mac compatibility, not having tried it myself), it will be detected and configured automatically. No need to install any special software either; just use it like any other disk. Oh, and even if your system doesn't have USB 2.0 ports--mine doesn't, unfortunately--it will still work with older USB 1.1 ports. Just be prepared to wait slightly longer for transfers.

Oh, and if you take the reader and a CF card with you (it's small enough to pocket quickly), it makes for quick, easy, high-capacity portable storage.

Update: I've also had a chance to test this in Linux, and it works perfectly there. Just make sure to compile USB Mass Storage Support into your kernel or as a module.

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I recently got a Nikon D70 digital SLR and was having to transfer large amounts of files to my computer. As in, 512MB to 1GB. I only shoot in RAW so they fill up. Anyway, transferring 512MB from the camera (which was USB1 speed) took quite a long time, I think it was maybe like 10 minutes or even more to do 512MB.

With this Sandisk card reader, it's much faster, taking more like one minute. It looks snazzy too; more well-made than the piece of crap off-brand my friend got free with a camera that he bought (and faster). There aren't a lot of features to have on something like this but it does have a nice green light that comes on while a card is inserted.

On Windows XP, no installation of any sort was needed; I just plugged it in and instantly I had an extra removable drive visible in My Computer, which I then setup to automatically open in an explorer window whenever a CF card is inserted. Pretty easy.

For reference, I am using Sandisk Ultra II CF cards with it.

I bought this reader after having some problems with other readers on my win98se op system. The install was seamless, and everything works perfectly.