Customer Reviews

EXPRESSCARD/34-5:1 Card Reader

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When I got the cardreader I assumed it would work with any SD memory card - but in fact it doesn't support the Lexar 4GB Plat. II card, so I am thinking it might not support cards of 2GB or more. (The cardreader that came with the Lexar works fine with the card) - what was worse; when restarting with the defunct card and card reader attached, my Mac could not get past the grey start screen which caused some panic.

Takes all the most common formats, compact and easy to use.

It's pretty nifty that it's spring loaded for both inserting/removing the memory card *and* inserting/removing the reader itself from my Macbook Pro.

My biggest complaint is that sometimes, you can pull the whole reader card out while trying to pull out just the memory card itself. I noticed this mostly while using Sony MemoryStick ProDuo cards in the fullsize MS card adapter...with the adapter it's just thick enough that it doesn't come out easy. Seems to be more a flaw with the adapter (out of spec) than a design fault of the card reader.

Takes MMC/SD, XD, and MemoryStick cards, plus all the varieties of SD (Mini and Micro) with adapters, as well as ProDuo cards with adapters. It's cheaper (as of June '07) than the Belkin or other competitors, and works without drivers (in OS X at least...I suppose it does with Windows as well, although I haven't specifically tested it.)

The first one shipped did not fit the MB Pro slot very well and fortunately it went bad quickly so I returned it. Amazon had to wait for the next shipment that took a couple of weeks. The second one fits perfectly and goes in and out without use of pliers. It also works electronically with no effort.

Fits flush into the Macbook Pro Express card 34 slot. Very fast file transfers form SD card that I use. Excellent product...

The card worked great with a 512 MB and an older 256 MB SD card. However, I use mostly 1 GB and 2 GB cards since I shoot video clips as well with my Canon S3. And that's where I run into problems. Using my MacBook Pro I was barely able to eject the 1 GB card. When I took the card out the icon did not disappear from the desktop??! On top of that my MBP did not mount the 2 GB cards I have. Griffin's customer service said they are working on compatibility issues and asked me to insert my card and then reboot the Mac. Well - I did. No improvement. I returned the card and keep using my USB cable connection to my camera. Too bad - the concept is great. Checking other cards right now.

This worked flawlessly in my MacBook Pro, but beware it is NOT SDHC compatible, so you will not be able to work with large capacity SDs. The product preceeds the new standard, so do not blame them. So although it works well , I do not advise to buy any SD reader which is not SDHC. It is just not worth, since the most economic chips are now 8Gb in size. Wait for a new model, and get along with a cheat USB adapter until then.

This card reader has worked with all my media - SD, Sony Memory stick, Pro Duo sticks, SD Mini, MMC, no problems. Fits nicely in my MacBook Pro and I just forget it's there. When I need it, it works seamlessly, when I don't need it, it's not in the way. Fits flush with the side of the computer. It has made using my digital media so much easier. I can write, read, store, erase, do all functions just as if I was plugging the data in via the USB ports with the cameras or PDA. Easier than getting all the annoying cables tied up while transferring data. Just remove your media, plug in to the card reader, and voila! You're done. Works well with the Mac software - iPhoto, iMovie, and Final Cut Express. Also works within Parallels Desktop and WIndows XP. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. I've used it for 5 weeks, fairly consistently, and have had no glitches or some of the other problems other users have mentioned. So glad I chose to purchase this one.

I am using this card reader by Griffin with a MacBook Pro and it works beautifully. There were no drivers to install, there was no hassle at all! From opening the package to uploading pictures took less than 15 seconds. The only downside is that at first glance it may be unclear which way to stick in your memory card, but you just have to look into the reader and line up the connectors (I think for most memory cards it will be label-side up).
This reader is especially nice since it gets rid of the need for a USB connector cable and stand-alone reader as is the case with most card readers, this is perfect for travel since you can just leave the reader in the express card slot (at least with the MacBook Pro because when inserted the card is flush with the side of the computer). Great product, definitely worth the $25 it costs here on Amazon.

I have a lot of SD devices including my Treo 680 and Nikon D80, so I'm always plugging devices in to try and transfer files through a sync cable. When I saw this device in a magazine I thought I would give it a try.

It fits flush in your Expresscard slot, taking up ZERO space. It "clicks" into place, so it won't just come out (like old PCMCIA cards sometimes do). On top of that, SD cards also "click" into the unit, so they won't come out either.

I don't have benchmarks, but transferring files was MUCH faster than through the sync cables. It's fast!

I think this is the best accessory I've bought for my MacBook Pro. It stays in my Expresscard slot at all times.

Some of the cheaper, "generic" SD cards don't work with this reader. Rippin fast USB 2.0 connection in the cardbus.