Customer Reviews

21IN1 Multimedia Reader/writer Expresscard 34SLOT Mac/pc Sd/mmc/xd

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I bought this reader since my older ExpressCard reader one couldn't read SDHC unlike this card. It works flawlessly on my Macbook Pro (running OS X 10.5).


NO ADDITIONAL ADAPTERS NEEDED FOR
---------------------------------
Memory Stick
Memory Stick Pro
Memory Stick Pro-HG (M2)
SD
SDHC
xD-Picture Card
xD-Picture Card Type M
xD-Picture Card Type H
MMC
MMCplus

ADDITIONAL ADAPTER REQUIRED FOR
-------------------------------
Memory Stick Duo
Memory Stick Pro Duo
Memory Stick Micro (M2)
miniSD
microSD
miniSDHC
microSDHC
Transflash
RS-MMC DV
RS-MMC
MMCmobile
MMCmicro

If you're using this to read an SD or SDHC card, you're all set. Just plug your memory card into this reader and plug your reader into the ExpressCard slot in your laptop.

But if your memory card falls under the "ADDITIONAL ADAPTER REQUIRED" list above, then you need you need to place your memory card into an adapter, place the adapter into the reader, and the reader into the ExpressCard slot in your laptop. Probably the most people who will need the additional adapter will be users of Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick Duo Pro (used in many Sony Cybershot cameras and the PSP).

Once you plug your ExpressCard reader into your laptop, there are no drivers to install. Access your files just like you do with a USB flash key or like a USB memory card reader.

NOTE
-----
Make sure your laptop really has an ExpressCard slot. On older laptops, you may have the wider PCMCIA card slot. In that case, this reader would not be compatible.

COMPLAINT
----------
This is just a minor annoyance:

- There is no protective case for this reader. No case, no cheap sleeve, nothing at all. Your memory cards all come with protective cases and this reader has twice the amount of pins/contacts since it acts as a bridge between your laptop and the memory card... yet there's no case. Cases are important since you're probably throwing this into your laptop bag and dust can get into it.

UPDATES
=======
I've had this card reader for over a year now. No complaints. Works flawlessly. It's so convenient that I leave it in my laptop's express card slot all the time. (But don't leave a memory card inside the card reader if the memory card sticks out, such as an SD card would).

If you are looking for an express card reader that can read Compact Flash memory cards, this reader WILL NOT work. Instead, you would need this instead Lexar Professional Express Card Compact Flash Reader LRWEXPPRBNA

Not much to add from the previous reviews, but here's my quick Pro/Con List, from a MacBook Pro POV

Pro:

--100% Plug-n-Play

--Sits near-flush, no need to remove when you pack up your laptop

--No 'sleep issues' as reported by some ExpressCard readers by other manufacturers

Con:

--Blister pack is nasty - I took a chunk out of my finger trying to get the damn thing out of the packaging (more me being clumsy than a product defect - just keep in mind that the cut packaging is as sharp as a blade)

--'21 in 1' is a bit of misnomer - you need adapters for all the mini/micro SD/MS cards (most smaller cards are sold with adapters, so not a major issue, just something to keep in mind)

--Edit: I'm dumb - you just push the card in and it pops out like normal - I had been trying to yank it out.

--Cards do NOT sit flush (at least not with SD/MS), so you should remove before stowing the laptop. (to the best of my knowledge, no ExpCard reader allows cards to sit flush though)


Conclusion: This is 'best in class' as far as I am concerned. Buy it, you won't regret it.

Ordered from here after reading other places that it was MBP compatible and needed no extra drivers, performs as advertised! Just pulled it straight from the package and clicked it into my xpress34 slot. You don't even know it is recognized until you actually put a card in. I inserted my SD card to test and the image capture app opened up like i have it set to do. Nice addition to the MBP, even if it should have been there in the first place.

This is a much needed product for those that have an express slot on their Macs or PC. I can only offer ease of use, functionality and overall quality of fit and real world use on a 17" MacBook Pro. The reader fits nice and smooth or even with the case on my MBP. The unit seems very sturdy for what it is and needs to perform. This reader is a much welcomed method for all my SD/SDHC cards that I need to transfer video or photos with. In the real world, my time from using the dreaded USB 2.0 cable to transfer my files from my Canon HD camcorder was about 30 minutes for around 14.7-15GB of video. This reader has cut that down to 10-12 minutes with no errors while using the same cards for both processes. As for my photos, a great improvement from having my D90 plugged into the USB port and having to have the camera right there and tied up. The price was reasonable even though it would be nice to have this built into my MBP however if it should stop working, that is the only thing that needs to be brought/shipped in and not my whole computer so this could be an upside of buying this as a stand alone item.
The only thing I would question concerning the fit aspect is that it seems with every brand of express card, there is a bit of play on the sides. I would think that a thin edge of plastic could be placed around these cards to ensure a better "snug" fit but they all seem to do that be it a Mac or PC so it must be a tolerance issue with various cases from different companies in question. Not a deal breaker, just makes me wonder if it could be improved upon at a future point.
I would recommend this product with a small bit of a warning. The card manufactures are starting to make SDXC cards and at this point this unit might not work with those new cards. Since the market is new to these it will be some time before this becomes the standard and for the cost of this reader, not a breaking point anyway.

After inserting an Eye-Fi card, the directory structure initially appears correctly on the card in Finder. After a short period of time, the directories appear as unrecognizable files and all subdirectories and files are inaccessible. I purchased the Sandisk SDAD109A11 Digital Media Memory Card to Express Slot Adapter and the same SD card reads without any problems.

I've been using one of these cards for the past 12 months on a MacBook Pro 17".

>> INSTALLATION <<
Installation was as simple as sticking the card into the slot. Nothing more to it.

>> CARD COMPATIBILITY <<

I have used it to read/write to SD cards, and Olympus XD memory cards. It worked fine with each. I can't attest to how well it deals with other cards types, but I am willing to assume it's fine.

In case you are wondering, I've used as fast as Class 10 SD cards in this reader/writer (16GB). They are recognised without an issue. I've also used Class 8 cards up to 32GB. I have not performed any specific read/write tests to see if it does in fact perform at expected Class 10 speeds. I can say they are recognised though. It does seem as fast or likely faster to read from the card of my digital camera, as opposed to plugging the camera into a USB port. I no longer plug in my camera, but just use this Sonnet card reader. Same applies for my digital video camera and my digital microphone.

>> CARDS DON'T SIT FLUSH <<

The memory cards I have used on this all stick out. According the pictures on Sonnet's website, the same is true for all memory card formats. For instance, SD memory cards will stick out by nearly 1cm (1/3 inch aprox.). Personally I wish that were not the case, as it means I must remove the memory card before transporting my computer. I'd rather be able to leave it in there. With a 32GB memory card it's like having a mini storage device that I'd like to leave in the computer. No can do. But I can live without that.

It is not a problem leaving the card reader itself in there though as it DOES sit completely flush with the slot. Just the cards (especially SD cards, but most likely any card longer than perhaps the Olympus XD cards).

>> MINOR MAC OS X ISSUES <<
I also experience the issue that if I leave a card in there when the Macbook goes to sleep, when it wakes there will be an error that the device (the card) was not ejected properly. Essentially the card loses its mounted/inserted state when my MBP goes to sleep, and then regains its mounted/inserted state when the computer resumes. It is rediscovered when the MBP comes out of sleep and remounted (automatically). I've NOT noticed this issue causing any corruption to the card and its data, despite OS X warning me this might happen. This, by the way, is with OS X 10.6.6 (and OS X 10.6.7). It may be an OS issue, as the card is relying on built in drivers on OS X, rather than providing its own.

>> CONCLUSION & MY RECOMMENDATION <<
Overall, I am happy with this card and I would not hesitate to recommend it for anyone that doesn't mind cards NOT sitting flush when inserted. Not that there are any alternative options. At least I have not found any alternative Expresscard memory card readers which allow for the inserted memory cards to sit flush. So for now this Sonnet product is the best one I have found.



- Jonathan Evatt
International lecturer, spiritual mentor, natural health expert, and award-winning author of Peace, Power, and Presence: A guide to Self Empowerment, Inner Peace, and Spiritual Enlightenment

Works as advertised with incredibly fast read times on sd cards. Only complaint is that the sd card does not sit flush to the side of the computer when inside the reader and thus cannot be kept in at all times as a spare drive. The reader itself does sit flush inside my first gen unibody Macbook Pro, and provides sd functionality that apple left out and for that its wonderful.

I needed something for my MacBook Pro so that I could transfer pictures to my computer by using my SD card. This is perfect for that. The Expresscard stays in my computer without having to install any programs and is pretty much unnoticeable from the outside. You can see two little black bumps sticking out at either side of the card so it's not 100% flush with the side of the computer but it comes pretty close. Overall, a great product that I don't regret purchasing.

I originally bought this adapter thinking that it would be super fast by virtue of its use of the ExpressCard slot. What I did not realize was that ExpressCard does NOT mean PCI Express signaling! The ExpressCard specification specifies pins that can be used by a device to connect via USB, and that's exactly what this card reader does. Sure, it works fine, but you will NOT get the full speed out of higher end SDHC or SDXC cards (since you're limited the USB 2.0's bandwidth maximum (factoring in protocol and driver overhead, that's realistically around 35MB/s, though in my tsting I was never able to get more than around 28MB/s with an SDHC card rated at 50MB/s read speed)).

It works great. I use it in an Express Card slot on a Thinkpad T61. Just slide this reader into the slot, and a new drive letter immediately appears in my computer. No drivers to load. It's automatic. I use it with SD cards, but the package and manufacturer's web site state that it works with SDHC also. Since this is a 34mm card, it only fills part of the slot, so that when the reader is in the slot, there is an opening for dust to get in, but that is not the fault of the card manufacturer.