PNY Single Slot USB CompactFlash Flash Memory Card Reader

by PNY

Product Details

Product Manual [468kb PDF]

• Item Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006I5NU
• Item model number: P-CFUSB-PB
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 22, 2002

Product Description

USB 2.0 card readers are fully compatible with USB 1.1 and 2.0 systems and has been specifically designed for use in transferring images from your digital camera, downloading MP-3 files or simply transferring data to and from your PDA, handheld PC or palmtop to your computer. Achieve blazing data transfer speeds of up to 480 Mb/sec in USB 2.0 systems. That's 40X faster than USB 1.1. Each reader is Windows and Mac compatible, plug-in-play through USB port and comes with a USB extension cable.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Windows 98 Users Beware, January 28, 2003

By 

Brian H. (SF Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PNY Single Slot USB CompactFlash Flash Memory Card Reader (Personal Computers)

...P>- Has issues with Windows 98, even with downloaded drivers from PNY's website. Windows 98 would "lose" the drive, i.e., not recognize/detect it after a period of usage. Tried the reader with other Windows 98 machines: got the same problems.

- Works perfectly with Windows XP. Installed quickly. No drivers necessary. True Plug and Play bliss.

- Functional, but ugly. ...P>Anyway, just a caveat emptor to Windows 98 users: you may want to look at another vendor for your CompactFlash needs.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very simple, December 23, 2002

By 

brted (Avondale Estates, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PNY Single Slot USB CompactFlash Flash Memory Card Reader (Personal Computers)

Though you need the drivers on the enclosed CD if you have Windows 98, for other operating systems this self-installs when you attach it to a USB port and shows up as a removable drive. Then you can copy files from your CF card at USB speeds. An extension USB cord is included if necessary, but if you have easily accessible USB ports you can just plug it in directly. It's the next best thing to having a built-in CF card reader.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Windows 98 users beware (XP users are OK), January 28, 2003

By 

Brian H. (SF Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PNY Single Slot USB CompactFlash Flash Memory Card Reader (Personal Computers)

I purchased the PNY USB Compact Flash Card Reader at Best Buy... After installing it on my Windows 98 system, the card reader behaved erratically, crashing the system or making the drive disappear from the system (in other words, Windows 98 suddenly can't detect it anymore). Even downloading updated drivers from PNY's website did not work.

To be consistent, I tried the reader with two other Windows 98 machines and got the same problems. Interestingly enough, it works very well with Windows XP systems (no drivers are needed for installation - true Plug and Play at last!).

The transfer rate of the reader is the standard USB 1.1 rate: about 1.5 Megabits per second, slightly faster than a zip drive, since the card reader and media have no moving mechanical parts.

Side note: I was about to give up on getting any flash media and readers whatsoever since I use Windows 98 a lot. However, I have used two other flash products (Sandisk's 128 MB Cruzer using SecureDigital media and JungSoft's 128MB solid-state drive) with no problems on both Windows 98 and XP.

So, caveat emptor: if you're using Windows 98, you may want to look for a reader from a different vendor. If you're using XP (I have not tested the product with Windows ME) and don't mind USB 1.1 transfer rates, the PNY USB reader is an inexpensive solution.

P.S. I gave the product three stars because given the smooth designs of other available products (SanDisk's Cruzer comes to mind), the reader looks an oversized, uninspiring lump of flattened coal (Uh, PNY, hello? Other companies have already done the market research for you: people like silver.) A CompactFlash card is not that large; PNY should have designed a more compact (intended word use) reader that won't burst the seams of my shirt pocket.