Customer Reviews

SIIG Express Card 11-in-1 Card Reader/Writer

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Except for an issue with sleep, I've been very pleased with this card. It's the first ExpressCard that I've bought for use with my MacBook Pro... there aren't really a lot of things you need to use the card slot for, but I've been very pleased with this card. It works without any additional drivers; just pop it in, then pop in the memory card. For my camera's memory card, iPhoto comes up automatically and offers to import my photos. Copying is very fast.

Buyers should note that it doesn't support Compact Flash cards; they're wider than the ExpressCard slot is.

I've found that my MacBook Pro doesn't sleep properly with the card installed. It starts to sleep then immediately wakes back up. I thought at first that it was a problem with the MacBook and was going to call Apple, but I realized I'd left the card in its slot... removing the card before sleeping the MacBook Pro takes care of the problem.

I just got this card and so far it works very well in my MacBook Pro running Mac OS X. Even though it says it only works for PC's running windows this is not true it will work in Macs too. It's fast and stays very flush with the case. It doesn't stick out of the slot even with a SD memory card inserted which makes this very neat since you can just leave the card inside your computer all the time and not have to worry about it being broken off or anything.

Despite no offcial support for Mac OS X, this card runs with no problems with the Macbook Pro. A previous reviewer has said this and I absolutely agree.
The card fits flushed with the slot. It reads all SD media that I have thrown at it - from a lowly 16mb panasonic, 256mb panasonic, 512mb Lexar and a 2GB Sandisk (Blue). All work seamlessly. At 39.99 with free shipping its the best price I could find if you are buying from California.

Edit: The card works great with media but there seems to be an issue with OS X sleep. When the card is connected to the Macbok Pro it seems to prevent it from going to sleep. The work around is to eject the card . Wait for the MBP to go to sleep, then put the card back in. I am not sure whether this is a card specific issue or PCIexpress slot issue.

Just another verification that it works perfectly in my new 17 inch MacBook Pro. No issues to report. It's very fast when compared with a USB card reader. It's faster than my camera to transfer pics to iPhoto. I always take the card out before closing my screen, so no sleep issues for me. Cheap price and great functionality. A+

Works fine with SD cards but Siig support confirmed an issue I was having regarding xD media not mounting on Mac OS X...

We did not market this reader/writer for Mac because of compatibility
issues with xD cards in the Mac, there is no fix for this issue.
However, we will update to a different version soon that will be fully
compatible in Mac OS 10.4.7 or later.

I ordered one and it won't mount my SD card on my MacBook Pro (10.4.7). Disk Utility shows it appearing and disappearing continuously. Don't bet on 100% compatability with this one.

I had a hard time finding any cards to use in this new ExpressCard slot. However, this is just the card I was looking for. It's faster and smaller than a standard PCMCIA card, which is great as long as there are vendors out there that are going to support the slot. I was worried when I couldn't find many items - other than a TV card through HP that was supported in this slot. It looks like a few more items have or are going to hit the market. This card is a very good start.

I've tried three different SD cards and this ExpressCard doesn't read any of them. Not sure what's going on - I have the latest MacBookPro laptop running the current Mac OSX. I haven't had time to troubleshoot or deal with returns - maybe I just have a bad one.

This is a good card (not that there are many options), works fine and always recognizes different kinds of cards and sizes without any problems - so from that standpoint it's worth five stars... BUT while an SD card is inserted into the EC slot and your machine goes to sleep or you re-open the lid to do some work again, it gives you an "illegal device removal" type error. Doesn't interfere with functionality, but something you will need to live with unless there is an (unlikely) firmware update released to eliminate the problem. I haven't tested other EC cards from different suppliers so this may be common for EC and an emerging standard with few products on the market, but a minor deet that could bother some who expect the "it just works" effect typical of a Mac.

Because ExpressCard runs over the PCI Express or USB2 bus, this card works perfectly in Linux with no special drivers!

Also mind that it is a 34mm ExpressCard, so it is pretty small and will not fully populate an ExpressCard54 slot.
The card will work fine in a 54mm slot, so it is purely an aesthetic issue, but one to consider nonetheless.