Customer Reviews

Sandisk Mobile ULTRA MicroMate microSDHC & M2 USB 2.0 Card Reader Grey (SDDR-121-GREY, Static Pack)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is my 3rd SD card reader, 2nd micro SD card reader. After trying it as a flash drive I have concluded that:
1) it is not a flash drive.
2) it should not be used as a flash drive.

Many people give these bad reviews because they use them for usb drives to play mp3's through the usb port on a car stereo. Or, like me, plugged it into an xbox to (try to) work around not throwing down $100+ for a proper xbox 360 hard drive.

The wiring and the pins that cunduct the transfer of info on these things are soooooo thin, fragile, and no matter how reputable of a brand, extremely cost efficient. (cheap) So yes, they will fry and die after constant use.
Imagine a light bulb left on constantly, it'd probably burn out in a month or less. But if the same light bulb is only turned on once in a while in a hallway, it will last for years.
Hope that makes sense.

Long story not so short, the sandisk micromate is perfect for you. Because you are looking for a good reader to transfer info and media to/from a micro sd card.

tl;dr
Pros: Teeny-tiny, Fast transfer of big files, Holds card securely
Cons: Might be hard to remove card, Too slow for apps, Weird heat problems

Firstly, when I was shopping around for this reader, I did not actually understand how small it would be. The round part is literally smaller than a dime. This was never a problem, because the key-chain attachment is sturdy and I have yet to misplace it.

Some reviewers on other pages have had trouble with the item splitting along the plastic divide when pulliing the reader out of a port, but I haven't encountered this problem. My MobileMate was a little tight in the USB port, but with a little regular use that became much less of a problem.

The reader accepts MicroSD and MicroSDHC with no trouble. I haven't tried an M2 card, but I don't forsee any problem with it. The MicroSD cards fit all the way into the protective area, with only a bit of the face and the removal tab showing. They are held in snugly enough that I am unworried carrying the reader around with one in it at all times, but are still easy to remove, provided you have a bit of fingernail.

I only have two complaints/concerns with this product.

My concern is that, when left in a USB port and used for any fair amount of time, the MobileMate gets very hot. I've yet to have it melt or anything, but it makes me worry.

My complaint is more of a misjudgment on my part. I'd ordered this reader and a MicroSDHC card in lieu of a flash drive, because I thought it would be neat to have something so small. Now, while this reader and MicroSD cards in general have a phenomenal transfer rate with larger files, the performance drops like a rock when transferring a lot of very small files (like, say, if you were trying to run Portable Firefox).

With the heat issue and the lag I get on Portable Apps, I've basically decided to keep my MobileMate and cards for large data transfers and cellphone data stuff, not to mention that it's just a cool thing to have around. Plus the BlueProton deals with MicroSD cards (if they're still around) are excellent. But I'm buying a OCZ 4GB Rally 2 USB 2.0 Flash Drive (OCZUSBR2DC-4GB) for portable stuff.

This is a great little tool for getting information to or from your micro SD card. Haven't use it long enough to rate the durability factor but it couldn't be easier to use.

Liked it due to its small size. Made of plastic, but seemed durable enough. Unfortunately after a few months of very light use, it no longer reads. Seems to be a problem with contacts, as another reviewer mentioned. Sure it's only [...] bucks, but it's annoying when you need it.

Waste of time and money.Would not work on multiple PC's or car stereo,tried with different sizes and classes of cards as well.

desperately my grandpa' was looking for something to transport his music to his old loved cellphone. The small issue is windows 7 did not recognized it in the beginning but with a warmboot it got recognized. Thanks.

This Micro SDHC Card Reader plug directly into the USB port and seems to be fair fast. It is plastic but with some care when plugging in it should last just fine. Excellent little reader.

Small, light, inexpensive. Comes with a tiny lanyard. It simply works. Great to use if your PC doesn't have a slot for such cards. Its so TINY it will be easy to lose. I wish I had bought two.

If you have a mini SDHC card, I definitely recommend getting this little card reader. It makes transferring pics, music, documents, etc. so quick and easy! The price is great. I got this to complement my 8 GB micro SDHC that I use in my cell phone. Once you plug in the micro SDHC into the reader, it essentially turns it into a USB flash drive that you can plug into your computer and use to transfer documents and data.

The card reader comes with a little clip that you can attach to the reader and clip onto your keys. I keep mine clipped to my keys and I've been using it for about 3 months now with no problems. One thing I have noticed (and read in other reviews) is that it can get a little warm when you plug it into your computer's USB port. I don't know whether this heat becomes excessive over time or whether it can be potentially damaging to the data on your mini SDHC...I try not to keep it plugged in for too long because, frankly, I don't want to find out! I would recommend this card for quick and easy data transfers.

I have not yet received the micro sd readers from Digital Media Source. Waiting is approaching 2 weeks. But I had ordered a micro reader from another company and received shippment within three days of ordering. So I can share my experience. I have noticed that when using a Windows 7 machine, there are problems reading the device. However when using XP or EVEN VISTA, there is no problem. I have learned that on a Dell notebook using Windows 7, if you insert the device completely into the USB port, the system will not recognize the device. However if inserted about 50% of the way, the system reads the device, BUT it does read/write to the device mucher slower then on Vista/XP machines. Problem may be contact or it could be that Windows 7, written in Whoknows Where, does not read these newer devices as accurately as previous devices. Also noted that when using the "HOT or POWER" USB port, the system has serious difficulties in sustaining the read/write process.

On XP or VISTA machines, I give this product an excellent rating. But on Windows 7, which I admit I have not learned to appreciate yet, (With all the "idiot" strips and "do for me functions" it reminds me of an APPLE product), I have to give the product a low rating. But remember if you have trouble reading on a Win-7 machine, pull the device back until full acceptance is made. It should work well. It is not the best way to resolve the issue, but it may keep users from giving up on the readers to soon. Well TO BAD, TOO SAD, my mini-reader quite working.

Also, unfortunately, I never received the products from DIgital Media Source. It has been three weeks since they charged me for fun. I learned from the USPS that Digital Media Source electronically entered information regarding shipping the product, however the Post Office DID NOT actually receive the shippment. Digital Media Source's email stated that they would "check with the post office" about the delay. If the assigned tracking code never showed up at the post office, there would be nothing to check on. That is a little deceptive. Also Digital Media Source charged my card BEFORE entering the electronic notice of shippment.

Amazon stepped in and issued a refund. Good to have them on your side.

Regarding the reader: All thing considered, the engineering concept of the product is remarkable. Perhaps the next round will be more durable and last longer then six days. But when the mini-reader works well, I really like it.