LOC Veteran Posted September 12, 2004 Veteran Share Posted September 12, 2004 Few types of storage are more reliable than CompactFlash solid-state media. Flash cards have no moveable parts to break or wear down like hard disk or floppy drives, and have no problems with wear or decay like CD and DVD media. They can be used in a wide variety of devices including cameras, MP3 players, and handheld PC?s. With so many devices supporting the media, many people have accumulated large numbers of CompactFlash cards. Organizing and transferring files between cards and your PC can be a frustrating task. In steps the Sandisk ImageMate CompactFlash USB 2.0 Reader/Writer to take the hassle out of the job. Product Features Let's take a look at a few of the ImageMate's features. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 certified for fastest data transfer Backwards compatible with all USB 1.1 ports CompactFlash I and II compatible Eliminate device battery usage while transferring files Package Contents ImageMate USB 2.0 CompactFlash Reader/Writer Windows 98SE Driver Disc Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 Starter Edition Quick Start Guide 1.5 meter (nearly 5') USB transfer cable First Impressions The ImageMate is a very sleek and lightweight reader. The stylish silver and black color scheme works very well. It has a very small footprint and will easily fit on any desktop or on top of your computer itself. Despite its lightweight feel, the unit has very solid construction. The plastic used for the reader's shell is of good quality. The underside of the reader has four small rubber feet to prevent sliding on any surface. My only complaint about the design is the lack of a swing-door for the actual card slot. The opening is exposed, allowing dust to get inside while a card isn't inserted. Installation As you might expect, the installtion procedure for this product is a sinch. Sandisk provides an almost 5' USB transfer cable with the reader - more than adequate for the average user. The unit is USB 2.0 compliant and is backwards compatable to USB 1.1 for use with older systems. All the user must do is simply connect the reader to a free USB slot and Windows XP/2000/ME will detect the device automatically. Windows 98SE users will have to install the provided drivers. After plug-and-play detection, you will notice a new drive in Windows Explorer labelled Removable Disk. The reader is now setup and ready for some testing. Benchmarks Here's a look at the system used to conduct these benchmark tests.Athlon XP 2500+ @ 2.2GHz Abit NF7-S 2.0 1GB (2x512MB) Corsair XMS PC3200 Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB Windows XP SP2 Sandisk ImageMate USB 2.0 CompactFlash Reader/Writer Sandisk Ultra II 1GB CompactFlash IIb> Applications used for testing: HD Tach 2.70 SiSoft Sandra 2004 SP2 The reader performs very well with CompactFlash II media i> Impressive results once again from Sandrai> Conclusion This is, overall, a very impressive product. It does what it's supposed to do cheaply and effectively. Instead of swapping your cards in and out of your devices, grab one of these readers and take the hassle out of organizing your flash media. Aside from its one design shortcoming, there are no downsides to the ImageMate USB 2.0 CompactFlash Reader/Writer. For the professional, this sort of easy swapping is a must. When coupled with the right media, this product truly shines. Sandisk has proved once again that they are one of the leaders in the flash media market.Prosb> Looks Great Lightweight and portable Fast transfer speeds Inexpensive ($20)Consb>Reader could use a swing-door for the card slot This reader is definitely recommended. Thanks to Sandisk for taking the time to make one available for review. From: NVmax.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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