multi card readers

[qualmy]

I just recently purchased a 1gb sd and a 1gb cf card. Syncing transfers are slow, so they say. Very true. Get a card reader? well a multi card reader that reads both cf and sd format should be a natural response. But after playing around with the memory cards and browsing the net for card readers, I think I've come to a good solution. The usb sd card reader is a good buy. I think this is a better buy as apposed to a fully functioned multi card reader. Multi-card readers are too bulky. The usb sd card reader is small, nifty and light.

What about the cf card, you ask? Well slot both cards in your axim and transfer from the sd card to the cf card. You don't need a cf card reader or a multi one for that matter. The sd cards are more removable, its spring ejection method is better than the pull and yank of a cf card. The cf card should really stay put, remove only rarely.

My cf card is 40-70% faster than my sd card, maybye the brand.

My benchmarkings(rough counting, - in my head!!)

Copying from the sd to the cf-->10 secs
Copying from the cf to the sd-->12 secs

Copying from the cf to the cf again(duplicate)-->7 secs
Copying from the sd to the sd again(duplicate)-->9 secs
Copying BIS to BIS--> too long(abandoned)

Copying BIS to sd-->14-16 secs
Copying BIS to cf--> 11 secs

Copying cf to BIS--> 30secs
Copying sd to BIS--> 1min

for a 5mb file, BIS(built in storage)

sd to cf transfers at reasonable speed. so a sd card reader is a good solution.

[Grentz]

Not a bad idea if you are mobile, but for home desktop users, multireaders are less hassle and dont need to be small

I have one built into the front of my computer and also one built into an ipod dock (a new product i am testing)

Both work very well, and i like that i can just put in any card style

For laptops, I use a PCMCIA CF reader and SD reader and that works fine for me for mobility

it all depends on your needs

[0gopogo]

qualmy, I like the USB memory stick-like SD-only readers, too, but only in addition to a multi-format reader.

The x50v is so slow to copy files from CF to SD and vice versa. I'm simply not patient enough for that unless the files are very few and very, very small, or in an emergency.

An ImageMate 12-in-1 card reader/writer is a little thicker than a x50 but less tall; I consider it more than portable enough for travel. I agree that it is not small enough for carrying it on your person most of the time. For that I have a couple of SimpleTech Bonzai SD-only card readers similar to your's. They just don't replace a multi-format or dedicated CF card reader. They also do not support the transfer rates of high-speed (> 66x) SD cards.

[PocketBrain]

This is how I do it, but I would rather have my old CF card reader back, or a multi-reader, because that 5MB may transfer at a reasonable rate, but when you have to back up 1GB of data, you generally don't want to be left waiting around for your Ax to transfer the data, not to mention the fact that you will have to empty out the SD card in order to enable this transfer in the first place. So, for this type of operation, I just dock it and go to bed.

[HelloKitty]

Should just buy a 2GB SD card!
by the way I find that usb card reader are much more expensive then a multi card reader! I got a usB2.O multi card reader under $10

[0gopogo]

If you buy one of the new 133x/150x 2GB SD cards and use it with a card reader which does not support those speeds you are sacrificing speed. Consider the results of the same 2GB 150x Ridata SD card (FAT16) in my old and new card readers:

Read   Write   RRead  RWrite  Drive
 9343   8175    9343    2381  Y:\1MB  ImageMate  8-in-1 (SD1.0)
17290  15845   17323    3537  Y:\1MB  ImageMate 12-in-1 (SD1.1, "ESP")

Cheap card readers do not support SD1.1-spec'ed speeds. The 8-in-1 is now US$15. The 12-in-1 which replaces it costs $10 more. A good investment, IMO.