Sandisk's New SD/USB Card: Weird or Wonderful?

[Jonathon Watkins]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000683026343/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000683026343/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"We got our hands on this sweet new SD/USB card from Sandisk. Yeah, you got that right: it pulls double duty as a normal-looking SD card, but flip it over, pop off the cover, and it slips into any USB port just like that. We’re not sure why Sandisk hopes to cannibalize their own USB card reader market by putting everything into one package, but we are definitely, definitely not complaining. Think we can get them to do this with TransFlash or MiniSD?"</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/SD-USB.jpg" /> <br /><br />This is certainly interesting but that connector does looks a bit fragile though. It shows you just how small the memory footprint is when you can take up half a SD card are with a connector. And no, I don't see this happening with MiniSD. It's hard when the USB connector is larger than the storage media itself. :lol: So what's the verdict? Is this weird or wonderful and do you want one?

[surur]

Im sure there is no cannibalization going on, when CF card readers are generic and cost $10, and the surcharge on each of these (patented I'm sure) cards is $20 for each card.

Looks like a nice profit stream of this takes off. Its all about value-add.

Surur

[RKosin]

Neither fish nor fowl :roll:

[piperpilot]

I like the flexibility of use that it promises. My vote: Wonderful. I want one.

[aroma]

:ppclove: Mmmmm... me likey. I like this card a bit better than the one discused a week or so ago that left the metal contacts on the USB side exposed. Depending on the additional cost of this card over a standard SD card, I would get this in a heartbeat. I like the thought of being able to pop open this card and plug it into any USB enabled machine. Not too worried about the connector being fragile. I treat my SD cards as being pretty fragile anyhow, and am very careful with them to begin with.

- Aaron

[Bruno Figueiredo]

I definetely WANT ONE. That way I can ditch my USB flash.

All my info inside my PPC.

Just imagine. Put a word doc in it and you can edit it on your way home. Or take some pics with the built-in cam and put them on any pc. The possibilities are endless.

[mhynek]

This design could, potentially, phase out "key fob" usb thumb flash drives. I will probably hold out till they come up with a 512mb version though. What!? Oh, that IS a picture of a 512mb card? Silly me. Sign me up! How great would it be at the office, to find a program or whatever strikes your fancy, and be able to save it to a thumbdrive that is ALWAYS with you. Or that program you just saw on PPT that you've just got to have the .CAB for. I, for one, do not have an Activesync connection at work, but would love this simple solution. I would no longer need to carry a card reader. Perhaps one for the PPC and one for the wallet? Silliness aside. Great idea. I want one!

[Swordsman74]

YES! I want one now! Please ship it overnight to....

I agree with mhynek - I've been holding off getting a big ol' USB thumbdrive because I don't want to carry around a PDA and a thumbdrive that can't talk to each other... And getting a 1gb card poses the obvious issue of not having a reader when you need it. This would be a fantastic marriage of those two concepts...

Now, since I'm greedy, when will this come out in CF format, so we can have the same functionality but with larger capacities and lower cost???

[ghostppc]

Great! *Sigh* Now if only they'd slap one of these suckers inside of a pocket pc for 512+ megs of internal memory!! :bad-words:

[JF in Detroit]

Count me in. And my wife will enjoy owning my new cruzer mini. :)

[jlp]

mmm looks interesting, but as usual you'll never find these with the same capacity as the regular SD ones, for obvious reasons.

I'm about to buy a 2 GB SD card so this has nowhere its capacity. I prefer a 2 GB SD and a tiny MobileMate SD+ (http://www.sandisk.com/retail/mm.asp?nav=mobile), probably the smallest SD card reader.

[normaldude]

I'd buy one. Easy way to transfer information between a PPC and a computer.

[jt3]

One word: :drool:

Seriously, I want this in a bad way. The only thing that would worry me would be those plastic clips. I can easily imagine them snapping off. Maybe, if this product takes off, they'll release a "professional" version with stronger clips. Then again, maybe I'm worrying about nothing, and these clips are plenty strong.

I guess I'll just have to buy one to find out.

[beq]

Very nice indeed. One question, does the hinged section (which covers the USB connector) flip all the way back 180deg, or just perpendicular like in the photo? I'm concerned there might be physical clearance issues with some USB port placements, if the hinged section only opens 90 degrees.

Anyways, I guess Jonathon/Darius were right in that the real-world practical usage of this type of USB connector (stripped of the standard housing) is fine -- which I was concerned about when seeing it in the previous SD card with built-in USB connector.


EDIT: Duh never mind, I should've checked out the endgadget photos, which clearly show the hinged section flipped 180deg :mrgreen:

[amnon]

I like this one better:
http://www.everythingusb.com/news/index/5929.htm

I don't mind the exposed USB contacts as they are in the PPC anyway.

[Dazbot]

I'm looking to replace my 256MB SD with a 1GB and this would be perfect as I don't own a reader that had SD, only CF and SM, its a shame I bought a Mini Cruser a few months ago.

Being able to transfer a file to someones pc without carrying a reader would be so much easier.

[Darius Wey]

So what's the verdict? Is this weird or wonderful and do you want one?

I was comparing this with the other SD/USB creation I posted on a couple of weeks back. I'd certainly prefer this one I think, although the design looks very fragile. I'd expect the "flappy" bit of the SD card to fall off one day. :?

[jlp]

I like this one better:
http://www.everythingusb.com/news/index/5929.htm

I don't mind the exposed USB contacts as they are in the PPC anyway.

It's not so much the fact that, yes, the USB contacts are inside the SD slot, but when you insert and remove the card, you HAVE to hold it by the USB connector, thus spoiling the contacts.

[dean_shan]

I'm voting for wonderful. I think it's a great idea.

[sofene]

I like this one better:
http://www.everythingusb.com/news/index/5929.htm

I don't mind the exposed USB contacts as they are in the PPC anyway.

It's not so much the fact that, yes, the USB contacts are inside the SD slot, but when you insert and remove the card, you HAVE to hold it by the USB connector, thus spoiling the contacts.The contacts are not exposed as they are on the inside of the flip section. It is the SD contacts that are exposed sort of when inserted into the usb slot.

[k1darkknight]

I like this one better:
http://www.everythingusb.com/news/index/5929.htm

I don't mind the exposed USB contacts as they are in the PPC anyway.

It's not so much the fact that, yes, the USB contacts are inside the SD slot, but when you insert and remove the card, you HAVE to hold it by the USB connector, thus spoiling the contacts.The contacts are not exposed as they are on the inside of the flip section. It is the SD contacts that are exposed sort of when inserted into the usb slot.

Look again...the link refers to a different SD/USB card than the one in the review. The one in the link is designed differently, without a piece that flips down.

[k1darkknight]

I prefer a 2 GB SD and a tiny MobileMate SD+ (http://www.sandisk.com/retail/mm.asp?nav=mobile), probably the smallest SD card reader.

COOOOOOLLL!!!! Where can ya buy those? (The MobileMate, not the SD cards...duh...)

[beq]

And no, I don't see this happening with MiniSD. It's hard when the USB connector is larger than the storage media itself. :lol:
I wonder if MiniUSB connector would be doable for a MiniSD, RS-MMC, or TransFlash card... :)

Then there could also be a small MiniUSB-to-USB adapter too (in fact I wonder why there isn't one already?).

[Jonathon Watkins]

Interesting. Suprisingly for you guys, :wink: you all pretty much seem to like it.

We have a winner! Now, I wonder what the price will be like compared to the non 'flippy' SD cards.

[Darius Wey]

We have a winner! Now, I wonder what the price will be like compared to the non 'flippy' SD cards.

One flippy SD card will probably be enough to buy three non-flippy SD cards. ;) No kidding...