SanDisk ImageMate 6 in 1 USB 2.0 Card Reader / Writer

Company: SanDisk
Product: ImageMate 6 in 1 Card Reader / Writer
Street Price: ~$35.00 USD
Date Reviewed: March 12, 2003
Reviewed By: Jason Rabel
Overall Rating: (9.5/10)

Introduction:

SanDisk is a company I'm sure everyone has heard of, they are a flash media / accessories giant in the industry. I was in the market for a USB Compact Flash reader and ran across a special on the SanDisk ImageMate 6 in 1 Card Reader / Writer. The ImageMate 6 in 1, as the name implies supports 6 different types of media (listed below) and is USB 2.0 compatible for faster transfer speed.

• CompactFlash Type I
• CompactFlash Type II
• SmartMedia
• Memory Stick
• MultiMediaCard
• SD Card

Since I use both a laptop and desktop computer, keeping track of my USB cable that connects to my digital camera was starting to become a major pain, not to mention every time I hooked it up to my desktop I had to dig behind the case under my desk to hook it up. I finally decided to break down and find an alternative that was easy to hook up to both machines. Like I said before I happened to find a special on this ImageMate 6 in 1 so I decided to give it a shot. 99% of the time I use it only for my Compact Flash cards, but on rare occasions I do use it for a SmartMedia card too. One feature that appealed to me over other USB readers was this one has a detachable base, so I can have it on my desk and it actually looks nice, but then when I need to take it with my laptop I can just pop off the reader and toss it in my bag and go.

Specifications:

  Advanced Features:

• Hi-Speed USB 2.0 certified for fastest data transfer
• Backwards compatible with all USB 1.1 ports
• All four memory slots are active, which allows you to copy data between the different memory cards at the same time
• Separate reader and docking station for quick desktop/laptop connectivity
• Easy to use; just drag and drop your files
• Saves batteries; let an ImageMate 6 in 1 Reader/Writer (not your portable device) transfer your files
• USB Mass Storage Class Devices
• Certified Windows XP and Mac OS X
• Compatible with Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP and Macintosh OS 9.1x+ & OS X v10.1.2+

  Minimum System Requirements:

    Windows:

• Pentium class PC with USB support
• Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP
• CD-ROM drive
• USB 2.0 port required from Hi-Speed transfer

    Macintosh:

• Macintosh computer with USB support
• Mac OS 9.1x+, OS X v10.1.2+
• CD-ROM drive
• USB 2.0 port required from Hi-Speed transfer