Addonics Pocket DigiDrive AEPDMD4

(Consumer Guide ) -- May 29, 2002 -- You have to wonder why they call them "standards" when there are so many of them. In the case of memory cards, there are six major standards in use in various devices today. So what do you do when your CLIE handheld uses a Memory Stick, your digital camera uses a SmartMedia card, and your camcorder stores stills on a Secure Digital card? Easy--just attach an Addonics Pocket DigiDrive to your computer's USB slot and you can easily transfer photos and other information from virtually any memory card to your computer.

The Pocket DigiDrive boasts four slots that accommodate six different memory card standards. The smallest slot handles both the identically sized MMC (Multi-Media Card) and SD (Secure Digital) cards used by Palm handhelds, digital camcorders, and newer MP3 players. The SmartMedia slot handles the large but thin cards used by older digital camera designs, while the Memory Stick slot supports the chewing gum-sized cards used by Sony cameras and PDAs. Finally, the CompactFlash slot accommodates both Type 1 CompactFlash Memory Cards and Type II cards, such as the IBM Microdrive miniature hard drive. If all that sounds a bit technical, take heart. What this means is that if a device uses a memory card, the DigiDrive is almost sure to support it.

When you plug the DigiDrive into a PC's USB port, it appears as four separate disk drives in My Computer. Copying files to and from memory cards is as easy as moving them to a floppy disk--just drag and drop. If you're running Windows XP, the operating system's Camera Wizard will even automatically copy digital camera images from the card to your computer. You can also copy files between cards.

The drive is literally plug-and-play. Red LED lights next to each slot indicate when the DigiDrive is writing to a card, so you'll know when it's safe to remove a card or unplug the drive from your computer. The drive works equally well with PCs and Macintoshes, both desktops and laptops. One caveat--if you're using a USB hub, you might need to purchase an optional power brick to power the DigiDrive. If the drive is plugged directly into your computer, though, it can draw all the power it needs from the USB connector.

If you use only one type of memory card, the DigiDrive might be overkill. But if you use two or more types of cards in your household, the DigiDrive is a wonderful all-in-one solution to quickly and easily managing audio, video, and PDA memory cards.

Pro: Lets you access every major type of memory card just as if it were a regular disk.

Con: Needs at least Windows 98SE to work; requires external power on a USB hub.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Addonics Technologies
1918 Junction Avenue, San Jose, CA 95131
Phone: (408)573-8580
Fax: 510-438-5236
http://www.addonics.com

Copyright © 2002 Consumer Guide and Publications International, Ltd.