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The Multi-Card Reader is a high speed USB 2.0 device and is capable of transfer rates as high as 480 Megabits per second. When used with older systems it's backwards compatible with the USB 1.1 standards but the transfer rate drops to a maximum of 10-12 Megabits per second. This card reader / writer is great for anybody with a MP3 player, PDA, mobile phone and digital cameras or camcorders. Anybody that transfers or stores data on flash memory cards or Microdrives will love it. It's true Plug and Play with USB Mass Storage Class (MSC) compliance when used with Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Mac OS X systems. Drivers are included for computers equipped with Windows 98SE, Windows 2000 or Mac OS 9.x operating systems.
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SmartMedia, xD-Picture Card CompactFlash Type I and II, Microdrives
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The USB 2.0 data transfer is rated at up to 480Mbps but the actual transfer rate is dependant on your computer's processor speed, the USB port (and/or hub) and more importantly, the speed of the flash memory device being accessed. Suffice it to say that when used with a USB 2.0 port it's always faster than using the USB interface built into your camera. And it also saves your camera batteries for taking pictures instead of transfering pictures.
As you can see, transfer rates vary widely depending on the media.
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Once you have used a USB 2.0 card reader you'll never want to go back to the slow USB 1.1 speeds again. You may not have noticed a lot of difference when you upgraded from a Pentium 1.2GHz to a Pentium 2.4GHz computer, but believe me, you'll immediately notice the difference in transfer speed between USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 card readers - even with the slower media types. This is a small and super-portable card reader and it won't break the bank to buy it either. If you don't have USB 2.0 it can be used with a slower USB 1.1 interface or for about $20-25 you can add USB 2.0 to existing PC/Windows systems with a plug-in PCI card. Most new desktop and notebook computers being sold now and in the future will include USB 2.0 right out of the box. |
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