SanDisk ImageMate 12-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader SDDR-89-A15
by SanDisk
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SanDisk ImageMate 12-in-1 USB 2.0 Flash Memory Card Reader SDDR-89-A15
Customer Review: Totally flaky. Wouldn't buy again...
Summary: 1 Stars
I have an older version of this card reader so take that into account when you read this review but they look pretty much the same. I bought the SanDisk card reader a couple years ago to use with my compact flash cards from my digital camera. The product worked fine at first. You plug it in through a USB port and four removable drives pop up in your drive listing. You don't need to install any drivers which is really nice so it's very "plug and play" and you can easily swap the device between computers with no effort.
All was fine at first but after a few months of use the reader started getting very finicky about how the card was inserted. I had to put it in "just right." If I pushed it in too far it wouldn't register so I had to put it in "just enough" but not too much. This would cause me to have to spend some time getting it to sit just right every time I used it. Annoying but it was workable.
Then some new problems started happening. When the device would be initially plugged in sometimes the computer wouldn't pick it up so now I had to plug the device in and out of the computer in addition to doing the same with the card in the reader. Then sometimes as you're using it the drives would just disappear. Now just recently it's started being super funky with the cards that are inserted saying sometimes they're corrupted or they're not formated while the cards still work in my camera just fine. It's pretty much unusable at this point.
So I might have just gotten a bad unit with some faulty wiring or poor construction since this card reader seems to have a pretty good review here from other people. However I personally tend to be wary about other similar products of the same brand when I get a poorly constructed unit so I'm going to trash this and try out the Sony 17-in-1 Memory Card Reader ( MRW62E/S1/181 ) and see how that works.
Even if there weren't the connection problems, there are still some issues with the device in terms of its form factor that would discourage me from trying out future iterations of the device. The vertical orientation of the device makes it really wobbly and it tips over easily which is annoying. I've used other card readers at work with the horizontal orientation and while I guess they take up a little more desk space, at least they're not constantly tipping over. Also the CF cards didn't slide in very smoothly. Overall the product just feels really clumsy and cheap.
After I've tried the Sony reader out I'll try to remember to add a review for it to serve as a counter point.
*Update May 20, 2009*
"Home Movie Buff" correctly pointed out that the reader does separate from the stand so you can lay it flat and not leave it in the original "tipsy" configuration. I still wouldn't recommend the reader due to the faulty connection issues between the card and the reader mentioned above that appear after repeated use. I personally have been using a Transcend M5 Multi-Card Reader and have been very happy with it. However it seems to no longer be available. Transcend does seem to have a couple newer models which are probably worth a try.
Customer Review: A Must Have For All Digital Camera and Music Player Owners
Summary: 5 Stars
SanDisk is a well known manufacturer of flash memory and associated devices. Memory flash cards are now part of nearly anything electronic that stores user data. From digital cameras to digital music players (even cell phones), the memory flash card is the way these devices record their data.
The SanDisk SDDR-89-A15 is one of the products in their "ImageMate" memory reader line. It is a 12-in-1 reader, which integrates with your personal computer flawlessly. No drivers are needed to connect this device with your Windows PC (assuming you are running Windows 2000 or newer). It is a USB 2.0 compliant device, but is backwards compatible with USB 1.1 (although at slower transfer rates). The drive does come with a driver utility disk, in case you wish to take advantage of the one-touch transfer button, on the top (or side, if you have it mounted vertically) of the drive. This button will allow you to transfer, print, e-mail, or view the contents of your flash card, by simply pushing the button. However, most of us do not have much use for this feature, and therefore adding the extra software to your computer is completely unnecessary.
The SanDisk SDDR-89-A15 ImageMate 12-in-1 Reader is compatible with the follow flash card formats:
1. CompactFlash®
2. CompactFlash® II
3. SD(tm)
4. SDHC(tm)
5. miniSD(tm)
6. miniSDHC(tm)
7. MultiMediaCard(tm)
8. MMCplus(tm)
9. MMCmobile(tm)
10. RS-MMC(tm)
11. RS-MMC Dual Voltage(tm)
12. Memory Stick(tm)
13. Memory Stick Duo(tm)
14. Memory Stick PRO(tm)
15. Memory Stick PRO Duo(tm)
16. SmartMedia(tm)
17. xD
18. xD Type M
19. xD Type H
Some other card formats can still be used with this reader, such as the MicroSD cards, but would require the use of an adapter.
Overall I am extremely happy with this card reader. Simply plugging it into an open USB port, on my Windows XP computer, prompted Windows to detect new hardware, and it installed drivers within Windows and automatically added 4 new drive letters in Windows Explorer. My only complaint is that sometimes Windows seems to lose track of this card reader, after the computer has gone to sleep. The drive letters still appear in "My Computer" and Windows Explorer, but when I insert a card it is not detected by Windows. I can't really blame SanDisk for this problem though, as I'm sure it has something to do with the operating system, or the power management of my PC itself.
For those of you that are still plugging your digital cameras into your computer, using a USB cable, stop wasting the batteries in your camera and simply purchase this great flash card reader. You can then pop out your memory card, insert it in the reader, and you will have instant access to all of your photos immediately. And the transfer rate between this reader and your computer will be so much better than the time it takes to transfer data from your camera to your computer. I highly recommend this reader, and plan to enjoy the convenience of mine for many years to come.
Customer Review: Works very well with one caveat
Summary: 5 Stars
Overall this is a great flash reader, but you need to be careful if you use both a USB 2.0 PC adapter card for a laptop and a high capacity flash memory card.
I was going to return this to Amazon because at first I couldn't get it to work with my Sandisk Ultra II 2gb card when connected to my laptop via a USB 2.0 PC Card. I have 3 other CF cards of 512mb capacity each, 2 by SimpleTech and 1 by Transcend, and all these would work fine with the ImageMate. But for some reason, the 2gb card would not show up. After much experimentation, I tried connecting a small USB power cord to the USB 2.0 PC card, and finally the Ultra II card worked fine. The cord I used came with the PC card when I bought it, and one end plugs into the card below the 4 USB ports and the other end plugs into my computer's native USB 1.1 ports.
Apparently, the ImageMate reader requires a little more power than a laptop PC card adapter can supply on its own to read a higher capacity CF card -- at least the Sandisk Ultra II 2gb card. At first I thought it was a flaw in the ImageMate, but I tried a Lexar 2.0 reader on the same USB 2.0 PC card without the extra cord, and the same thing happened -- it could read lower capacity CF cards but not the 2gb Sandisk Ultra II. When I used the extra cord, the Lexar could read the card just fine.
So you only have to worry if you're using a higher capacity card on a hub or PC card that might not supply enough power. If your PC card came with a supplementary power cord, use that. If not, then go buy a PC card adapter that comes with such a cord. If you're using lower capacity CF cards or your computer's native USB ports, you won't have to worry.
The speed of this reader is pretty fast. I tested it against the Lexar 2.0 reader I have, and the ImageMate is about 20% faster. I transferred 1.89gb of data from the 2gb card to my computer in 4 minutes and 41 seconds.
Don't bother installing the ArcSoft button software they supply with this reader. It didn't do anything special, IMO, but most importantly it caused some hiccups on my Windows XP Pro-SP1 system on shutdown and reboot.
This is a well-made, sturdy and attractive reader with a little rubber strip on the bottom so it won't slip, plus a separate cradle. You can use the reader with or without the cradle.
If you're looking for a good, fast multi-card reader, this ImageMate will fill the bill.
Customer Review: Dependable, Effortless to Set Up, and By the Way, It's Technically a 13-in-1
Summary: 5 Stars
The Sandisk ImageMate memory reader provides limitless flexibility with the myriad formats out there in today's market for digital content. Say goodbye to any worries that you won't be able to copy pictures from a relative's camera or share content with a friend's PSP - the ImageMate covers all of the formats available at this time.
This broad compatibility includes the absolutely tiny MicroSD (sometimes called TransFlash) cards that are used by navigation systems and leading-edge phones. These MicroSD cards use an adapter which bumps them up to the dimensions of a standard SD card. The adapters claim universal compatibility, but my other reader (only three years old!) didn't recognize them at all. However, the ImageMate picked it up with no problem. Hence, the 13-in-1 tag.
Setup is very easy - I received true plug-and-play for Windows XP and was using the ImageMate in a very short amount of time. There is an included disc of drivers and support software as well as a trial of Adobe's highly-regarded Photoshop Elements software. The ImageMate does not require its own power suppy, so there's no need to forgo another device in order to clear space on your surge protector.
Operation is straightforward as well. Whenever you insert media into the reader, your PC assigns it a drive letter and you can then use it like any other destination.
The product picture does the unit a disservice, making it look much bigger than it really is. The ImageMate is roughly the size of a PDA and fits in the palm of your hand. It can be laid flat on your desk (in which case rubber feet will hold it in place) or else mounted in the included vertical docking cradle. USB cables are included for both configurations.
The Sandisk ImageMate 12-in-1 does everything that a reader should do - you just plug it in and then take it for granted. If only all computer peripherals were so straightforward.
PROS
* All-encompassing compatibility (including the MicroSD/Transflash card not listed in the description) handles all of your devices
* Easily set up via plug-and-play
* Small and portable
CONS
* In the off-chance that you do run into problems, Sandisk's customer service is capable of nothing more than reading the product manual to you.
Customer Review: USB powered multi memory card reader combo with stand
Summary: 5 Stars
While Sandisk maybe hasn't got the memory card market cornered (far from it actually if you look into problems with Sandisk SD cards and Canon cameras) the Sandisk ImageMate is probably the best card reader in the business. In short if you own a digital camera you should get this reader. The reader is a little bigger than a tape cassette. It comes seated with a stand but you can remove it from the stand by pulling and letting it rest flat on a desk. It is powered directly by USB. It comes with software but XP can detect it and use it no problem. Basically it just installs 4 x drives in My computer. When you slot in the memory card into the reader the data appears in the drive and you can copy, paste or delete stuff. The real gem of owning this device is how much easier it is to just take the card out of the camera and slot the memory card in for reading, copying, pasting or deleting. It is so much easier to just open your camera, take the card out, put it in the reader, do your stuff, take out the card, put it back in the camera and get on with working on your photographs. Detractors will say that moving the card a lot will only damage it. I say that if your card can be moved in and out like this often, then you have a solid card. How many camera users have put their card in once only to discover one day the card doesn't bother to read/write anymore? This method is so much faster than waiting for your PC to respond to the camera before you can even access the memory card and then transfer depends on the camera speed and also uses battery power in doing so. Save your power, transfer faster and get into using memory cards the way they should be. Get this at all costs and experience the fun of transferring photographic images any way you want. Remember though that this is not limited to just camera memory cards. Any of the four supported memory card types will work A+.