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: Works at first, but eventually failed big time!
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased my SanDisk years ago. It came with software, including a driver, which appears to be mandatory on my systems but I don't mind. Contrary to what others write, on my now Vista system, I can use 2 GB SD cards without any hitch. Moreover, I have a PhotoShop Elemements 7 reader and a PaintShop Pro reader loaded. None conflict and any one of them will automatically read the pix into their respective program when the program is loaded and the reader is triggered. I really didn't know these things could be problematic when I bought mine, I just wanted the free PhotoShop mini-Elements software that came with it. Over the years, I've learned to avoid small companies or to go on the cheap. That's bad for the new guy and doesn't always work, but as a rule it does. SanDisk had proven themselves, so I went with this product, then the most expensive one they made.
UPDATE!
About 3 months ago I had some problems that I thought were my fault. The images on the memory card were being copied back to the memory card. At first it seemed like no major problem because I wasn't losing images. But then the poop hit the fan. My sister and her husband lent me their one memory card with three major vacations: Israel, Europe and Canada. When this unit doubled the images twice, the memory card ran out of memory and then it started losing images! Since I had already copied most images to my PhotoShop Elements it wasn't a total loss, but we did lose a few pix. At that point I realized this unit was dead. I wound up formatting her memory card and copying the images from PSE to the memory on a new, simpler reader/writer. Needless to say, I won't be using any trick technology on memory cards anymore. BTW, my instincts kept telling me to lock the memory card when inserting. I couldn't figure out why I would. Now I always do!
Customer Review: Small, versatile and worth every dime. UPDATE FEB 14 2010
Summary: 5 Stars
After a few experiences of using different storage media, I needed a quick and flexible way to get data and images on my MAC G4. I found the Imagemate and it's perfect. I use it for my Sony camcorder memory cards, my nephew's PSP memory mini duo, my Nikon digital camera sd card, my Palm sd card. It has a stand that looks nice on my desk without taking up a lot of space, about 2x3 inches, but I'm not sure because I don't use it to save a little space (not weight) in my laptop backpack. It holds the Imagemate upright and and it comes with a USB cord. It also comes with a shorter, cute USB cord for use without the stand. So it's functional without the stand. The Imagemate is exactly as advertised with one exception for MAC: it has a one-touch upload button which does not function for the MAC. I'm not sure if that's mentioned in the product description but it's not an inconvenience. I still give it 5 stars. FYI: On the mac, it shows up on the desktop when you put a card in, not when it's plugged into the USB port. And then the green light on it comes on. I'm really...really..picky about the technology I buy. I travel globally so each item I pack must be worth it's weight and convenient. This is feather light, works great and I never worry if I can transfer pictures or data from any kind of memory card. Another sign that this was a good purchase, my friends are now asking to use it. So far, this is my best product purchase of the year.
UPDATE FEB 14 2010
Updated all technologies since last review: laptop, cameras, etc. STILL using this product. Goes with my laptop, camera and netbook wherever they go since you never know when you might need it. Worth e-v-e-r-y dime. I don't bring the stand when traveling to save space. Very small, almost weightless.
Customer Review: Very handy, universal reader of most everything digital.
Summary: 5 Stars
Someone complained that this device was garbage, but in my view, it is a well built "read and write anything" device that is at the top of it's class. It comes with a nice standalone desktop docking mount, and a generous USB cable for your primary PC, no matter what OS you run. It also comes with a short mini USB cable that you can use with the compact reader head to plug into most any PC or MAC that you come across while you are on the road.
The software included is the standard BS "lite" versions of a few photo editing programs, plus a Win/Mac driver that offers "features" like one button file transfers. Huh? All the software included is pretty much junk that is only included to entice you to buy the real version. Forget the included CD.
The reality is that the card reader works perfectly without any drivers being installed at all. I tried it on Win 2k systems, Win XP systems, and six different flavors of Linux, and in each case, the device showed up as four new drives (reflecting card type), and worked without error no matter what system I plugged it into, and without any drivers being loaded at all. I have been Windows free for about two years, but I still support Windows clients. This device is just as at home on my Linux PC's as it is on client Windows PC's, and without using any driver disks at all.
The bottom line is that it's a cheap, fast, quality multi card reader, and it doesn't care what OS you run. The "free" software included is just window dressing, and if you throw away the disk when it arrives at your doorstep, you will never miss it. This is a great reader that has both a desktop mount, and laptop portability. Did I mention that it's cheap? Buy one, and you will like it.
Customer Review: Fast, portable, and plug-n-playable... when it works
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a memory stick, Compact Flash and Secure Digital cards. This works with them all. I had an old card reader, a cheap plastic green one, that I gave that to my kid and got the new one. I was surprised at how noticeably faster it was over the old one. Even if you don't have USB 2.0, it's backwards-compatible. You can find out if you have 1.1 or 2.0 in this FAQ (http://www.everythingusb.com/usb2/faq.htm). When you remove the docking station (the black base), it's just as compact as my green one that I could fit into a small drawer on my desk. It doesn't feel like cheap plastic like the old one and it's sleek looking -- not that it matters.
You can keep it out of its docking station if you prefer to keep it in a drawer or do as I do and put the reader on top of my CPU that's under my desk. It comes with a USB 2.0 cable so you can hook it when it's without its docking station. Also, unlike other readers, there are labels for each slot (might be too small for some people to read) so you don't have to risk breaking something trying to remember which slot is which.
A card reader is worth the investment especially if you have more than one gadget. Instead of connecting your digital camera, PDA or whatever to the computer to upload data and media files, just take out the card and insert it into the reader. No drivers needed - it's plug 'n play in its purest form.
Updated December 5, 2007: I dropped this to three stars from the original five. It simply stopped working after barely over a year. I contacted Sandisk three times and no response. Very disappointing. With more card readers coming out smaller or built into computers -- this one is old by today's standards.
Customer Review: Good, but doesn't seat cards well
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this along with a SanDisk Extreme III 2 GB SD card. When the card is seated well in this reader, the performance is very fast. The difficulty is getting the card to seat. The only card I have problems with are the SanDisk Extreme so you might be tempted to say it's the card's problem however, that card works very well in every other device I have (camera, palm and wolverine.)
I will ask SanDisk for service, but with the price, I'm not sure it will be worth any shipping changes that might be necessary. I will update with SanDisk's reply.
Here is the update:
When I got this reader, I was very excited. No drivers required, very fast transferring data, etc. What's not to like? Then my new SanDisk card arrived. I got a faster card to support burst speeds on my camera. This reader would only read this new card on occasion. The SanDisk site doesn't say this will only read cards up to a certain speed. I was expecting to use this with my new card.
I went to SanDisk support. Here is their answer:
The Extreme III card is not supported on your reader. You would have to use the other readers that you have tested your card in or, if the card is less than 30 days old, you may take it to the place of purchase for replacement or refund if you were told that it would work on the reader in question.
For any other concerns, don't hesitate to email us again.
Best regards,
Najeer B.
SanDisk Technical Support
I would change my rating to one or two stars at this point, but unless I delete this entry, Amazon doesn't appear to allow me to change it.