Get a FREE fully-working copy of Steganos Security Suite 7 (worth £49.99) when you sign up to the Practical PC Newsletter. Review: Sitecom Multi-memory Card Reader
Is this six-way device the ultimate in memory card readers? Don Bradbury investigates.
| Product | Multi-memory flash card reader/writer |
|---|---|
| Company | Sitecom |
| Web | www.sitecom.com |
| Price | £70.50 incl |
| We like | Multiple card facility |
| We don't like | Inaccurate documentation. |
| Rating | 8/10 |
| Requirements |
These days, with so many types of memory card in regular use, it can make sense to be sure all your hardware buying options are covered from the start with one universal flash memory reader/writer, as we pointed out recently. Memory types in current use include Compact Flash (including the IBM Microdrive format), Smart Media, MultiMedia card (MMC), Sony Memory Stick, and Secure Digital (SD), and all are covered by this Sitecom unit.
The reader is a neat black and silver-grey unit featuring four slots and four LEDs on the front, and, at the rear, a flying one metre USB lead and a port for an optional (ie separate cost) mains adapter. The latter is unusual on a memory reader such as this, but it's there to cater for two situations; a) if you have to use an external USB hub port (as opposed to a system port which can deliver more current), or b) if you want to press an IBM Microdrive into service.
On both counts, that's a shame. Most manage this out of a hub port, and Compact Flash slots can generally cope with a Microdrive without complaint. In fact this one did. I encountered no problems with a 340MB unit. However, what most will not do is accept MultiMedia, Secure Digital, and Memory Stick, so if you need those options, you may be considering the Sitecom unit.
Only four actual slots are required as the MMC and SD double up, and the Compact Flash slot is made large enough to accept a Microdrive.
Installation
The quick start card was missing from my sample, but installation was easy enough. Pop the CD in the drive, select the appropriate language, and let Setup do it's stuff, including restarting the computer. Then plug the unit into a spare USB port and installation is completed automatically.
The readme file on the CD was deficient in one or two aspects, including not providing a rundown on your new My Computer lineup of devices, as promised. However, that, too, is survivable as the additions are pretty obvious. What is less helpful is that, unlike the Flash Mate reader reviewed recently, the additional devices are simply labeled as four "removable disks" in My Computer, so you have to work out which is which. But you can, perhaps, put renamed shortcuts on your Windows Desktop, because they are labeled appropriately, thus avoiding confusion. You can also rename the shortcuts of course.
You'll need a PC with a Pentium 233 MHz or faster CPU, Windows 98se/ME/2000 as your operating system, 32 Mb RAM, and a built-in USB Port or USB expansion card.
In practice
Although the readme file says to look for an eject button after CompactFlash insertion, I did not find one. However, you don't actually need an ejector; CF cards are reasonably easy to extract using your finger tips. Nor was there a SmartMedia eject mechanism, as mentioned; again, you don't actually need one.
The device is a reader/writer so you can copy files from one flash memory type to another, and the LEDs are active to indicate data transfer. All four are lit from power up, but appropriate ones flicker during data transmission.
One thing I don't like; the SmartMedia slot on this Sitecom device doesn't seem to feature the usual blocking mechanism that prevents you putting the card in the slot the wrong way up. I inserted SmartMedia cards to the same depth either way round. You soon get used to making sure the contacts are facing downwards, but you shouldn't have to guess and then wonder why the card doesn't respond if you guessed wrongly.
In conclusion
The Sitecom device showed good potential, and with a little more polish in the documentation and design departments, it could prove to be a good buy at the new lower price of £70.50 inclusive. It's certainly comforting to have every flash memory base covered with a unit like this.
