StartupTunes

Even though we have the tendency of thinking that the card readers are a dying breed a hardware that was surpassed, that is not the case. Overlooking that every laptop has a built in card reader, there are still a lot of desktop computers with which the card readers make sense, especially when you take in to consideration the vast number of cameras and mobile phones. Also the card readers are living through their own renaissance with the coming out of the USB 3.0 standard and USB 3.0 ports. So is the USB 3.0 just a marking on this type of devices or is it just a big hoax?

Kingston’s card reader MobileLite G3 has quite an appealing design . The good choice of colors and textures brings its own addition to the overall futuristic look. At one side of it you can find a standard USB port, which is hidden in the housing when the reader is not in use and at the other side you can find two card slots. One of the slots is a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot or a SD card slot and the other smaller one is a microSD card slot. When talking about SD cards, it can support the standard SDXC (Secure Digital Extended Capacity) standard that can read cards up to 2TB.

The tests made with an SD-HC class card- the fastest card made for writing full HD material and a guaranteed speed of 10 MB/s. There we encounter the problem. The USB 2.0 standard can provide a real speed of 30MB/s transfer speed, while the USB 3.0 provides around 130 MB/s. The fastest SD card that is on the market can guarantee 20 MB/s which is still in the USB 2.0 surrounding. Basically the performance test is based on the speed provided by the card not the reader.

The conclusion is that even though USB 3.0 reader sounds appealing you don’t need it because you cannot use its capabilities.