Tuesday, June 21, 2005

New gadget: 1GB SD Plus Card

It's been my intent to post about interesting gadgets that I see or buy. Since I started this blog, I've missed blogging about a new iPod (or two), a new Bluetooth headset that uses the same power connector as my phone, a replacement stylus for my phone that has an ink pen embedded in the top, a PlayStation Portable, and probably several others. It's probably time that I actually started to post about these things (at least it gives me something worth posting about -- though often it's a lack of time, not necessarily material, that has caused my posts to be so infrequent.)

Well, my latest purchase is, in a way, similar to the pen/stylus. That is, it's a Treo accessory (again) and it combines two things into one device, replacing the need for another item that I've often been carrying around. It's a SanDisk Ultra II SD Plus Card.

You might ask: "What's so cool about that? After all, it is just a memory card." Well, in addition to being an SD card, it has a flip out USB connector (actually, only about half of a USB connector, but enough of one to work in a normal USB port). In addition to meaning that I no longer need a separate USB or PC Card adapter to read the SD card on my computer, it also can serve to replace the need for a USB key fob. I've been carrying an Iomega Micro Mini USB Drive, which I also wholeheartedly recommend (I'm on my 4th one, I think) if you need that kind of device -- and they do come in handy from time to time. Now that I have one of these SD cards, I no longer really need to carry that on my keychain.

I had been waiting for a 2GB standard SD card to double my Treo's capacity, but I think this card is a better choice, as I'm not using much more than half of my 1GB card, and its USB capability is more useful than the additional space. It will probably be a while before a 2GB model is available given how much space on the card is devoted to the USB connector, but 1GB is plenty of storage for many uses.