Final Thoughts and Conclusion
As with most instances of convergence devices, sacrifices were made in the creation of the Kingston DataTraveler Micro Reader. As a USB flash drive, its performance is nowhere near what you would be able to get with most of the standalone memory products in the market. Trickling along at a mere 12.4MB/sec, the drive will leave you twiddling your thumbs for quite some time as you try to transfer files to and from your computer.
I appreciate the ability to use the Micro Reader to read microSDHC memory cards, but there also appears to be a bottleneck here as well. When I took the same 8GB microSDHC memory card and used the mini-reader that came with the microSDHC kit, I actually got better performance. Instead of an HD Tune benchmark of 12.4MB/sec, I was able to get about 18.4MB/sec. The card is capable of a higher speed and the Kingston Micro Reader slowed it down.
Yes, the DataTraveler Micro Reader USB flash drive and memory card reader is able to perform the two functions that it’s advertised to do, but you really shouldn’t expect much in terms of performance. If you’re as impatient as I am, you may be better off using the provided microSD-to-SD adapter instead.
If Kingston provided this product with an included MicroSDHC card, it could become a valuable asset for backing up and archiving those photos and video clips off your cellphone if you’re travelling around the world without a laptop. If the performance and build quality could be improved, it has the potential to become a valuable product in your convergence arsenal. But for now it’s a pass.
Pros
- Dual functionality is interesting in concept
- Card reader hatch hinge is reasonably stiff
- 5 Year Warranty
Cons
- Card reader creates performance bottleneck
- USB flash drive is quite slow
- Low quality plastic
- Not cheap enough at MSRP of $40.99
Overall Rating: 6.0 / 10.0
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