Over the last few months we have covered a number of memory card offerings and USB flash devices.  Now it is the turn of a product that combines a memory card with a USB stick device that takes over the functionality normally provided by a card reader.  As the world's largest independent manufacturer of memory products, it is not too surprising to know that this new approach to memory cards and USB connectivity should come from Kingston Technology.

Earlier this year the SD Card Association introduced the SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) memory card format.  Unlike the previous version of SD cards, which had a capacity of up to 2GB and used the FAT 16 file system, this new SDHC format is capable of supporting capacities ranging from 4GB up to 32GB using the FAT 32 file system.  The increase in capacity and change of file system does mean that legacy devices will be unable to read the new card format.

As we grow older our memory tends to suffer - at least mine does - and we come to rely more and more on devices that aid us in such matters.  The growth of this dependency has had the knock-on effect of putting a strain on the memory capabilities of such devices with increasingly storage capacity being a vital requirement.  In an effort to satisfy this mounting demand, a new standard has been developed for the popular SD memory card format.

Kingston Technology has recently added a new SD product to its portfolio of portable storage devices.  However before revealing more about this Kingston product, lets take a brief look at some background details regarding the SD format. Mobile phones, digital cameras, early MP3 players and PIMs (Personal Information Managers) all have roles to play in this modern technological world while making use of memory cards as their preferred storage medium.

Here I am looking at two such devices one by San Disk and the other by Kingston Technology. I have no doubt that numerous other such devices are out there. The only proviso as far as Vista is concerned is that it needs to be a USB2 device so that data can be moved quickly. The whole purpose is to store all the small files available for quick access.

Do you remember your first USB memory device?  In my case it was an 8MB unit.  At the time this device was being promoted as being suitable for all your personal needs when on the move from location to location.  Today most users would be embarrassed to be seen with a USB device of such a low capacity and would consign it to the back of a drawer while making use of one of the higher capacity devices that are currently available.