It's not unreasonable to suggest that every photographer should consider one
The Kingston MobelLite is a pocketable marvel
Kingston Technology's MobileLite G3 is a diminutive and pocketable USB 3.0 multi card reader. It’s fast, versatile and cleverly designed and great value which is why we given it a top review rating.
Photographers in this digital era need memory cards and memory card readers. Savvy photographers now use very fast card readers to save precious time thanks to the increasingly wide adoption of USB 3.0. Most new PCs and laptops now include USB 3.0 ports and even if your computer doesn't have them built in you can buy USB 3.0 port add-ons in the form of expansion cards or PCIe cards.
The fastest memory cards currently available (UDMA 1000x) can transfer data at up to 150MB per second. Forget Firewire 800 or USB 2.0, neither can meet the demands of 1000x CF cards and UHS (Ultra High Speed) SDHC and SDXC cards. The most widely supported data port that can transfer data fast enough is USB 3.0. With USB 2.0 typically you can expect around 30-40MB per second of sustained data transfer rate in real world scenarios. That's 3-4 times slower than the fastest cards can operate at. Instead of waiting 8 minutes to download the contents of a 16MB card the MobileLite/USB 3.0 combination means the transfer is done in just a couple of minutes.
On top of that USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 so you can use your MobileLite G3 in slower USB 2.0 ports on older computers.
Here's how the MobileLite G3 works:
The MobileLite G3 is a tiny USB card reader that can accept an SD card and a MicroSD card at the same time and protect them so the entire device can be pocketed or even attached to a key ring.
At one end you can see the two slots for SD and MicroSD cards.
When an SD card is inserted it does stick out. However the device has a trick up its sleeve.
You can pull out a telescoping section of the MobileLite G3 that completely covers and protects the protruding section of card. At the other end the USB connector is also hidden by a telescoping cover.
Here you can see the USB connector with its cover retracted. In a way the MobileLite G3 can be used an over-sized USB stick.
This shot shows both protective sleeves at each end of the device retracted.
Conclusion and rating
It's true that to get the most out of the performance of USB 3.0 you need very fast (and expensive) memory cards. However the great news is that the MobileLite G3 is very reasonably priced if you shop around; as low as £7 in the UK or $12 in the US and of course you can still enjoy the device's versatility and great design even with bog standard cards. there really isn't much of note to say about the MobileLite G3 that's negative. You really shouldn't go wrong with one.
Pricing
Check the latest price or purchase options for the Kingston Technology USB 3.0 Multi Card Reader via
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