USB 3 Card Reader

[MarkBarbieri]

Where the heck are they? USB 3 has been out for how long now? Did someone fall asleep at the switch?

 

[Shutterbug]

I want Light Peak

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

I had heard that some people are skittish because the USB 3 spec is not officially ratified. Intel and apple are backing light peak so without a special adapter you cant even get usb3 on a Mac.

 

[pjacobi]

I had heard that some people are skittish because the USB 3 spec is not officially ratified.

That is not correct.

USB 3.0 specification was offically available on 11/08, the first certified USB 3.0 certified products became available 9/09.


-Paul

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

I stand corrected then.

No idea why we haven't seen a card reader then.

 

[alan]

I wonder whether CF / SD cards are actually able to be read at sufficient speed to make USB 3 worthwhile.

regards,
/alan

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Yes, they are. I have a Firewire 800 reader and it was noticeably faster than the USB 2 readers I have used. Unfortunately, my Firewire 800 adapter doesn't work with 64 bit Windows 7 and I haven't seen any adapters that look all that promising. I've been assuming since I put together my PC last spring, which has a USB 3 port, that a USB 3 reader would be released soon. Now I'm scratching my head wondering why no one seems to make a decent Firewire 800 adapter or USB 3 card reader.

 

[Groucho]

Yes, they are. I have a Firewire 800 reader and it was noticeably faster than the USB 2 readers I have used. Unfortunately, my Firewire 800 adapter doesn't work with 64 bit Windows 7 and I haven't seen any adapters that look all that promising. I've been assuming since I put together my PC last spring, which has a USB 3 port, that a USB 3 reader would be released soon. Now I'm scratching my head wondering why no one seems to make a decent Firewire 800 adapter or USB 3 card reader.

Three reasons:
1) The world revolves around SD, not CF. SD maxes out around 30m/sec, which is pretty close to the max that you can do with USB2.
2) The market is saturated with <$10 card readers. Heck, I've got a small pile of ones I've bought for under $1, including shipping. USB3 is much too new and expensive to compete. Heck, it took a while before the cheap readers even supported SDHC.
3) Most cards, no matter the technology, are not the top-speed ones and easily fit inside USB2's capabilities.

If you're dropping the big bucks for the top-dollar Sandisk high-speed cards, then you may want an eSATA memory card reader. Addonics makes one, I found a review here.