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Page 1 of 2: Introduction: Multimedia components are now the norm, companies everywhere are deliberately designing for a tech savvy world. Whether it comes down to elaborate home entertainment systems, kitchen aids, vehicle navigation systems, computers, and of course the digital imaging enthusiast; technology companies now make gadgets more user friendly while keeping your precious time spent on using their devices to a minimum. Today I will be reviewing one such product that is meant to make your life easier when it comes to several factors one of which is simplicity. Vantec brings forth it’s offering of the external 8-in-1 card reader and USB hub aptly named the Go 2.0. While there are many different card readers out on the market today and most can readily be found in all the major retail stores (Wal-mart, Kmart, Target, Circuit City, Best Buy). Unfortunately, some models are still going to be of the USB 1.1 transfer rate instead of the speedy USB 2.0 variety. For those that do not understand the difference, USB 1.0-1.1 technology is several years old and can only sustain a maximum transfer rate of 1.5Mbps & 12Mbps (Megabits not Megabytes) respectively between the peripheral and the computer via the USB cable. USB High Speed 2.0 will allow you to transfer your data at a blazing fast 480Mbps and it was designed to be completely backwards compatible to be used with some of your older existing USB products. “Why would I even need something like that?” some of you may ask. I will let you in on a little secret. You don’t! Unless you would like to keep on using everything separately. I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of having one little external card reader sitting on top of your computer instead of having to dig up three or four different camera cables to transfer the data to my computer. I love the fact that I can now take my old USB 1.1 hub and toss it in the bottomless pit that is my “yester-year gear” drawer. Not only does the all-in-one technology allow you to transfer all of your pictures or data from a variety of popular flash cards to your computer with the external Go 2.0, it also allows you to save data right back on those flash cards. What could be more useful than storing some game drivers on your Compact Flash II card, your pictures on your Multimedia Card, some documents on your Secure Digital Card then packing up tiny flash cards with the Go 2.0 and taking it to a friends house or to work with you. Sure you could use a CD-R, but once you have used that information that CD is pretty much useless until you need it again down the road sometime. You could also use a CD-RW in which to burn data, but you better make sure your friend or your work computer has a CD-RW drive installed with the proper software to recognize the data or it simply becomes useless at that point. All you have to do is just plug in the Go 2.0 drive and Windows XP will automatically install the drivers for you, and your good to go. So now we delve into the world of the Vantec Go 2.0 External 8-in-1 Card Reader & USB 2.0 Hub. Grab your favorite beverage and your big bag of Doritos and let’s do this!
Snipped from the Vantec site: Product Description: From digital cameras to PDAs, memory cards have become an indispensable way to store all our valuable data. While they work fine when used in their respective devices, transferring information from the memory card to your computer usually requires the use of proprietary software and having to go through the device. Since it is common for each device to use a different type of memory card, getting information from all your devices, or trying to exchange data, can be a difficult task. Vantec's 8-in-1 Card Reader/USB Hub helps make the process easier. With the 8-in-1 Card Reader, you are able to read and write to your memory cards with the ease of using a CD or floppy disk. Because each slot is independent, you can also easily transfer files from one memory card to another. The 8-in-1 Card Reader also includes a 3 port USB 2.0 hub, giving you easy access to your USB ports. The Vantec 8-in-1 Card Reader/USB Hub supports Compact Flash I/II (CF), Multimedia Cards (MMC), Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick Pro (MS Pro), MicroDrive (MD), and SmartMedia (SM) memory cards and works with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1. Features:
Package Includes:
Specifications:
Supports: Compact Flash I: 8MB ~ 1GB
Inspection of goods: The Go 2.0 shipped in an orange and yellow box with the typical plastic window to allow you a glimpse of the star of the show. Inside the package was a neatly bundled Go 2.0 product; one AC power adapter (rated at 5V-2.6A 13.0W Output, 100-240V~,50-60Hz, 0.5A Input) with an L-Shaped plug, one type-A male to type Mini-B 5-pin USB 2.0 cable, one Driver CD, one mini flyer, and one thin manual. The Reader has a very small profile which measures 103x63x14mm (4” x 2-7/16” x 1/2”) with a pocket busting 6.5 ounces. It has a very stylish grainy silver design with all of the flash card ports on the front face. The right side of the Reader is where the three USB ports are located. On the opposite side of the USB ports we have the AC Adapter plug, Power LED, and the mini USB port which will connect the included USB cable to your computer. The top of the Reader is where the three link and activity LED’s reside.
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