I *love* this thing.
It is tough: It's not made of cheap plastic; has a very substantial feel, no wiggle, no flex.
It is fast enough; my cards seem to be the limiting factor.
It is *tiny*. It fits almost entirely within the USB port. I leave one in my laptop at all times ... when it's in the case, seriously, at all times.
The lanyard/keyring loop hole is on the device, not on the cap, so you won't lose it. The hole is recessed, so it can't break off, unlike the other tiny reader by the same manufacturer (also a very nice device, btw).
The light is bright!
The card fits into the reader "backwards", i.e. you have to remove the reader from the port to get it out. The card is a little difficult to get out, but it's *not* falling out by accident. Think of this device as one to convert a micro SDHC card into a tiny USB flash drive ... if you want to frequently remove the card itself, i.e. to put in your phone, the other reader by the same manufacturer may better suit your tastes.
The cap fits very very snugly ... It's doubtful that it'll be falling off.
Here's the other reader by the same manufacturer: ELAGO Mobile Micro SD & M2 Reader (White) + Sandisk 8GB Microsdhc Memory Card
I have this one, too, and it's every bit as good, just different in terms of its intended purpose: better if you want to remove the card itself frequently.
So, in short: an fantastic reader, fantastic USB drive (supply your own storage), and I have a couple more on the way :) elago Mobile Nano II USB 2.0 microSDHC Flash Memory Card Reader (Black)
I can't believe these things aren't flying off the shelves!! Much better than any USB stick. When a USB stick fails it's either the memory chip or the controller, so you end up throwing the whole thing away. With this type of setup if the controller fails you can just remove the memory stick and use another controller or a micro-SD to standard SD adapter to gain access to your data again. Cuts your chances in half of losing files. Just read the other reviews, they all say everything I would say about this little gizmo. Someone mentioned that the blue light doesn't blink when data is written or read to/from the device, this is only partially correct - it actually flashes rapidly. With a class 6 memory stick it flashes VERY rapidly, hard to notice, but it does. I would prefer the light stay off unless it's being accessed. Someone else mentioned the memory stick was hard to get in and out - Well, yeah at first I wasn't sure which way to insert the card, so be careful. Be sure to insert it into the thinner slot face up with the yellow button face up. And push the yellow button to "eject" the card when you need to.
The speed is good enough relating to Transcend multi card reader.
The construction is reliable and the build quality is also very good. Plastics doesn't look or feel cheap.
In addition there is a blue led indicator, just like on the bigger flash drives.
Overall an Excellent, TINY Card Reader. I'm offering Advice on 2 aspects:
CARD INSERTION: At first, card insertion may be baffling or unclear, so, here goes:
Hold the Elago reader horizontally with the yellow triangle FACING UP.
With your thumbnail, slide the yellow triangle horizontally in and out. Leave it in the OUT position, that is, with MORE yellow showing. Do not inadvertently press on the yellow triangle in the following steps.
Simultaneously in your other hand, hold the micro sd(hc) card with the printing facing up and the shiny gold contacts facing down. (Just like in the first picture.)
Now slide the narrower side of the card(just like in the picture) into the UPPER SLOT of the Elago reader.
Most likely the card will slide most of the way into the Elago reader, but stop at the ridge, the last eighth, where the slightly raised portion is. (If it DOES go all the way in -- good, it's meant to.)
But if it stops at the ridge, and there's still a small section sticking out, you will need to wiggle the card, gently now, and push it ALL THE WAY into the Elago reader. (Later -- pushing down on the yellow triangle will enable you to retrieve your card.)
That's it. You can now plug the Elago reader into your USB slot. If the micro sd(hc) card is not FULLY inserted into the Elago reader, it WON'T BE DETECTED!!
After a few days it will become easier to insert.
Wow, that took longer than I thought!
SPEED: One reviewer said the Elago reader speed was slow. I beg to differ. Performing benchmark tests on a Patriot 16 GB Class 10 micro SDHC card, I got 17.5 GB/s write, and 19.8 GB/s read speeds.
OVERALL AN EXCELLENT TINY MICROSD CARD READER!! - Elago - Memory Card Readers - Microsd - Tiny Micro Sd Card Reader'
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