Imation FlashGo! Universal Flash Memory Reader/Writer

Introduction

If you're into portable electronics gadgets, chances are you're starting to accumulate flash memory cards. Whether it's Smart Media or Compact Flash cards for your digital camera, SD/MMC cards for your PDA, or Memory Sticks for Sony's myriad of gadgets, you've got to have a way to connect them all to your PC to load and/or unload them. Most devices have serial or USB cables provided with them to allow you to connect them directly to your PC, but I've personally never been real happy with that solution. For one thing, you need a special cable for each piece of equipment, and for another it typically sucks off of the batteries of the device, and you either have to deal with the battery drain or connect them to an external power supply further adding to the nest of cables around your desk.

Well, it didn't take me long to discover that a flash reader/writer was a lot more efficient way to go about the business of uploading and downloading image and music files from my PC to my digital devices. I started off with a Compact Flash unit for my old camera but eventually grew out of it as I added other devices that used other forms of media to my collection. As you expand, you've basically got two options: either try and buy only items that use the type of memory cards you've already committed to or get a better flash device!

Well, Imation makes that second option easy with their FlashGO! flash reader/writer. This compact little gadget reads 6 different forms of flash media commonly used in digital devices today! It covers most all of the media options out there right now and lets you work with a variety of devices without worrying about whether you have the right tool to access the right kind of memory cards or not.

In this review, we'll take a look at what the FlashGO! has to offer and what it can do for you.

Packaging and Contents

The FlashGO! comes packaged in a typical retail plastic bubblepack with rather basic instructions printed on the back side of the package in lieu of a manual.

The package includes the FlashGO! reader/writer itself, 3 memory adapters for Smart Media cards, SD/MMC, cards and Memory Sticks, a USB extension cable and a driver CD.

Specifications

Let's take a quick look at factory specifications for this device.

Features:

• Supports Compact Flash (Type I and II), SmartMedia, Multimedia Card, SecureDigital, Memory Stick, & IBM's Microdrive
• USB port offers quick transfer & retrieval of any mix of photos, music, or data
• Bus-powered to save battery life on personal hand-held devices
• Easy plug & play convenience

• Windows® 98SE, ME, 2000, and XP
• Macintosh® OS 8.6 through OS X

As you can see the FlashGO! accepts all of the commonly used forms of flash memory you're likely to see in PDAs, cameras and MP3 players today. It uses a USB connection either by plugging the device directly into a USB port via its integrated USB connector or by using the provided USB extension cable. Power is provided through the USB connection so you don't have to worry about external power sources or batteries like when you transfer files through your camera or MP3 player.

The FlashGO! supports most current Operating Systems although you're out of luck if you're using Linux or Windows NT (which lacks native USB support). Windows 98/SE requires the use of drivers provided on the enclosed CD.