Here we have a hybrid gadget that looks and performs like a conventional Secure Digital camera memory card but also folds out like a Transformer toy to become a very fast USB 2.0 jump drive suitable for carrying data to Macs and PCs alike.
The main purpose, say executives at SanDisk, is to quickly exchange files between desktop computers and a universe of devices based on SD memory, including cameras, mobile phones, Palm-type PDAs, Windows Pocket PCs, MP3 music players and camcorders.
Announced in April but only recently available, the postage-stamp-size combo drive proved almost as fast as advertised in tests and underscored for this reviewer that a wave of imitation appears certain from the rest of the field in the competitive memory industry.
These cards, of course, lie at the heart of the mobile multimedia revolution where digital cameras and other devices use memory cards to handle features that heretofore had to be built into the gadgets themselves.
Photographers will relish this tiny tool that can move from camera to laptop 25 high-resolution 4-megabyte digital photos in about 20 seconds.
The hands-on experience does cast a small cloud over the idea as one realizes how easy it is to misplace something this small in the chaos of daily life. Small as SD cards are, the Ultra II Plus becomes half as long when folded to expose the USB 2.0 connector that swings open on two tiny plastic hinges to create a stubby USB 2 prong.
When closed, the small case fits together tightly to let users insert the card into the tightest space in a camera or other SD device.
But there were no clouds regarding the performance. It took just a wink between 15 and 20 seconds to transfer a 115 mb folder filled with digital photos from the card onto a desktop hard drive. Ultra II SD Plus
GOOGLE MOON
Web giant’s latest feature has landed
In a stunt to call attention to its awesome Google Earth service, where satellite photos take users on simulated flights over the world, Google has released a similar feature for the moon (http://moon.google.com).
You can zoom in and out of a huge band of the cratered surface documented by NASA landings and view the touchdown sites in particular clarity.
And if one zooms as fast as possible to slam into a crater, the experience becomes downright cheesy.
ITUNES
Podcasting module worth talking about
For talk-radio addicts, Apple has added a slick podcast module to its new version 4.9 of the iTunes digital music software for Macs and PCs.
When activated, a customizable pane with podcasts available for free downloading and listening appears on the right of the display, while the available music appears in a pane to the left.
Have a look and listen at www.apple.com/podcasting.
