SanDisk miniSD 256 MB Memory Card Review

Size really does NOT matter!
Overall
5

Summary

Excellent storage device for mobile phones…

Pros

Fast, compact, reliable, and convenient…

Cons

None at all!

A week after I bought my new phone (the LG VX8100), I decided to also buy this 256 MB SanDisk Secure Digital Mini memory card to store all my pictures, video clips, and sounds. My phone is great but I just did not want to be limited to just 20 or so pictures and clips. I needed more space and freedom. Since I shop at CompUSA a lot, I purchased this SD Mini from there for about $40.

DESCRIPTION

The SanDisk 256 MB Secure Digital Mini is a tiny (almost like those Olympus xD picture cards) storage device that plugs into your compatible cellular phone and extends the storage space enormously. Since it is a plug-n-play (PNP) device, your cell phone will have no trouble recognizing it. If that is not all, it also comes with an SD Mini to SD adapter so you can use it in any memory card reader (I use the SanDisk ImageMate 8-in-1 card reader).

Using this has made my life easier and is also saving me some money. I used to take pictures on my phone and email (costs money) to myself. Then I would have to download them to my computer. Now all I do is take the picture and when I am ready, I just plug the card into my reader and boom. All the pictures and video clips are there; just have to copy them to my hard drive.

WHY I BOUGHT IT?

The main reason I purchased this memory card was that I needed more storage space on my phone. I take a lot of pictures and video clips so I did not want to have to email one file at a time to myself (time and money consuming) to be able to delete it and get more space. Now I do not have to worry about it because I can virtually store hundreds of pictures, video clips, and sounds on it. I also bought this because my phone can play MP3’s and I needed a memory card to store them on to play it on my stereo phone.

I already have a card reader on my desktop computer and my laptop has an SD card reader also, so I was all set to go. And now my phone was also compatible with SD cards. Even though my phone has Bluetooth capabilities, it still requires some special configurations and time to transfer files to and from it. Now I only use the Bluetooth to transfer downloaded ring tones to the phone; I can access everything else via the SD card.

DIMENSIONS

The SanDisk Secure Digital Mini 256 MB card is about 19 millimetres in width, twenty-one millimetres in length, and about 2 millimetres in thickness. Yup, it is that small. It is about half the size of the regular SD card. The adapter is the same size as the regular SD cards and this mini SD fits perfectly from the top. Once the mini is fitted properly into the adapter, you will not be able to tell if you are using a regular SD or a mini SD. Together they will look like the regular SD cards.

THE PACKAGE & WARRANTY

The package includes the Secure Digital Mini 256 MB, the SD mini to SD adapter, and a book of additional fun toys you can purchase that are made by SanDisk. SanDisk provides a 5-year limited warranty on this product. To obtain warranty service or more information, you can call 1-866-SanDisk (726-3475), email them at support@sandisk.com, or visit sandisk.com.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The SanDisk SD Mini is easy to use because it does not require you to install any drivers, and it is faster than most other data transfer device. The card compact size also makes it easy to store and plug in without any problems. Best of all, you can almost use the SD Mini on any cell phone with a mini SD port. Nowadays size really does not matter when you are talking about storage capacity.


Specifications

BrandSanDisk
Websitewww.sandisk.com
TypeMini-Secure Digital Card (MiniSD)
Capacity256 MB
Operating Voltage2.7 - 3.3 volts
System RequirementsSD Mini compatible cellular phone
Pentium or Macintosh Computer
Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP
Mac OS 9.1.x+, OS X v10.1.2+
Compatible card reader with SD
Dimensions21.5 (W) x 20.3 (D) x 1.2 (H) mm
Warranty5 years