CARD READERS ARE a numbers game, why have a 4 in 1 when you can have a 9 in 1 for $3 more (1)? MSI puts the smack down on them all with a 52 in 1 reader, and if I know my large Taiwanese vendors, it will be pretty cheap and reliable. MSI calls this the StarReader 52-in-1.
It does everything as you can imagine, in this case all the usual suspects, and a few standouts. The adapterless microSD slot is a nice touch, as are MMC Mobile, MMC Micro, RS MMC 4.0, and MS Duo Plus which I have never heard of until I read the press release. Basically, if you have a little flash on a slab of plastic, this will almost assuredly read it.
The one thing that caught my eye though is the SIM card reader on it, you can just plug your phone's SIM in, and they even supply handy download and editing software. While I have never tried it, the simple ability to back up you SIM with a low priced part makes this a winner for me.
Here in the phone ignorant US (2), people don't seem to have a clue about what a SIM is, much less swapping, backing up, or generally twiddling it. Because of this, I can see the StarReader doing much better in Europe than the US. Either way, it looks like something every geek should have in his or her toolkit.
