14 DAY TRIAL // Devices which look like the one ADATA has just released are usually just normal flash drives, however fast or slow they happen to be, but the company went for something less ordinary this once, being more of a card reader than anything else.
Then again, when it comes to USB On the Go, only flash drives tend to have that ability. To work with smartphones the same way they would with a PC.
Clearly, ADATA felt that memory cards like the ones used by cameras and other gadgets should have the same options as USB flash drives.
The ADATA USB OTG-ready card reader
Most card readers we've seen are the type that are shaped more or less like small slabs or blocks of plastic but with a cable to connect to a PC.
The ADATA OTG microReader is shaped like a dual-port flash drive unit instead, complete with a sliding mechanism which allows you to switch between full USB and microUSB.
The microUSB interface is the one you'll need to link to a smartphone or small tablet, while the full-size port will be used on a PC (desktop, laptop, nettop, HTPC, etc.).
Both microSDHC and microSDXC cards are supported, as well as regular microSD cards, so long as the capacity doesn't go above 64 GB.
Practical uses
Backing up PC information on memory cards for easy transportation is one thing, but not the most obvious. That prize goes to inter-phone communication.
Say you have a bunch of photos or videos stored on a phone which you want to transfer to a friend's smartphone. Normally, you would have to go through a tedious step by step NFC/Bluetooth hook-up process and then copy files, maybe one by one.
With the OTG microReader, you could just take out your phone's memory card and slide it into the device, then plug it into the other phone and voila! Ease of use maximized.
To remove the card, you only need to slide the second button on the back of the flash drive-like contraption and you're done.
Availability
ADATA did not specify the price or exact shipping dates, but it did mention that the OTG microReader can ship with or without a memory card. Either way it gets a strap hole.
