1. Features
Kingston’s MobileLite G3 is a compact, multi-functional USB 3.0 card reader
that lets you easily transfer digital data, photos, games, music and more
stored on memory expansion cards between all kinds of digital devices.
Designed for use with different types of Flash memory cards, MobileLite G3
lets users carry a single device to store, transfer or read data on any USB host
device while using a variety of Flash cards for mobile phones, digital cameras,
Netbooks, computers, MP3 players and more.
The MobileLite G3 is ultra-portable, plug and play
and requires no external power source. It supports SD/SDHC/SDXC,
microSD/SDHC/SDXC and MSPD (Memory Stick Pro Duo).
The small device has retractable covers on each side to make it compact and
protect the USB connector and the Flash memory cards from damage. When
in use, MobileLite G3 appears as two drive letters (i.e. E:\, F:\) and data transfer
is as simple as drag and drop.
- Features
- Compliant — with the USB 3.0 specification, SDA 3.01 standard
- Multi-functional USB card reader supports SD/SDHC/SDXC, microSD/SDHC/SDXC and MSPD (Memory Stick Pro Duo)
- Backwards compatible with USB 2.0
- Portable — easily fits in your pocket
- Guaranteed — two-year warranty
- Specifications
- Dimensions: 2.45" x 1.16" x 0.646" (62.15mm x 29.40mm x 16.40mm)
- Operating Temperature: 32°F to 140°F (0°C to 60°C)
- Storage Temperatures: -4° to 158° F (-20°to 70°C)
2. Working with the device
The Kingston MobileLite G3 is available online for just €10 (amazon.co.uk) and retails in the slim plastic case you see below:
The Kingston MobileLite G3 is made out of hard plastic and it has a retractable front and back cover designed to protect both USB3.0 port and the card slot. We would like to see a more solid design here as the cover is a little bit loose so it can be accidentally retracted.
There is also a Blue LED activity indicator,but due to the thickness of the middle plastic section, it is actually not visible unless you work in the dark with almost no ambient light.
In addition, the device is not very slim so it might block nearby ports.
Below you see the bare USB 3.0 port with the front part retracted:
The other side includes card reader slot, which is compatible with SD/SDHC/SDXC,
microSD/SDHC/SDXC and MSPD (Memory Stick Pro Duo) cards:
Benchmarks
The Kingston MobileLite G3 is compatible with almost all the available operating systems, including Windows XP and up to Windows 8 and MacOSΧ/Linux:
For our simple transfer rate benchmarks we used a Kingston UltimateXX 233X UHS-1 32GB SDHC card and connected the G3 to the USB3.0 and the USB 2.0 ports of a Gigabyte Z77X-D3H motherboard.
Below you see the results we got from the CrystalDiskMark benchmark under Windows 7 x64 SP1 :
Below you see the performance of the same same SDHC card attached to an older USB2.0 card reader. The Kingston MobileLite G3 card reader allowed for high sequential as well as random 512K read and write speeds, the reading of 4K/4K QD32 were somewhat slower.
3. Impressions
The Kingston MobileLite G3 is a USB3.0 compatible card reader with wide compatibility - SD/SDHC/SDXC,
microSD/SDHC/SDXC and MSPD (Memory Stick Pro Duo). As a truly universal product, it is compatible with Windows/MacOSX and even Linux operating systems.
When paired with a fast memory card, and connected to your PC or laptop, it will shorten the time you need to get large pictures of video to your system by taking advantage of the increased bandwidth of your USB 3.0 port. More over, it can be used as an external flash drive connected to a spare memory card.
There is not much to add for such a small but useful device. We would like to see a better construction but don't forget that we are dealing with a €10 device.