Can I Use an SDIO Card in a PCMCIA Reader?
SDIO is an extended standard from the SD Association that builds on its popular SD card technology. SD cards generally can be used in PC card slots with the use of an adapter, but SDIO card adapters are much less common; only a single SDIO adapter is currently available, and its applications are limited.
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The Facts
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Standard SD cards can be used for memory extension only; each card acts as a solid-state hard drive in a portable device. SDIO allows for a much wider range of applications, including wireless networking, global position system receivers, cameras and barcode readers. An SDIO card with memory card functionality can be used in any SD-PC card adapter, but its extended functionality will be lost if an adapter that is not SDIO-compliant is used.
Identification
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SD cards, both standard and SDIO, use the distinct SD logo on the obverse of the card; the "D" is a stylized icon of the right half of an optical disc.
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Sizes
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Standard SD cards come in various sizes, including microSD, miniSD and standard SD size; typically, smaller cards are used directly in a mobile device, and may be fitted into an SD adapter for use in a standard SD card slot. SDIO uses the standard SD size, and may have additional hardware extending past the end of the SD card.
Adapters
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As of December 2009, only one vendor provides an SD-to-PC card adapter. This adapter is unbranded by the manufacturer, which makes it difficult for a prospective purchaser to evaluate the quality of the adapter prior to purchase. This adapter can be used only with Windows XP Service Pack 3 or Windows Vista, and is not available for other versions of Windows or the Macintosh operating system. It also cannot be used with GPS or navigation features on an SDIO card.
Considerations
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An SDIO-to-PC card converter may seem like a logical, economical choice; if the functionality you need is already served by the SDIO card, why pay for a second device which duplicates these features? However, the limitations of the SDIO-to-PC card adapter, and the sole sourcing of its supply, reduce the number of applications for which this is a good choice. Depending upon the functionality you need, you may be better served with a PC card that provides these new features directly, or by using your SDIO card solely as a memory card in a standard SD-to-PC card adapter.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Daniel Sancho
