Inateck MicroSD card reader with OTG Review ( Model CR1001G )

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.

I recently received an Inateck MicroSD card reader with OTG ( model CR1001G ) for a product review.  Other than the reader itself, nothing else came with the product which was fine since it wasn't anything complicated.  The reader itself is very small and light, and it had a short string connected to a small plastic plug to insert into a headphone jack.

Adapter with microSD partially inserted.  Notice the microSD port cap.

To test the product, I inserted a 16GB MicroSD card that I had available which already had some video files on it.

To connect the reader to my smartphone, I simply removed the cap over the micro USB port and then inserted it into my phone.  I didn't have to do anything in the software to mount the drive, and I used MX Player to play a video file from it with no problem.  Some devices may require additional steps or software to make it work, so you may want to research that first if you aren't sure.  Just make sure you don't knock the reader into anything, you don't want to break it (or worse your phone's microUSB port).

To connect the reader to my Windows 7 Pro computer, I simply inserted into a USB port.  It feels a bit snug, so you may have to put pressure on it to insert it but after use it seems to loosen up a bit.  Make sure you put pressure pushing it into the port only, and pressure up/down could damage something.  Once inserted, Windows immediately recognized the storage device and I was able to play the same video file again with no problem.

Notice the USB port and plastic plug for inserting into a headphone jack.

I did not test access speeds because that wasn't a main concern for me, as long as I could play movie files then any other use (playing mp3s for example) shouldn't be an issue.

The fact I had to put some pressure inserting this into the USB port was initially a concern, but after more use it is getting better.  The microSD feels snug, and for the most part the reader stays closed (it did flap open a few times when I pulled my phone out of my pocket but it was never an issue).

Size compared to a nickel

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Portable: The reader is very small and light, and is easy to carry around.  The headphone jack insert is a nifty little way to always keep it attached to your phone.  I have kept it in my phone this way and it really hasn't been a problem other than making sure it isn't in the way of your camera when taking pictures.

Ease of Use: No drivers needed, and worked without any special steps on both my Android phone and my Windows 7 computer.  Of course your device must support mass storage devices, otherwise it will not work.

Versatile: Since this adapter has both standard USB and microUSB connectivity, it is a great way to move files between your computer and mobile device.  However, due to the small size it can also be a great way to carry around files you may need to keep handy or you can probably even load a USB bootable Linux installation as a repair / diagnostic kit.

Bottom line: This is a great little tool if you have a need for this sort of device.  Although there are other ways to use USB storage devices with both your computer and smartphone using cable adapters, or even custom USB drives with both plugs this device allows you to use existing microSD storage cards you may already have with this low cost adapter.

Inateck Product Page: http://www.inateck.com/inateck-cr1001g-portable-memory-expansion-adapter-black/
Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00LNU0PFG