Mar 28, 2007, 07:44
I couldn't contain my excitement when a fedex package arrived for me today, straight from Singapore. I placed the order on Sunday night and it arrived Wednesday afternoon - not bad for free shipping! Sorry, there aren't an pics yet - I'll take some over the next few days and will post them up. Maybe I should turn this into a mini review article or something.... 
![[Image: ND2300_400.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/ND2300_400.jpg)
[this is from their site]
First Impresions
Anyway, I opened the package, and pulled out my Nexto CF OTG (ND-2300) which is a Korean made portable storage device to download data off your memory cards without need for a PC. There is a built in compact flash card reader, and also a USB slot for OTG (on the go) protocol, which can suck data from card readers, thumb drives, etc. It uses 2.5 inch (notebook) hard drives, and you can order the units as is and supply your own drive, or pre-loaded with one. I chose to get one with a 80GB hard drive, and it came pre-formatted, with around 76GB usable space.
Initial impressions - it looks solidly constructed, very nice metallic red finish on the case, and comes with everything you need. There is a USB to mini USB cable for connection to your PC, an AC power pack (with an australian adapter supplied in the box), a nice felt velcro case and a pretty legible and comprehensive instruction manual.
Operation
In terms of operation, it is an extremely straightforward device to use. There is only one button on the device, and you operate it by either tapping, double tapping, or pressing and holding the button. It's not as complicated as it sounds - there is a LCD screen which provides hints on what operation you can do. When you power it on, the LCD also has a small battery indicator and tells you how much free space you have on the device.
When you plug it into a PC via the supplied USB cable, it functions as a USB 2.0 mass storage device, and you can use it as an external hard drive. Use this mode to copy your photos off the device onto your PC, or even use it as a backup device for your PC.
In the field, this baby really shines. If you plug in a compact flash card, it prompts you whether you want to copy data (short press), or move data (long press) i.e. copy and delete. I use SD cards for my cameras, so I plugged in a mini card reader into the USB port at the bottom, and it basically did the same thing. I tried my 1GB thumb drive and it sucked data off that too.
Each time you initiate a copy, it creates a new folder with the date/time stamp, so you never over write your data. After you finish a copy, there's also a function to do a verification of the data - either doing a full byte-by-byte scan (very slow), or just a sample (very fast). One nice thing which I really like is that after a transfer and power off, it will tell you the status of the previous transfer once you turn it back on, so you're not left wondering.
Performance
Transfer speeds were extremely quick - according to my research, this is one of the fastest devices on the market. I didn't do any quantitative tests, but my 1GB thumb drive seemed to transfer in around 2 minutes. Their site states a max speed of 20 Mb/s and a sustained speed of 14 Mb/s, so that sounds roughly correct.
The unit has a built in Li-Ion battery which supposedly is a good for transferring around 30GB of data per charge. There is also an optional battery pack, which does 40GB before conking out. You need to turn the device off to charge the battery, and you can do so via the AC power pack, or the USB cable to your PC.
Conclusion
Anyway, I think I've probably said more than what I originally wanted to say... I have yet to give it a thorough workout in the field, but I'll let you know more once I use it in earnest. I really like the speed and flexibility of the OTG USB port. Apparently you can even plug your camera directly into the device, and it will suck the data out of it, but obviously that will drain the camera's battery, and might be slower.
I do wish that it came with a built-in multi-card reader. Compact flash users would rejoice, but SD users like me need to carry around a separate card reader. I suppose I could hunt around for a SD to CF adapter...
All in all though, I'm a pretty happy camper. I wanted a portable storage device which I could use on my trip to Europe. It can do that and also function as a nifty external hard drive as well around the home. If you're wondering as well, I got mine from eastgear dot com, which is based in Singapore. At the time, it cost 184 USD / 220 AUD, and they had a free shipping fedex shipping deal, which made it an absolute steal.
[this is from their site]
First Impresions
Anyway, I opened the package, and pulled out my Nexto CF OTG (ND-2300) which is a Korean made portable storage device to download data off your memory cards without need for a PC. There is a built in compact flash card reader, and also a USB slot for OTG (on the go) protocol, which can suck data from card readers, thumb drives, etc. It uses 2.5 inch (notebook) hard drives, and you can order the units as is and supply your own drive, or pre-loaded with one. I chose to get one with a 80GB hard drive, and it came pre-formatted, with around 76GB usable space.
Initial impressions - it looks solidly constructed, very nice metallic red finish on the case, and comes with everything you need. There is a USB to mini USB cable for connection to your PC, an AC power pack (with an australian adapter supplied in the box), a nice felt velcro case and a pretty legible and comprehensive instruction manual.
Operation
In terms of operation, it is an extremely straightforward device to use. There is only one button on the device, and you operate it by either tapping, double tapping, or pressing and holding the button. It's not as complicated as it sounds - there is a LCD screen which provides hints on what operation you can do. When you power it on, the LCD also has a small battery indicator and tells you how much free space you have on the device.
When you plug it into a PC via the supplied USB cable, it functions as a USB 2.0 mass storage device, and you can use it as an external hard drive. Use this mode to copy your photos off the device onto your PC, or even use it as a backup device for your PC.
In the field, this baby really shines. If you plug in a compact flash card, it prompts you whether you want to copy data (short press), or move data (long press) i.e. copy and delete. I use SD cards for my cameras, so I plugged in a mini card reader into the USB port at the bottom, and it basically did the same thing. I tried my 1GB thumb drive and it sucked data off that too.
Each time you initiate a copy, it creates a new folder with the date/time stamp, so you never over write your data. After you finish a copy, there's also a function to do a verification of the data - either doing a full byte-by-byte scan (very slow), or just a sample (very fast). One nice thing which I really like is that after a transfer and power off, it will tell you the status of the previous transfer once you turn it back on, so you're not left wondering.
Performance
Transfer speeds were extremely quick - according to my research, this is one of the fastest devices on the market. I didn't do any quantitative tests, but my 1GB thumb drive seemed to transfer in around 2 minutes. Their site states a max speed of 20 Mb/s and a sustained speed of 14 Mb/s, so that sounds roughly correct.
The unit has a built in Li-Ion battery which supposedly is a good for transferring around 30GB of data per charge. There is also an optional battery pack, which does 40GB before conking out. You need to turn the device off to charge the battery, and you can do so via the AC power pack, or the USB cable to your PC.
Conclusion
Anyway, I think I've probably said more than what I originally wanted to say...
I have yet to give it a thorough workout in the field, but I'll let you know more once I use it in earnest. I really like the speed and flexibility of the OTG USB port. Apparently you can even plug your camera directly into the device, and it will suck the data out of it, but obviously that will drain the camera's battery, and might be slower.I do wish that it came with a built-in multi-card reader. Compact flash users would rejoice, but SD users like me need to carry around a separate card reader. I suppose I could hunt around for a SD to CF adapter...
All in all though, I'm a pretty happy camper. I wanted a portable storage device which I could use on my trip to Europe. It can do that and also function as a nifty external hard drive as well around the home. If you're wondering as well, I got mine from eastgear dot com, which is based in Singapore. At the time, it cost 184 USD / 220 AUD, and they had a free shipping fedex shipping deal, which made it an absolute steal.
This is perfect for your trip 
