Name: ELECOM MR-A47H
Category: memory card reader
Price: JPY4410
Release date in Japan: Early May, 2008

In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore made the famous prediction that computing power (as related to transistor density) would roughly double every two years, and the IT press hasn't stopped quoting "Moore's Law" since.

I'm going to dabble in legislating predictions of my own, with this forecast: the number of media card formats that cheap USB memory card readers claim to support will also double every two years.

Actually, I'm not at all certain of the number or the time progression, so we'll have to wait and watch. I'm just noting that the marketing claims are getting crazy.

Case in point: the ELECOM MR-A47H series. It really wasn't long ago that memory card readers claimed to handle 6 or 8 or so formats, which seemed great. Then one day, I notice they're touting upward of 14, even 20. And those new ELECOMs? Well, let's just say that if you've ever been burned by a reader that supported only 46 formats when what you needed was just one more, your ship has finally arrived - 'cause this one goes to 47.

Not surprisingly, though, ELECOM arrives at its two-score and seven by listing multiple types of physical formats, such as three types of microSDHC card. So without listing all the variants, here are the physical formats covered: SD, SDHC, miniSD, miniSDHC, TransFlash, microSD, microSDHC, SD for Wii, MemoryStick, MemoryStick for PSP, xD PictureCard, CompactFlash, CF HDD, MMC, RS-MMC, MMC micro, and SmartMedia. Whew!

What? No NT Card or SxS? Back to work, ELECOM. (If they're anywhere close to 94 formats by 2010, I'm staking out and naming a Law.)

More info: http://www.elecom.co.jp/news/200804/mr-a47h/ (Japanese)

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