visorcentral.com >> Stories >> Commentary >> InnoPocket vs. MatchBookDrive

visorcentral.com >> Stories >> Commentary
InnoPocket vs. MatchBookDrive


Mon Mar 5, 2001 - 10:20 AM EST - By Scott Hanselman

Card Opening

The first 250 MatchBookDrives had a hand-cut opening, and this may have given them a bad name. MatchBook Products told me that all shipping MatchBookDrives have a machine milled opening. This is apparent from the pictures. The opening is nearly identical to the InnoPocket.

The card opening of the InnoPocket is a little snugger than that of the MatchBookDrive. I prefer it snug, as I don't expect to be removing the CF Card form the Adapter very often.

Card Insertion

As I said earlier, both CF Cards include a "track" that meshes with the notches that are standard on the sides of CF Cards. The track is considerably longer in the InnoPocket, extending nearly to the opening. This makes inserting a CF Card into the InnoPocket VERY easy, and almost impossible to screw up. When I first received the InnoPocket, I was worried that the big sticker that obscured the workings would keep me from succesfully inserting the card. I was wrong - the tight opening along with the long track makes putting a CF Card in very easy.

Inserting a CF Card into the MatchBookDrive is a little trickier, as it's internal track is only about 1/3 as long as the InnoPocket's. Once the card is inserted, both CF Adapters hold the Card securely.

One thing to note, some CF Cards are thicker and are called "Type II" cards. MatchBookProducts says they have a CF Adapter with a custom milled opening for folks who need Type II support for larger cards. This is very slick, since it opens the door to things like a SmartMedia to CF Adapter (see "The Future" below).

The Future - Hardware >>