2. OCZ Trifecta Secure Digital Memory Card

In horse racing, a trifecta is a bet in which the bettor correctly names the top three finishers in a race in exact order. A tall order, in other words, and a perilous bet. With tongue in cheek, however, OCZ provides a product that handles both types of Secure Digital memory cards - microSD and regular SD - and also comes equipped with a 1 GB or 2 GB microSD card. The device can also be plugged into a USB port, which probably explains the Trifecta designation, but this product is no long shot. Rather, it's a helpful tool for those with cell phones, MP3 players, or other devices that accommodate either microSD or regular SD memory cards.

The OCZ Trifecta provides a snap-in adapter for microSD cards, accommodates SD cards, and includes its own built-in Flash RAM.

The 66X microSD card included with the Trifecta is no slouch in terms of performance - this translates into a read speed of 9.9 MB/s - and provides ample capacity for most cell phones, PDAs, and other devices that accommodate this form factor. Because you can plug the Trifecta into any USB port on a PC or a notebook, it's also a handy tool for transferring files between a computer and a mobile device of some kind. When you plug the Trifecta into a USB port, it includes a blue LED that lights up to let you know it's connected (it's not an activity light, so it emits a constant blue glow).

When used as a microSD to SD card adapter, the Trifecta works just fine. It fits perfectly into SD ports on cameras and other devices, though it may not be suitable for high-resolution video recording on camcorders. But the convenience it offers in making it easy to move microSD and SD cards from device to computer, and back again, makes it a pretty nice gadget to have around.

At a price of about $47 for the 2 GB model and $24 for the 1 GB model, the Trifecta costs a little more than most microSD cards with SD adapters, but it is also much more convenient to use.