The MobileLite G2 features a dual-slider design: On one side lies the USB plug, and on the other, the card readers. Both sides, when slid outwards, protect what's within. It sounds kind of complicated, but isn't too hard to use, though it certainly requires more steps than a typical card reader. To insert a card, you push the card reader side toward the middle, revealing the slot for your card. After your card is safely in its slot, you extend that side back out again, protecting the cards (or not, you can leave them unprotected if you're some kind of negligent owner). Then, push the USB side in, revealing the USB jack, and plug it into your computer.

It does sound a little complicated when I explain it, but really it's pretty simple: Both the card side and the USB side extend to cover their respective delicate bits. (Note: The first person to say "foreskin" will be either banned or promoted, I haven't decided which). Unfortunately, the MobileLite G2 only supports SD/HC, microSD/HC and Memory Stick Duo, not CompactFlash, which is a bummer. But it's given an MSRP of $11, and it could well retail for less. It's a pretty handy little gadget to have around, that's for sure, and it should be available later this week. [Kingston]

Styled more like a 1950's car accessory than a USB device, the Rota-Rota only looks like it's made of metal. And before you just laugh this off, consider this: you probably have a USB hub or a card reader, but do you know exactly how hot it is in your office? In Celsius and Fahrenheit? That dream is just $15 away, people. [Brando]

Basically, they are set to roll out these cards to government officials and then on to private citizens as a way for the authorities to to protect identities and safeguard borders—but not a single police station, border entry point, or job center has a reader capable of extracting information from the card's biometric chip.

It took a Cambridge University security expert to explain the obvious:

"If this capability is not there then the biometrics are, in short, a waste of time. I would have thought that the government would have tried to get the readers rolled out as soon as possible as it is only when you get serious deployments that you start to learn what can go wrong."

The government reaction to the situation was swift and decisive:

"We have always said that we would roll out the scheme incrementally. The card will not be as useful as it could be until we have got the volumes out there. There's no prospect in the immediate future for the government directing anybody that you have to buy those things [readers] because we would be placing a burden on these organizations. The manufacturers of the machines have also got to decide whether it is worth their while to produce them. I think that organisations will decide in time that it is better, quicker and cheaper to have them."

Woah, wait a minute! This is going to money? Nobody said anything about money! [Daily Tech via CrunchGear]

The Price: $70 list, $40 on Amazon

The Verdict: It does exactly what it sets out to do—combine three common USB devices into one gadget. I never use the dock that came with my iPhone EDGE—since my laptop is my primary machine, it always felt like a waste to plug the cable into the dock and the USB to my computer only for a quick charge or sync when I could just attach the cable itself. But with the Simplifi, there is obviously more of a reason to use a dock, because it knocks out the flimsy individual SD and CF card readers I was previously using, and frees up two additional USB ports. A rubberized bottom and just enough bulk ensures it stays put on the desktop, and its Apple TV/Mac Mini design cues make it not too much of an eye-sore, unlike most USB hubs and readers.

It comes with docking trays that mate with the whole of the current iPod/iPhone line plus the 2nd and 3rd-gen Nanos, the color-screen video iPod classics and all of the Shuffles, and a DC power adapter for hook-ups that need more than just bus power, which also works fine for smaller USB gadgets. Its card reader functions are great—fast speeds, and support for the only cards I ever use: CF and SDHC/SD and its associated mini version via adapters.

One drawback is that it does not include the audio line-out found in Apple's $30 dock (which no longer comes bundled with any iPods/iPhones), so if you use that, Simplifi may not be for you. A third USB port also would have been nice (there's room on the back), and at a list price of $70 it's a little steep, but $40 at Amazon is a sweet deal, considering it's just a $10 premium over Apple's dock. It's available now. [Griffin]

Seriously, how long until you lose something like this? Just stick to normal card readers, and if those are ungodly too big, then you may have a problem. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via OhGizmo!]

So Apple goes and says that the new MacBook Pro is going to have an ExpressCard slot. So of course all the PC Card manufacturers will chant Apple's name and will start releasing more and more ExpressCards, especially since Dell and HP plan to incorporate ExpressCard slots in their laptops soon. This is the first ExpressCard we've heard of being released so far and it's a card reader from Buffalo. MMC, SD, and Memory Stick Pro and Duo are covered by the Buffalo MCR-4/EX card reader. Just plug it into your MacBook Pro and you'll be good to go with loading up iPhoto with pictures. Don't forget the benefit of a higher transfer rate, too! It's available now for only $26, which is chump change if you shelled out $2500 for the new MacBook Pro high-end model!

Memory card reader for ExpressCard [Akihabara]

First Generation Sony PSP Card Reader Accessories Coming [i4u]