Thinkpads Forum

I read somewhere that using an SD/SDHC card in the built-in card reader of the X100e will leave so much of the card sticking out that it's inadvisable to leave a card in when you slip the laptop into a bag.

Is there any type of card that would be flush with the outside of the machine? Perhaps a memory stick micro?

It looks like the controller type is a Realtek RTS5121, which isn't even listed on Realtek's site as a product, so might have been specially produced for the laptop. I guess what this may indicate is that Lenovo produced the bay, not Realtek, anyway, as the Realtek site only has drivers for the controller itself and no info on the entire device.

The bad thing is that there is NO documentation provided by Lenovo on the device. Nada.

I found something that will likely work: an RS-MMC card. These apparently are half the length, but will work in SD card slots.

jvarszegi wrote:I read somewhere that using an SD/SDHC card in the built-in card reader of the X100e will leave so much of the card sticking out that it's inadvisable to leave a card in when you slip the laptop into a bag.

Is there any type of card that would be flush with the outside of the machine? Perhaps a memory stick micro?

Where did you read this?

I don't remember, but it's true. Half or more of an SD card sticks out when you use the reader. But today I ordered an RS-MMC 4 GB card (which seems like the maximum capacity actually produced for that format) for around $10, and I'm happy. At least until I find it won't work. But the RS-MMC format will apparently work in any card reader that accepts SD cards, and in addition the MMC format is apparently accepted by the reader based on the X100e's tabook info.

The reason I ask is because I have never seen a laptop with a SD card that sticks out farther than the little bit needed to eject it.

Understood. Now you have. I was quite shocked, no exaggeration.

I have a half-length card on the way, and I'll report back on how well it works. In the meantime, someone on the Lenovo support forum pointed out the existence of tiny USB storage devices that don't protrude much, and I afterward even found some that host micro SD cards right inside the USB plug. Here are a couple so you can see what I mean:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Buffalo-Micro-USB-m ... 5ad4872c5d

http://www.amazon.com/elago-Mobile-micr ... 4GW9X9SF5C

It turns out that the RS-MMC card fits perfectly, with enough space above and below in the slot to retrieve it with tweezers if necessary. The write speed is about 13-14 MB/s.