At first glance, the SD Plus card looks just like a normal SD memory card, until you notice the pair of hinges halfway down the card's body. Pushing down on one side of the hinges exposes a tiny USB connector which can be used to plug the card directly into a PC USB socket.

This removes the need for a memory card reader on your PC. If you don't have the data cable for a camera, with SD Plus it's possible to just open the card and plug it straight into a PC. It acts just like any other USB memory key once it's plugged in, so it can be used for other data storage too.

The cards carry Sandisk's 'Ultra II' badge, which means they are faster than standard cards. It feels a little fragile, but in reality it's quite sturdily built.

We looked at the 512Mb version, but there are other options available. The price is higher than standard SD cards, but it's certainly worth it for the extra flexibility.