Digital Camera Memory Purchase a Card Reader SUMMARY: Why purchasing a media card reader for your digital camera is a good investment.   Even though your digital camera may have cords so you can connect the camera directly to your computer, it's easy to misplace these connections. You may want to purchase an external card reader instead. These devices, usually anywhere from $15 to $25 (though advanced models can cost more), allow you to place your CompactFlash, SecureDigital, MicroDrive, or other type of media directly in them (make sure you get a card reader that can read your type of media!). Then, when these devices are hooked to your computer, usually via USB (some support Firewire), your digital media looks like another hard drive to your computer. With these external media readers, you can drag and drop files directly from your digital media to your hard drive, bypassing the potential use of proprietary camera media transfer software.   Add: Del.icio.us | Digg | Furl | My Yahoo!   Discuss This Tip Print This Tip Get E-Mail When New Tips are Online Return to the Digital Camera Memory page.