Kickstarter CAZE card reader holds up to 20 cards, offers data transfer speeds up to 300 MB/s
A pocketable device with 20 media slots and offering SD card data transfer speeds of up to 300 MB/s is nearing the end of its Kickstarter crowdfunder. Dubbed an all-in-one solution by Hong Kong-based makers at Asuizo, the new CAZE looks like a handy ruggedized essential for a mobile content creator's or photographer's laptop bag. As well as offering storage for your storage, it has slots for several other mobile essentials, and it is a fast card reader compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux.
The CAZE looks to be quite a feature-packed product. However, before we get onto tabulating its memory card and other storage functionality and its card-reading abilities, it is worth a look at the touted ruggedness of the product.
Asuizo says its device offers "multi-layer protection," and by that, we think it is referring to aspects of the design such as shock and water-proofing. Materials used to construct the CAZE includes aluminum alloy for the structure and a silicone outer shell. The internal slots are claimed to be precision-made, to ensure a snug fit, and anything inside is protected by an inner sealing ring. Asuizo reckons its construction choices make the CAZE resistant to dust and moisture ingress. However, the firm doesn't provide IP or MIL certification ratings in its specs. Due to this oversight, we wouldn't want to be too careless with the CAZE, especially in challenging environments.
An organizational nicety for your CAZE-stored full-size SD cards is the full/empty indicator you can toggle next to the respective slot. Sadly, there aren't indicators for the MicroSD cards. The three Nano SIM slots are another welcome feature, as is the SIM eject tool which looks like a pretty standard one, in case you lose it even when in possession of a case like this.
According to the device maker, when using the CAZE as a card reader, users can expect transfer speed up to 300 MB/s when reading the best SD4.0 UHS-II cards. These are the fastest cards around in 2024. However, this device's USB 3.1 Gen 2 connection is rated for transfers up to 10 Gb/s, which equates to 1.25 GB/s - more than enough performance.
As mentioned in the intro, there isn't a long time left in this Kickstarter. The clock is set to hit zero in four days. Asuizo's campaign has been a resounding success, raking in 20x the initial goal. At the time of writing you can pledge $49 for a CAZE. However, our standard warning applies – backing a crowdfunded device isn't the same as buying from a store, and sometimes things go wrong resulting in product shipping delays or worse. Moreover, being an early adopter might save you a few dollars from the purported MSRP ($69), but you can't read impartial reviews on sites like Tom's Hardware yet.
The estimated delivery for backers is June 2024. As well as the CAZE device, the Kickstarter offer includes a carabiner, and buyers can pick from black or green when they checkout. Asuizo will also be selling a significantly cheaper version of the CAZE which lacks the computer connectivity (it is just a 'dumb' storage box). The CAZE Lite is $19 on Kickstarter but according to the product pages will be $39 after the campaign.
