Card Reader

Is there such a thing as a card reader that would allow me to take the sim
card out of my mobile phone and slot it directly into the card reader and
thus have all the pictures from the phone uploaded into the finepics

pmj...

Yes.
There is.
I've got one fitted (as standard), not an Optional Extra) in this
Fancy Flash Medion PC I got a while ago (in Oct/Nov 2004 actually).

It has a Card Reader (made/supplied by WinBond Electronics Corp)
with 4 Slots in it, each Slot can take a variety of Cards,
it accepts Compact Flash (including the Mini Hard Disk type)
MS/SD/MMC (including the MiniSize ones, using the Adapter that
they come with) & SmartMedia/xD Cards.

& it *also* has a Smart Card Slot, which takes normal (older style,
Credit Card Sized) SIM Cards, or the standard (new Style) Miniature
SIM Cards, like most Mobile Phones now use & it *also* (apparently)
takes Bank Credit/Debit Cards (though I've never actually managed to
get it to Read anything off one of them!

Now for the (possibly) not so good news...

I gather that a SmartCard/SIM Card Reader isn't a very common thing
in this sort of Card Reader?
Most Card Readers don't have a Smart card reader (& many don't even
take xD Cards)

3 of the Card Slots all show up as a "Removable Media Drive" in
windoze explorer, so you can just Drag & Drop & Copy & Paste stuff
from any of the Memory Cards - no need for any Fancy, complicated
Software (though of course, since they show up as a Drive, anything
that can Read any Files & folders on a Drive (such as Fuji FinePix
etc,) works with them

BUT...
The Smart Card (SIM Card) Slot only works with the (supplied)
WinBond Proprietory Software.
:-(

& that is (to be kind) Diabolical - it looks like it was designed
back in the days of windoze 3.0!

& the Software only seems to read the *Phone* Book (& SMS Text
Messages from the SIM Card - it doesn't Read any Pictures.

I think actually that that is cos the Pictures aren't actually
stored on the *SIM* Card! (At least not on my Sony Ericsson T6100)

Most Phones which take Pictures only store them in the *Phone*
Memory & if they store them on any sort of *Removable* card, that's
more likely to be a SmartMedia or MMC card.

Or (as you mention below) they use a Cable or BlueTooth to transfer
the stuff & many of the Programs that dthey supply which do that are
just as bad as the sort of stuff that this WinBond thing has.
:-(

programme ?

Ponder...

Photos, etc, are not stored on the SIM card, that's for phonebook and
messages only. Some phones allow you to store the phonebook and messages on
the phone itself as well as on the SIM card.

If your phone has a memory card too then make sure your storage device
for pictures is set to the card and then you'll have access via a card
reader like one described by pmj, if it only has phone memory then the only
way will be through the connectivity software supplied with your phone.

datasmog...

That's a good question.
I don't have an answer......a swift web-search for 'sim card reader' throws
up some possibilities but you will need to read the specs. A cursory
scan would suggest they are mostly designed to back up phone books, not
images.

I know - Vodaphone sent me a disc and a patch lead and a programme - but
they simply dont work.... is there such a devise on the market ???

andon...

John. Did you resolve this question?
Not knowing what actual sim card your phone uses made it hard to
guess the correct reader. I stumbled across these today

I cannot recommend the shop or product. If you cut n paste
SIM Master into web-search it throws up lots of devices and shops.

pmj...

Well, they *do* work, but not always easily & not in any way that
is at all sensible or normal!

pmj...

Yep!
(See above)
:-)

But I dunno if they are readily available as a *separate* thing.
Most (USB) Multiple Card Readers don't read SIM Cards
This one came built-in to the PC & is Connected up *internally*
to the MotherBoard.

But there are also various sorts of USB Card Readers available that
will Read (only) SIM Cards.

*Years* ago I got a SIM Card reader that used the old-fashioned
*Serial* Port!

But bear in mind that I think you will find that the Pictures from
the phone *aren't* actuall ystored on the *SIM* Card, but having
a SIM Card Reader is useful anyway, so you can Save/Load & Backup
& Restore the Phone Numbers from & to it.

datasmog...

Most mobile phones will sync with a computer over Bluetooth or via USB.
The patch lead you mention, is it a USB lead?
I suggest you do a bit of RTFM. You do have the users manual that came
with the phone?
Otherwise tell us what phone you have, someone may have already been
there and done it.

( as you can well emagine - I am new to computing and a hopeless case when
it comes to getting stuff to work - but I reckon I,m not the only one.

pmj...

Nope, I'm sure you're not!

Don't worry - pretty much whatever you can think of, can be done
(one way or another) with a PC!
& also a lot of things that most people would never even think of!
:-)

Computer world is over an hour away so I,m a bit stuck !!!!

andon...

It depends upon the type of sim that your phone uses.
If you have a recent model phone then the answer is
YES.
They are even on Sale Price now.
If you have the reduced size SD or MMC sim
then this USB finger will read them
Special Price Ł2.99

pmj...

I don't actually think that PC World (if that's what you mean) Stocks
much in the way of *SIM* card Reader, but have a look on their Website.

Have you got a Maplins near you?
They might do them.

Or have a look on the eBuyer.com (or Dabs.com or similar) Websites.