Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
No, thank you Accept
X
iOS 17 Won't Support These iPhonesCNET CouponsWatchOS 10 Fitness PerksBest Solar CompaniesRemote Working in ParadiseBest Satellite Internet ProvidersMortgage RatesMeal Subscription vs. Takeout
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

'Netbook' SDHC card: Clever branding or rip-off?

A little rebranding and a high price tag turns SDHC cards into Netbook memory.

Joshua_Goldman.jpg
Joshua_Goldman.jpg
Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials
  • More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
See full bio
Joshua Goldman
2 min read

SanDisk

Flash-memory manufacturer SanDisk announced Tuesday an SDHC card aimed at new Netbook owners disappointed with the skimpy internal storage the micro laptops may come with. On the surface--in the middle and on the bottom, too--it seems SanDisk took a bunch of old, slow Class 2 8GB and 16GB SDHC cards, rebranded them as Netbook SDHC Cards, and doubled the price of the cards to $44.99 and $88.99, respectively; the street prices are a little lower.

On the product page, SanDisk points out that this is a fast way to add more lightweight storage for videos, music, and photos that is also "hidden out-of-sight" since it'll be jammed into your Netbook's card slot. I guess this is good if you don't want to use a thumb drive or external hard drive, but it's also something that can be done with any SDHC card. (I wouldn't want personal photos and videos hanging out unprotected on removable storage regardless of type, but maybe that's just me.)

The site also says you're able to install and run software directly from the cards. This I'm not sure you can do with any SDHC card, but I'm guessing you can since if it were special, SanDisk wouldn't have buried the feature on the list of obvious things you can do with removable memory. (If anyone knows for sure, please leave a comment.)

A quick search turns up plenty of less expensive, faster SDHC cards from quality manufacturers, so there is no reason to buy these cards. I keep thinking I'm missing something here. (Someone please tell me I'm missing something here?!?)