Asante FriendlyNET Gini Aggiornamento firmware
FriendlyNET®Gini™and Gini II
Universal Memory Reader/Writer for USB 1 and 2.0
Resource Guide
Asanté Technologies, Inc.
821 Fox Lane
San Jose, CA 95131
USA
FriendlyNET Gini and Gini II
Universal Memory Reader/Writer for USB 1 and 2.0
Resource Guide
SALES
800-662-9686 Home/Office Solutions
800-303-9121 Enterprise Solutions
408-435-8388
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
www.asante.com/support
COVER: Asanté FriendlyNET Gini (left, in silver) and Gini II (right, in black)
Copyright © 2003 Asanté Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this document, or any associated artwork, product design, or design concept may be copied or reproduced in whole or
in part by any means without the express written consent of Asanté Technologies, Inc. Asanté and FriendlyNET are registered trademarks and the Asanté logo and Gini are trademarks of
Asanté Technologies, Inc. All other brand names or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. All features and specifications are subject to change
without prior notice.
Asanté Gini Resource Guide 2
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................................................................4
Chapter 2. Top 8 Reasons for Choosing the Asanté Gini ..................................................................................................................5
Chapter 3. Working with Memory Cards ............................................................................................................................................9
Chapter 4. Bonus Applications and Utilities .....................................................................................................................................12
Appendix A. Asanté Technical Support............................................................................................................................................18
Appendix B. Memory Card Formats.................................................................................................................................................20
Appendix C. Multimedia File Formats ..............................................................................................................................................22
Asanté Gini Resource Guide 3
Chapter 1. Introduction
The Asanté FriendlyNET Gini and Gini II allow you to easily transfer digital files from your memory cards to your
Macintosh or Windows computers. Each of these units features four “slots” to accommodate the six most popular
memory cards:
Slot 1 (bottom right)
Slot 4
Slot 3
Slot 2
Slot 1
• Smart Media
Slot 2 (top left)
• CompactFlash, Type 1 and Type 2
• IBM/Hitachi Microdrive
Slot 3 (bottom left)
• MultiMedia Card
• Secure Digital
Slot 4 (top right)
• Sony Memory Stick
Differences Between Gini and Gini II
There’s just one functional difference between these two models. Gini (Model UMR106) moves data through a
USB (Universal Serial Bus) 1.1 interface that operates at 12 Mbps. Gini II (Model UMR206) can support both USB
1.1 and 2.0; the newer high-speed 2.0 spec operates at 480 Mbps! Externally, the two models are identical—
except for color. Gini has a two-tone silver case. Gini II has a matte black finish.
Unless otherwise noted, we’ll be using Gini to describe the features and functions of both models.
Asanté Gini Resource Guide 4
Chapter 2. Top 8 Reasons for Choosing the Asanté Gini
Aside from Gini’s sleek design and cool looks, there are several practical reasons for using a universal memory
reader/writer.
Digital device refers to anything that uses a memory card, including digital camera, digital camcorder, personal
digital assistant (PDA), voice recorder and music (MP3) player.
1. Faster. Gini is much faster than traditional RS-232 serial links (12 Mbps vs. 0.0192 Mbps). When used with a
USB 2.0 interface, Gini II has a bandwidth of 480 Mbps—that’s 40x more than USB 1.1. If you want to transfer
digital files faster—without buying a new digital device—then upgrading to a Gini II can save you some money
and time.
Tip: With ordinary (consumer grade) memory cards, you can expect to see “real world” performance gains of
about 2–3X with Gini II. With faster (professional grade) memory cards, performance improvements will be
even greater.
2. Easier Access to Files. Most digital devices
include special software to move files to your
computer. If you have a different way of organizing
your files, then that special software can be a big
nuisance if it forces you to put files into different
places. If you work with multiple digital devices
(especially cameras), then it’s easy to forget where
all your files might be located.
If you’re an experienced computer user, then you’ll
appreciate the added flexibility that Gini offers. Just
plug in your memory card(s) and they all appear as
removable drives on your Mac OS X or Windows
XP computers.
In the example to the right, Windows XP
automatically reserves drives F, G, H and I to the
four slots on Gini.
Asanté Gini Resource Guide 5
3. Removable Data Storage. You’ve seen those cute little key chain-sized devices that hold 8–128 MB of flash
memory? They’re handy for transferring files when a 1.44 MB diskette just isn’t capacious enough (like those
Photoshop projects or PowerPoint presentations). If your laptop doesn’t have a diskette drive or a CD/DVD
burner, then these removable storage devices can be invaluable.
Almost all of those devices share one or more of these common limitations:
Too expensive—especially as the capacity increases.
Not expandable. Most are fixed to a certain size. The expandable ones require only certain kinds of memory
cards.
Difficult to insert/remove. They’re small because there’s a USB port fixed to the device. If you have the USB
ports on the side, front or back of your system, it can be a long reach.
Why live with these limitations when your Gini can also work as a removable data storage device? If you only
have one Gini, just carry the Gini with your memory card between home and office. If you have two or more
Gini devices, then keep one at each location and just carry the small memory module. Compared with other
designs, Gini is a much better solution:
Use the memory cards you already own. Your digital device probably came with a small capacity card;
typically, they’re 8 to 32 MB. While that’s probably too small for taking a lot of pictures and movies, it’s handy
for transferring files. Compared to burning a CD-R/RW disk, writing to a Gini is much, much faster. For even
faster speeds, pick a Gini II with a USB 2.0 interface.
Infinite capacity. As of this writing (early 2003), CompactFlash memory cards have the lowest cost per MB
and capacity from 8 MB to 1 GB. Some companies are already planning 2–3 GB! Choose a memory size that
comfortably meets your needs today and upgrade to larger sizes in the future. With memory card prices falling
every month, you’ll save money and get the capacity you want.
Easy to install. Since Gini comes with a detachable cable, it’s easy to plug it into your computer’s USB port—
whether it’s on the front, side or back. (If the cable wears out or breaks, just order a new one. Gini uses a
standard mini USB Type B connector so replacements are easy to find.)
Asanté Gini Resource Guide 6
4. Transfer between memory card formats. With Gini’s four slots, you can easily transfer data between
different memory cards. Need to load a picture into your PDA (organizer)? Just copy your digital camera’s
memory card to the PDA’s memory card.
Tip: If you ever need to consolidate photos from many digital cameras into one computer, Gini is the perfect
solution. First, copy all the pictures from each memory card into your computer. Second, verify that all the
pictures were transferred successfully. Third (optional), delete the pictures from the memory cards.
Tip: If you’re handling special event photography, don’t forget to make backups! In addition to copying the files
onto a computer, go ahead and back up one memory card to another (if possible). In the event your computer
is lost or damaged, you can still recover your precious images from your backups. One bonus: copying
between memory cards doesn’t consume any additional hard disk space; the data is directly transferred
between the slots on Gini. Peak internal transfer rate is 48 Mbps.
5. No drivers required (for Mac OS X and Windows XP). Apple and Microsoft both make good operating
systems. The problem? Almost no company can keep updating their products to support the latest OS. The
beauty of Gini is that it uses the drivers supplied by Apple and Microsoft for their newest OS. Even if your
digital camera/camcorder was discontinued a few years ago, you can still make it work with the latest Mac OS
X or Windows XP—just by plugging the memory card into Gini. Have you ever wanted to use some new digital
device—and then found out that they don’t have full Macintosh support? No problem. Give Gini a try.
For earlier operating systems, Asanté provides drivers for Apple Mac OS 8.6 and 9 plus Microsoft Windows
98SE, 2000 and Me on the accompanying product CD-ROM.
Tip: When visiting friends or relatives, pack Gini (and its driver CD-ROM) with your digital device. After they
see all those great pictures/movies you took, just leave a digital copy with them. It’s a lot easier than trying to
send big attachments of photos via email.
6. Save battery power. Even if your digital camera/camcorder includes a USB port (with corresponding cable),
it’s still a lot easier to use a Gini. Why run down the batteries on your device as you transfer your data? And…if
you ever forget to turn off your digital device after you’ve finished transferring data, you’ll need to recharge the
batteries.
Asanté Gini Resource Guide 7
7. Cable-free data transfer. If you work on a tidy, organized desk, then you’ll appreciate how Gini’s compact size
fits neatly in the corner. It’s certainly more convenient than pulling out cables to your digital camera/camcorder
from behind the desk every time you want to transfer images. Even if your workspace isn’t all that neat, Gini
can save you from one potential catastrophic disaster: accidentally knocking your camera/camcorder off your
desk.
8. Designed for the future. OK, nothing is really “future-proof,” but Gini is really a great investment. Even if you
only work with one memory card format today, why not be prepared for other formats in the future? One Gini is
usually less expensive than 2 different memory card readers—and it’s certainly a lot easier to carry around.
For more information on memory card formats, see Appendix B.
Asanté Gini Resource Guide 8
Chapter 3. Working with Memory Cards
Asanté’s Gini is the perfect complement to your digital world. With digital memory cards becoming more and more
popular, Gini is a wonderful way of handling the six most popular memory card formats. This chapter provides
specific suggestions for handling your memory cards.
Installation
See the instructions for driver installation (if necessary) inside your Gini packaging.
Tip: If you physically remove Gini, or any other USB peripheral, be sure to plug it into the same USB port (or hub).
This will speed up Windows’ new hardware detection service.
Accessing Files
Plug in the memory card into the appropriate
Gini slot.
Slot 1 (bottom right)
• Smart Media
Slot 2 (top left)
• CompactFlash, Type 1 and Type 2
• Microdrive
Slot 3 (bottom left)
• MultiMedia Card
• Secure Digital
Slot 4 (top right)
• Memory Stick
On slots 1 and 3, be sure to install the memory cards with the gold contacts facing up. On slots 2 and 4, install the
memory cards with the gold contacts facing down.
Asanté Gini Resource Guide 9
To locate your files, select the appropriate removable disk.
On Mac OS 8.6/9 and Windows 98SE/2000, the disk icon
will show your media type. On Windows XP, they appear
as four sequential drive letters. (See the figure to the right.)
Disk 1
• Smart Media
Disk 2
• CompactFlash, Type 1 and Type 2
• Microdrive
Disk 3
• MultiMedia Card
• Secure Digital
Disk 4
• Memory Stick
You will need to change to the appropriate folder (or directory) to find your files. On most digital cameras, your files
will be in the directory DCIM/CAMERA_NAME/DATE.
Tip: To make identification of your digital memory cards easier, label each drive by changing its default system
name. On Windows XP computers:
A. Go to My Computer.
B. Click on a removable disk. In Windows XP, click on Removable Disk.
C. Right-click Properties > Rename
D. Type a new name. For example, change “Removable Disk” to “SD” for the third Gini drive entry. (See the figure
above.)
E. Repeat for all four disks.
Asanté Gini Resource Guide 10
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