Memory cards designed for cell phones are so small now that it becomes painfully difficult to remove the card from the phone, then find an adapter to place into a separate card reader in order to transfer digital files from the card to another device (such as a PC or other mobile gadget).

To alleviate this pain, Kingston Technology today announced an all-in-one USB Flash drive and card reader that supports these smaller memory cards, including the microSD, microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro (M2) formats. The DataTraveler Micro Reader device also can store up to 4GB of memory on its own, giving users an additional storage drive as well as the card reader.

Kingston says the 1GB version ($12.95) will ship later this month, with 2GB ($28.25) and 4GB ($42) versions to follow later in the year.