What Expresscard/34 stuff is out there for a Mac?

What can one do with the Expresscard/34 slot right now? Specifically, what can one put there that will work on a Mac (Macbook Pro, obviously)? I see people mentioning how they want their card slot, but never what they want to use it for.

I know what the technical possibilities are, but what do people use them for these days? I remember PC cards being used for various networking things back in their day (mainly wireless connectivity, but also ethernet port and similar things) but none of that is missing in the Macbook Pro (with the exception of a modem, which wouldn't make much sense right now anyway).

Possible uses that might actually be sensible (that I can think of) include tv card (this one I would be interested in a Mac version of myself, anyone know if one exists?), memory card reader (for the various digital camera/etc. cards), GPS receiver and 3G card (for limited but decently accessible wireless internet access). If any of these exist in a version that is supported for use on a Mac I do not know, however - Google gives fairly vague results on this score (though it seems to hint at memory card readers at least exist in a Mac-compatible version), but I haven't done any deep digging either.

I'm just curious, really - what do you know exists for that slot? Which of those, if any, work on a Mac? What would you WANT to have (for use on a Mac)?

 

I'm not sure what I will ever use it for. There are one or two 3g cards currently available.
I dunno why anyone would bother with a express card memory card reader. USB will work just as well.
I thikn the accesories section on the forums had some info about this stuff. Not mac specific, but should give you an idea.

 

One item I'd definitely want (assuming I go with a Macbook Pro) would be an eSATA card. That, combined with a dual drive RAID0 enclosure would allow me to work with uncompressed video within Final Cut Pro.

 

I just bought a 18-in-1 expresscard media reader. I don't want to carry different cables with me if I have to put in my SD card for my camera, micro sd for my phone, or memory stick for my sony products. Carrying specific cables is just another thing to forget.

 

Specific cables has nothing to do with any of this. I was saying that it would be just as well to get a USB card reader instead of a express card reader.

 

Except a USB card reader dangles off the computer and you have to remember to bring it with you when traveling. Whereas an express card media reader would sit flush inside the computer. That is a difference, and one way the Macbook pro's express card could be used.

 

Can you link that express card media reader? And it doens't stick out at all? Did they change the dimensions of these cards so they don't stick out like PCMCIA?

 

When I owned a Vaio SZ it came with an express card media reader that sat flush with the notebook. This is the exact one I bought but there isn't a good description of it.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apiotek/EC0004/

Here is a similar one on newegg with reviews from macbook pro owners. They all say the card pretty much sits flush with the macbook.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820270001

 

Well, ain't that something. Maybe i'll buy one of them.
I had no idea that they were making express cards sit flush with the case.
And I can't believe they can get it to read so many formats in such a small form factor. The CF cards are almost the height/width of the express slot.