Final answer:
The ExpressCard has been the standard type of expansion card used in most laptop computers since 2005, replacing PCMCIA cards and facilitating the upgrade of laptops with additional capabilities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Since 2005, ExpressCard has been the standard type of expansion card used in most laptop computers. This replaced the older PCMCIA cards and offers higher performance and more diverse uses. ExpressCards allow laptops to be upgraded with various capabilities such as additional USB or FireWire ports, solid-state drives, wireless network cards, and other peripherals. While many computers, including laptops, now have built-in memory card readers, the use of external memory card readers for transferring images from digital cameras remains common. These devices typically connect to a computer via a USB cable and are designed to read various types of memory cards, allowing easy access to the files stored on the cards.