Thursday, January 17, 2008

I Spy Eye Fi



Once in a while (even less frequently in the world of PACS and medical imaging), one finds a new product that actually works and does what it says it should do. Such is the Eye-Fi wireless memory card.

Basically, this is a 2 Gb SD card that will work with most digital cameras (those that use SD cards for memory, that is.) In addition to the prodigious memory, this card contains a tiny Wi-Fi tranceiver with some limited but still powerful functionality. No, it won't turn your camera into an Internet terminal, but it will let you wirelessly upload photos to your computer and to a service such as Flickr (the one I use) or Picasa, or a number of others. When you return home with your photos in camera, just turn on your camera, and the pics are automatically uploaded. There is a 2 minute set-up procedure for your computer that you have to do once, and then you are good to go.

Uploading goes very quickly on my 802.11g home Wi-Fi network. No, you can't use a public hot-spot to upload, and this is why I call the Eye-Fi's function limited. Still, it is a very powerful little device, literally allowing me to cut the cord between my computer and camera.

The card lists for $99, but can be found for less on eBay.

And it works. Quite well, as a matter of fact!

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