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Written by Nick Aycock Category: Tech Blog
Published on 22 September 2011 Hits: 237
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Hello and welcome to my first "Tech Blog."  This is going to be my attempt at blogging and sharing information on all of the cool technology that I like to geek out on.  The first thing that I decided to blog about is a testament to the shrinking size of technology.  It is one of those things that when you first see it or open the package, the first thing that comes to your mind is "That's it?  This little thing does all of those things that were in the product description?  No way"  Then, you'll be tempted to look further to see what's missing.  "There's just got to be something else in here other than this little orange SD card and an SD to USB adap

Eye-Fi ProX2


ter that I won't even need (because my PC has an SD card slot built in).  Well, look no further...you are holding an Eye-Fi card.

What is it?  An Eye-Fi card is an SD card that you put in your camera, just as you would with any other SD memory card in a digital camera.  But this one is special...VERY special.  It transmits the pictures over a wi-fi network to your computer...no cables...no need to remove your card from the camera...it just sends them over the air.  One of the coolest things, I think, about the Eye-Fi card is it's capability to create an Ad-Hoc Network in the absence of a Wi-Fi network and transmit to your wireless enabled device such as a laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

There are many reasons I think this is cool, but the main thing that I think makes this card practical for everyone is it's "Endless Memory" feature.  Essentially, this wonderful little card in conjunction with the provided software knows what images have been uploaded to your computer and which ones have not.  S

o, 

lets say you have this set up as it's intended to be: on your computer so that when you are within range of it, the card starts transmitting pictures to your computer and places the images neatly into folders by date or whatever criteria you set in the set up.  Then, you're headed out to Uncle L

ouie's Surprise retirement party (I don't know why I chose that occasion...I don't have an uncle Louie and I'm 99% sure that no one that reads this will have an Uncle Louie)...anyway, you head to the party and when you get there, you have no space on your memory card. AH!  With a normal SD card, you're going to find yourself going through your pictures deciding which ones get the axe and which ones you can't live without...all before Uncle Louie arrives and the action starts...so you frantically fumble around deleting here and there, second guessing yourself...and convincing yourself that you don't really need that picture.  Well, with a Wi-Fi card, you let it do the work for you.  You see, when you were at home the card was busy sending files to your computer and letting the software file them...being real working chums.  I mean, the software and the card work so well together, they probably hang out sometimes outside of work and know each other's families and enjoy time at their virtual water cooler.  But, I digress, let's get back to you at Uncle Louie's party.  All you need to do is tell your little buddy Eye-Fi that you would like it to make room and like magic, it removes photos that are already tucked away safely on your computer.  All this makes sure that you get that special moment when Uncle Louie shows that he's ready for a boc of depends with that retirement because he just crapped his old skid-marked drawers when everyone jumped out and scared that old man when he thought he was just going to have a nice slice of meat for dinner.

So, that's the gist of the Wi-Fi card and it's major function...that's also only about 10 percent of the story.  It can do a lot more...which I may or may not expand on at a later date, but for now I'll just run down a brief list of some of the cooler things it does.

  • Can be set up to work with Adobe Lightroom
  • Works with most digital cameras
  • oI use the 8GB Pro X2 with RAW and GeoTagging on a Nikon D3100, Panasonic Lumix, and Sony Cybershot
  • It's not too hateful on your camera's battery life...but you do always have a charged spare available for your digital camera with you anyway...right?
  • Loads pictures over your Wi-Fi Network as fast as your router will allow and Direct Mode (Ad-Hoc) is pretty fast too.
  • On the go uploading through wi-fi hotspots to your free Wi-Fi acount and Social Networking and photosharing sites such as Facebook, Flickr, even FTP!
    • Allows you to utilize your camera's photo lock feature to choose which photo's are uploaded to the web
    • This is another really strong point that makes the Eye-Fi card great and I should expand on, but the folks at www. Eye.Fi.com explain it soI may tocuh on this later.
  • Perfect for the everyday amateur photographer and professional photographers as well.
  • It won't break the bank - Cost is $50 to $100 and the best price I found was on Amazon.com.  But, if after reading this you just have to have one in your hands right now, you can pick one up at Wal-Mart and it's not too much more.
  • Official Website is www.Eye.Fi.com for more information
  • Can use your device's connection (Wi-Fi, 3G, or Edge) to upload pictures to websites or event to your computer, so your pictures will be safe as you take them.

 If something peaks your interest or you have a question about anything in the list, ask about it in the comment section or contact me and I'll be happy to fill you in on it.  I've also included this cool little video about it the Eye-Fi card at the bottom of this entry.

As I mentioned earlier, this is my first Blog post of this sort and really, one of my first real blog posts, period.  So, please send me a note and tell me what you like and don't like about the blog, my writing style, the length of entries, or any constructive Criticism that you think will make this blog better and me a better writer.  As mentioned elsewhere on this site, the purpose if it is not only to inform and entertain everyone, but it's to provide me an outlet and make me a better writer and critical thinker.  If you notice something or something comes to mind about my entries...whether good or bad, I would be honored if you would actually take your valuable time and help me out with construcctive criticism and ESPECIALLY compliments.  :)

 

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