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Automatic Geotagging with New Eye-Fi Card
By Dave Peterson | May 12, 2008
Today, Electronista reported that Eye-Fi, maker of the Eye-Fi wireless SD card, has announced two new cards that broaden the appeal of the technology in a couple of directions. For those who may have missed the stir caused by Eye-Fi last year, the premise of the product is that it will automatically upload your photos to your computer and/or to the photo sharing web site of your choice wirelessly. No need for a cable, nor conscious action by the user. It’s a great product that I’ve enjoyed using for the last few months; the only caveats are that it must be on its home network (the one you set it up on) and it’s advisable to set your receiving site’s privacy levels so that all uploaded photos are viewable only by you until marked otherwise.
The new cards bracket the abilities of the original. On the low end is the Eye-Fi Home, which does not have direct-to-web upload capabilities, but will wirelessly move photos from the camera to your computer. For many, particularly those who don’t use an online photo-sharing site, this will be a welcome downgrade, with fewer privacy concerns and a $20 price drop.
On the high end of the existing card, is the Eye-Fi Explore, which uses the same Skyhook radio triangulation technology available as a GPS alternative in current iPhones and iPod Touch software. The location system enables automatic geotagging (which allows photo sharing sites to place a point on a map indicating where the picture was taken). It also improves on the original cards network compatibility, allowing one year of free uploads to the web and the user’s computer through hotspots operated by Wayport (providers of Wi-Fi at McDonald’s, Hertz, and numerous airport and hotel locations). The Eye-Fi Explore will be priced at 129.99, $30 over the cost of the original card, which is being renamed Eye-Fi Share. All three cards have a 2 GB capacity.
With the introduction of these two new cards, Eye-Fi becomes an even more intriguing product from a company obviously interested in steadily increasing the features of an already excellent product.
Topics: Gadgets |