Eye-Fi Card

As much as I enjoy taking pictures, I don’t always upload the photos to my computer or Flickr account right away. I found a new SD memory card that does the uploading for me - the Eye-Fi - the world’s first wireless SD memory card for your digital camera.

Setting up the card is a breeze. Out of the box it comes plugged into its own USB card reader. You plug it into your computer, and the install files for the Eye-Fi Manager program are on there (for both Mac and PC). The install process then takes you through the configuration of the card to upload to the service of your choice (17 to choose from). Since I’m a Flickr user, I have my pictures upload to there in addition to my computer.

“Digital cameras have made it extremely easy to take pictures, but the rest of the process is a hassle,” says Jef Holove, chief executive officer of EyeFi. “The Eye-Fi Card removes the barriers and lets users get to the fun part of sharing and printing their memories. We’re putting the magic back into photography.” The Eye-Fi works by using your wireless Internet connection to eliminate messing with cables, card readers or software. You turn on your digital camera, take your pictures and don’t have to worry. The uploading is done for you. The online services you can upload to include KODAK Gallery, Shutterfly, Wal-Mart, Snapfish, Photobucket, Facebook, Webshots, Picasa Web Albums, SmugMug, Flickr, Fotki, TypePad, VOX, dotPhoto, Phanfare, Snarpcast and Gallery.

As cool as the Eye-Fi is, I do have a couple of complaints. No surprise, but it uses up the juice in your camera’s battery quickly, and it uploads all the pictures you take. It would be nice to pick what photos to upload, especially if you have multiple shots of the same thing. Despite these issues, the Eye-Fi has my thumbs up.

A perfect stocking stuffer for the photographer in your life, you can find the 2GB (approximately 1,000 images) Eye-Fi at your nearest Wal-Mart (www.walmart.com), www.amazon.com, or www.buy.com for $99.99. Visit www.eye.fi.com for additional information.