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Eyefi's new service sends your camera's photos to the cloud as soon as you shoot
There are plenty of cameras that send their photos to your phone, but you frequently have to transfer those pictures yourself -- and it's another hassle to get the pics to other devices. Eyefi thinks it can solve these headaches by launching its own online service, Eyefi Cloud. If you're using one of the company's WiFi-equipped Mobi cards in your camera alongside new Android and iOS apps, any photos go both to your mobile device and Cloud right after you've hit the shutter button. You only need a browser to manage your shots, so you're not stuck if you want to see your photos on a new PC.
Eye-Fi brings its desktop receiver to Mac, announces Labs initiative for software beta testing
Have you been bummed for the last month because Eye-Fi's desktop receiver for its Mobi card was Windows-only? Well you can now rest easy: The company has just announced the Mac version of the software here at CES. Now, the aforementioned wireless SD card can transfer to both desktop OSes instantly for easy photo sharing between mobile and anchored devices. In addition to catering to the Apple faithful, the outfit announced Eye-Fi Labs. This effort will allow users to test beta versions of new software for the memory cards before they're officially released. Sound like something you'd like to take for a spin? Head to the source link to sign up.
Eye-Fi's Windows desktop receiver means you can say goodbye to the SD-card reader
We've always been fans of Eye-Fi's wireless cards, but the fact that we still used an SD-card reader to pull the files to our desktops always rankled. Thankfully, the company is addressing that gripe with the Windows Desktop Receiver for the Eye-Fi Mobi, which launched earlier in the year. The new app will give users a choice between pushing pictures to their smartphone or desktop, presumably with far more ease than on the previous Class 10 X2. All you need to do here, we're told, is enter a 10-digit activation code and watch your devices wirelessly pair, pushing images right where you want 'em. The software will remain free so long as it's in beta, with an OS X version currently in the works -- so if you fancy giving it a try, head on to the download link and see what your experience is like.
Eye-Fi Mobi simplifies DSLR image sharing through your iOS device
I love my Canon DSLR for the flexibility of selecting high-quality lenses, a plethora of shooting modes, the faithful color renditions, and the high storage capacity I can get with inexpensive SD cards. But I find myself also shooting a lot of photos with my iPhone simply because I want to share those images with the world immediately. The Eye-Fi Mobi Wi-Fi memory card (starting at US$49.99 for an 8 GB capacity) offers a simple way to quickly "shoot and share" from a DSLR through your iOS device. I'm no stranger to Eye-Fi cards. I currently use the company's Connect X2 card when I'm shooting review photos for TUAW, since I can have them automatically transferred to my Mac without needing to remove the SD card and put it into the computer's SD card reader. You can find out if your DSLR or point-and-shoot is compatible with Eye-Fi's products through a compatibility program that's available through any of the Eye-Fi product pages. %Gallery-194924% My Canon DSLR, for example, integrates well with the Eye-Fi cards. It keeps the camera powered on until the Wi-Fi media uploads are done, displays a Wi-Fi icon on the camera's touchscreen that shows the status of uploads, and allows enabling/disabling of the card from the camera's menu. Setup of the Eye-Fi Mobi card for use with an iOS device is fast and easy. First, you install the free Eye-Fi app (universal, also available for Android and Kindle). The installation process requires that you enter the activation code that's on the back of the SD card case on the package; once that's done, the app installs a profile onto your iOS device. Next, the app asks for access to your Photo Library so that images sent from your DSLR can go right in without a need to be moved manually. Your next step is to pop the card into your camera and enable it. Once that's done and you take a picture with the camera, the card sets up a secure Wi-Fi network that's tied to the app you activated. Select that network in the Settings app, and you're ready to roll. Upon launching the app again, the photos are quickly uploaded to the iOS device. When I mean quickly, I mean that it takes only a few seconds for DSLR-quality images to be transferred at full resolution. I find this quite interesting, since the Eye-Fi to Mac connection on my home network is slower. In the future, I may use my iPhone as the intermediary for image transfers for reviews, since an Eye-Fi to iPhone to Mac (via Photo Stream sync) transfer is faster than what I've been seeing with a direct to Mac Wi-Fi connection. One more great thing is that you can share the DSLR images while Eye-Fi transfers are taking place, since enabling the ad-hoc Wi-Fi network still keeps your cellular data connection up and running. The Eye-Fi Mobi card comes in both 8 GB and 16 GB versions, and is available from many online retailers including Photojojo and Amazon as well as direct from Eye-Fi.
Pentax intros K-50 and K-500 DSLRs, Q7 mirrorless camera
When it rains, it pours -- we knew Pentax was due for new interchangeable lens cameras, but it just surprised us by unveiling three of them at once. The mid-range K-50 and entry K-500 DSLRs at the front of the pack represent slight upgrades to the 16-megapixel K-30 on the inside, with both gaining a higher ISO 51,200 sensitivity and Eye-Fi card support. They mostly differ on the outside. The K-50 keeps the K-30's weather sealing, lithium batteries and extreme color customization; the K-500 caters to the budget crowd by going without weatherproofing, running on AA batteries and shipping only in black. Both bodies are available in stores this July, starting at $600 for a K-500 with an 18-55m kit lens and $780 for a similarly equipped K-50. The smallest camera of the bunch, the Q7, may be the most intriguing. While the mirrorless body still shoots at the 12.4 megapixels of the Q10, it upgrades to a larger 1/1.7-inch sensor that delivers a big performance boost -- sensitivity has jumped to ISO 12,800, and there's faster autofocusing to boot. Pentax also touts a faster shot-to-shot time, better image stabilization and Eye-Fi support. The Q7 will cost the same $500 in kit form as its ancestor does today, although photographers will have to be patient when the tiny camera doesn't hit retail until August.
Eye-Fi's Mobi SD card sends images straight to a phone or tablet
When Eye-Fi first launched its wireless SD cards back in 2006, most of us weren't carrying smartphones, much less tablets. At the time, the idea was to send your photos straight from your camera to your PC, where you could run slideshows or upload them to the cloud (if you were already into that sort of thing). Lately, though, Eye-Fi has been forced to rethink its product: the company just announced the Mobi, a $50 Class 10 card that sends images directly to your mobile device, bypassing the computer altogether. Designed for people already used to storing pics on phones and tablets, it works with a free iOS / Android app that acts as an image viewer. To set it up, you enter a 10-digit activation code included in the packaging, which you can use with as many gadgets as you like. After that, the card will continuously send photos and video to your device. And because the Mobi is a hotspot unto itself, your gear doesn't all need to be on the same network, or even in range of a router. The Mobi is available today, priced at $50 for 8GB and $80 for 16GB. For those of you who expect to do some heavy-duty editing, you can still buy Eye-Fi's existing X2 cards, which send images to PCs, and can handle both RAW and JPEG. Additionally, those pro-level cards can be configured to send different file formats to different locations. If that seems like overkill, though, the Mobi might be the better option -- it's not like you can't eventually get those photos off your phone, right?
Eye-Fi debuts Circ photo service with unlimited free storage, Android and iOS apps
In its former life, Eye-Fi was the exclusive provider of a practical in-camera WiFi solution. That was 2006. Now, as manufacturers begin to implement wireless technologies of their own, it's back to the drawing board for the former king of in-cam 802.11. Circ appears to be the company's latest lifeline -- a cloud storage solution for your photos that promises seamless syncing, efficient organizing, simple sharing and, best of all, unlimited storage for free. That bargain-basement price tag does come along with a catch -- you can only use the service with two devices -- but an affordable Plus version will only run you 50 bucks each year, including support for up to 20 computers, smartphones, tablets or Galaxy Cameras. The service is currently open to beta testers, but since the site just went live, you may have some luck if you add your name today. You can also sign up to be notified when Circ's ready for primetime -- all at the source link just below.
Eye-Fi Pro X2 16GB Class 10 hands-on
Technology's always getting smaller, right? As such, it shouldn't be a surprise that Eye-Fi can now cram 16GB of storage and a WiFi radio into one of its SD cards, but somehow, it still is. This is the latest, the Eye-Fi Pro X2 16GB, the company's first Class 10 unit. It'll be landing on the doorsteps of tech-savvy photographers in the next week, so we thought we'd take a quick look at how things have improved with this year's vintage and if it can justify that $100 price-tag.
Eye-Fi releases 16GB Pro X2 wireless SD card, chops $20 from the price of the 8GB models
Do you love wireless camera transfers, but lament the Eye-Fi's maximum 8GB of storage? Fortunately for you, the company is doubling the capacity of its flagship unit to 16GB for the demanding photographer in all of us. The 16GB Eye-Fi Pro X2 is a Class 10 SD card that offers the same "endless memory," WPS Geotagging and the company's Eye-Fi View cloud service we've seen in its other products. It's available to pre-order today from Amazon for $100 and launches in Australia and Japan will follow, costing $108 AUD and 9,980 yen respectively. If you've been priced out of the market so far the company's hoping to coax you by cutting $20 from the price of both the 8GB Pro X2, now costing $80, and the 8GB Mobile X2, which is now $60.
Mount your iPhone in your DSLRs hot shoe dock
DSLR shooters -- have you ever wanted to mount your iPhone on top of your camera? No? Well, this product might give you a reason to do exactly that. The Flash-Dock (US$39.95) is designed to slide into the hot shoe on top of your expensive camera and provide a way to hold your iPhone while you're snapping away. Why would you want to have your iPhone sitting there while you're shooting? According to the marketing materials from Flash-Dock, you'll want to have it there for geotagging of your photo shoots and sharing your photos immediately with the world. And if you happen to own a Canon 5D Mark II DSLR, you can use your iPhone's flash as a low-light autofocus aid. Well, there's one problem. After you spend $40 for this device, you need to also buy a Eye-Fi card to send those huge, high-resolution photos from your camera to the iPhone over an ad hoc Wi-Fi connection. Then you can use your 3G/4G iPhone connection to send them to the world where they'll chew up your monthly data allotment faster than a shark goes through a surfer. The Flash-Dock folks also fail to say exactly how you get your DSLR camera to nab the .GPX location information from the iPhone when it takes a picture, so I'm guessing that there's a manual step involved here. Frankly, you could do the same thing with an iPhone in your pocket or camera bag and an Eye-Fi card in your DSLR, and you'd avoid the weight of the phone throwing off the balance of your camera and the $40 charge for the Flash-Dock. Of course, you wouldn't be able to use the iPhone as an expensive low-light autofocus assistant, but there are other ways to do that. Like some of the other dubious products we see from time to time here at TUAW, the Flash-Dock appears to be a solution in search of a problem.
New Eye-Fi Mobile X2 card does old tricks, but with less hassle for Android and iOS users
Direct Mode on an Eye-Fi card makes a lot of sense when you want to beam photos from your camera straight to your smartphone. The latest edition of the Mobile X2 promises to simplify this process by coming pre-configured for Direct Mode from the factory, and being accompanied by a 10-digit pairing code that'll let you register the camera securely with the Eye-Fi app on your Android phone without recourse to a PC. We'd feel more excited about this if Toshiba's FlashAir card hadn't done something similar already using a clever browser-based connection we saw at CES. Still, if Eye-Fi is the brand and workflow you want to stick with, then be advised that this particular Mobile X2 is Japan-only for now. However, a worldwide release is planned at some point, along with an update to the iOS app that'll make the key-code pairing thing work for that other section of humanity too.
Eye-Fi CEO slams SD Association's eerily similar Wireless SD card standard, says his IP is being violated
Yuval Koren is not pleased. For those unaware, he's the CEO of Eye-Fi, the company that has practically written the rules on embedding WiFi into SD cards. If you blinked last week, you probably missed the SD Association's announcement that it had created a new Wireless LAN SD standard that would effectively give just about anyone the ability to add Eye-Fi abilities to their SD cards. As it turns out, Eye-Fi's none too pleased about it, and Koren has gone so far as to publicly admit that the standard is seriously infringing upon highly valuable Eye-Fi technology. To quote: "As [the SDA's standard is] currently written, essential Eye-Fi patented technology would be violated by anyone implementing this draft specification." Bold.He goes on to explain that his company has invested "tens of millions of dollars and several years to create unique technology that lets people wirelessly transfer photos and videos directly from their camera and mobile devices," and calls the SDA protocol "flat out misrepresentation." He's effectively calling for the SD Association to either pony up and license Eye-Fi's tech, or scrap the "standard" and rewrite it using something else altogether. The full letter is posted up after the break, with absolutely no elation to be found.
Toshiba FlashAir wireless LAN SD card hands-on (video)
The first card using the SD association's Wireless LAN standard is Toshiba's FlashAir and we've just spent some time with it here at CES. It's much like Eye-Fi's Direct Mode insofar that it also can sling pics to devices over WiFi from a diminutive SD card, but instead of requiring pairing and an app download the FlashAir requires just a browser. The 8GB class six card broadcasts an 802.11b/g/n hotspot, replete with its own web server onboard, which means its contents -- like say pictures you've previously snapped in your camera -- can be accessed in a browser by any connected device.Despite some false starts (CES is where WiFi networks go to die...) pictures from a point and shoot appeared as quickly as we could refresh http://flashair/ -- the address from where one accesses its contents. Once there, you can browse individual folders, splaying pics (and we'll assume other contents) for your perusal. As previously planned, it'll start shipping in February at around $70 and we were told more capacious units will follow at a later date. Video demo of the tech awaits in the video after the break.
Xerox Mobile Scanner hands-on
Xerox and consumer aren't necessarily words that get thrown together a lot, but the company's Mobile Scanner could actually find a home with some -- provided they're willing to part with $250. It's reasonably light-weight (only 22.5 ounces) and it can (almost) instantly beam any document you feed it to an Eye-Fi connected device. It'll survive 300 pages on a single charge and keep your Android phone full of docs. What makes it special is the ability to scan not just JPGs, but PDFs. You can also switch between JPG, black and white PDF or color PDF with just a few taps of a button. It can even create multipage PDFs if you just feed a second document through within five seconds. Around back you'll discover the secret weapon -- an SD card slot populated with an Eye-Fi card that supports PDF creation. Check out the gallery below for a few more impressions. Mat Smith contributed to this report.
Xerox Mobile Scanner wirelessly sends files to your PC, iOS or Android device
If you're like us, you have to deal with your fair share of expense reports. Xerox is looking to make the task a bit easier with the Mobile Scanner. The device scans and wirelessly sends a PDF or JPEG (under 8.5-inches wide) to your PC, iOS and Android devices, making use of a 4GB Eye-Fi SD memory card. It gets better. The scanner is completely wireless and houses a rechargeable battery for true capture-on-the-go. Looking to splurge for one? You'll have to part with $249.99 when you're ready, as the tech is now available.
Wireless LAN SD standard aims to give every SD card that Eye-Fi flair
Here's a novel thought -- what if every Secure Digital card had wireless? Eye-Fi's been doing a fine job on its own, but here in Las Vegas, it's the SD Association making it easier for everyone else to grab a slice of the pie. Unveiled today is the Wireless LAN SD standard, which marries storage and wireless inside a form factor you're familiar with. The wireless aspect relies on the typical 802.11a/b/g/n, and it's applicable to full size SD / SDHC / SDXC and microSD / SDHC / SDXC memory cards. Naturally, future cards that have WiFi embedded will be able to easily share and upload shots sans a PC middleman, but there's no word yet on when memory makers will start shipping products with the standard enabled. We're reaching out for more on precisely that and will update should we hear anything back.
Toshiba FlashAir WiFi SD Card will make your Eye-Fi's water
Eye-Fi's wireless cards push photos straight from digital cameras without cables, but what if you want to pull some pics back the other way? Toshiba's solving that problem with the two-way FlashAir, an 802.11 b/g/n enabled 8GB SD Card that can also exchange data directly with compatible devices. If pushing photos to a camera isn't your bag you can always always use FlashAir as a mountable wireless drive in your SD-enabled tablet. Sales won't begin in Japan until February 2012 and the price is rumored to be around $90 -- close to that of the equivalent Eye-Fi.
Eye-Fi Direct Mode is here, turns tablets and smartphones into must-have camera accessories
Eye-Fi promised that its Direct Mode for beaming photos straight from your camera to your smartphone or tablet would land this week, and we're pleased to announce the company has kept its word. Just pop your X2 card into a computer, launch the Eye-Fi Center, and you should be prompted to install the new firmware -- version 4.5022. All you have to do then is install the Eye-Fi app on your Android or iOS device, pair it with your camera (you did remember to put the card back in your camera, right?), and you're ready to rock and/or roll. From then on, any pics you snap with your Eye-Fi-equipped cam will automatically beam themselves to your handheld, and sharing on Picasa or Eye-Fi View is just a tap or two away. If you need a bit of a refresher on what Direct Mode looks like in action, just check out our hands-on from CES.
Eye-Fi launching new 8GB wireless SD card today, kicking out Direct Mode for iOS and Android next week
Remember how Eye-Fi was cooking up some software to let their WiFi-enabled SD memory cards sling photos directly to your tablet or phone? Here's some sweet news -- starting next week, Direct Mode will be a free download for any Eye-Fi X2 card, and debut alongside companion apps in the Android Market and iTunes App Store. Moreover, the company's celebrating the launch of the new transfer protocol with a brand-new card, the $80 Eye-Fi Mobile X2, which should be available for purchase online momentarily and make its merry way to Best Buy and Apple stores by April 17th. Basically, the Mobile is a redux of the $50 Connect X2, but with double the storage capacity (8GB) and Direct Mode pre-installed -- though a price drop on the top-of-the-line Pro X2 (to $100) will add geotagging and RAW support for just one Jackson more. Need a refresher on how Direct Mode works? Peek our CES video demo (and a hefty press release) after the break.
Olympus SZ-30MR shoots 1080p video and 16MP stills simultaneously; Tough TG-810 is 'crushproof'
Olympus just loosed a trio of compact cameras. Let's start big with the €329 SZ-30MR. According to Olympus, the 30MR packs a backlit CMOS sensor with 24x (25-600mm) optical zoom and Dual Engine TruePic III+ processing. It also lays claim to being the first to simultaneously record 1080p video while shooting 16 megapixel stills -- a feature Oly dubs, Multi Recording. The SZ-20 lacks the MR and dials back the zoom to 12.5x but costs a relatively modest €219. Olympus also announced a silver or black TG-810 compact for €299. First and foremost is the cam's claim for ruggedness: crushproof at a weight of 100kg (220 pounds); waterproof to 10 meters (32.8 feet); shockproof at a distance of 2 meters (6.56 feet); and freezeproof a temps to -10 degree celsius (14 degrees F). Otherwise, it boasts a 14 megapixel CCD sensor, a 5x (28-140mm) optical zoom, 720p movie mode, TAP control (for gloved use), GPS, and an electronic compass. All three cameras feature a 3-inch LCD; HDMI; high ISO and sensor-based mechanical image stabilization; smart panorama, 3D photo, pet detection, and beauty modes; and SDXC and Eye-Fi card compatibility. Look for them to hit retail in March.