Photo Storage -- Engadget

photo storage posts

Ask Engadget: Best portable photo backup / storage device?

by Darren Murph posted May 22nd 2009 at 1:32AM

Coming to you live from left field, it's this week's edition of Ask Engadget. Once your done reading and replying (in comments below, naturally) to the question here, feel free to send us your own to ask at engadget dawt com.

"I am looking for a portable hard drive with memory card slots so that I can save my photos onto it, straight from the memory card. It needs to function without the use of a computer. I have seen a few of these, but nothing name brand, and I was looking for some recommendations. A color screen to view photos would be nice, but not necessary. It doesn't need to be very large, 100GB should be more than enough."

You're right Seth, most of these things do indeed come from relative unknowns. That said, we're sure a few of our readers have taken the plunge, so hopefully you'll find out who likes and dislikes the one they chose. Right, folks?

Nexto's NVS2500 archives your photos, dreams, and memories

by Tim Stevens posted Apr 20th 2009 at 10:04AM

What, you're still looking for the perfect place to archive your photos between candid, booze-fueled wedding reception moments? If JOBO's GIGA didn't do it, nor Digital Foci's Photo Safe, maybe Nexto's half-terabyte NVS2500 is the one you've been waiting for. It packs a 2.5-inch drive that can be as small as 160GB if you're so inclined, a 2.4-inch LCD, and of course integrated readers for just about every memory card format known to man. It can even write simultaneously to an external USB device, ensuring you never lose that precious photo of Uncle Saul scaring the flower girl with his dentures. No word on availability or price, but perhaps by the time the Smith-Fitzimmons party pays off its album you'll be able to pick one up.

Jobo unveils two new GIGA photo storage devices

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Feb 27th 2009 at 3:24PM

Just in case you really needed yet another alternative in the portable photo storage drive department, Jobo is doing you one better -- introducing not one but two new devices. Both the GIGA Vu Sonic and GIGA One Sonic will download up to 1GB in 30 seconds, and both feature RAW decoding, up to 250GB storage, and a 3.2-inch color display. In addition, these guys accommodate all the standard media card formats, including CompactFlash, Microdrive, SecureDigital (SD), SDHC, (Memory Stick) MS, MS Pro, MS Duo, and MultiMediaCard (MMC). Prices start at €329 ($417) for the GIGA Vu Sonic, and €240 ($305) for the GIGA One Sonic. Available worldwide next month. Full PR and specs after the break.

Continue reading Jobo unveils two new GIGA photo storage devices

Sanho introduces HyperDrive COLORSPACE UDMA photo backup drive

by Darren Murph posted Sep 28th 2008 at 3:51PM

It has been some time since we've seen a new competitor in the photo backup realm, so it's with a great sigh of relief that we pass along word of Sanho's HyperDrive COLORSPACE UDMA photo backup device. The unit is capable of sucking down 2GB of data per minute and claims to be "the only storage device in the market that can decode and display true RAW images from any camera on its 3.2-inch (QVGA) color LCD screen." Furthermore, it orientates images automatically depending on how it's held, and the included data synchronization functionality enables the drive to sync information with another external HDD or your main rig. Oh, and it can understand 14 different types of memory card, so you're probably fine on that front. Check it out next month for between $339 (80GB) and $599 (500GB), depending on capacity.

Digital Foci's Photo Safe II takes the load off of your flash card

by Darren Murph posted Jul 18th 2008 at 4:36PM

Digital Foci didn't go out of its way to drastically redesign the original Photo Safe, but we 'spose that's alright in the grand scheme of things. Essentially, the Photo Safe II picks up where its predecessor left off by including a multicard reader (now with 100% more MS Duo and miniSD support) which automatically transfers photos from your flash card onto the built-in 80GB / 160GB hard drive. The integrated display tells you at a glance how much space is remaining and how much battery life is left, though it won't show your stored photos in slideshow (or any other) fashion. A touch steep at $139 (80GB) / $189 (160GB), but that's convenience for you.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

Sony intros the HDMS-S1D digital photo album

by Joshua Topolsky posted Oct 17th 2007 at 9:49PM

Have you been hankering for a central spot to store your thrilling, heart-warming family photos? Some easy-to-reach locale where you can pick up a remote, flip on the tube, and travel through a mind-blowing tunnel of memories? Well, let us introduce you to Sony's latest and greatest, the HDMS-S1D "Digital Photo Album." Coming off as a glorified DVD player with an 80GB hard drive and HDMI outs, the new device lets you store and view your precious memories, replete with a soundtrack of your choosing, and slow, dreamy fades between photos (thanks to Sony's x-Pict Story HD -- with face recognition!). How much would you expect to pay for such a device? How does about $400 sound? No good? well, you can't put a price on memories... can you? The whole kit and caboodle is available this month for your purchasing pleasure.

Jobo unveils GIGA One Ultra photo storage device

by Darren Murph posted Oct 15th 2007 at 9:51AM

Just in case you really needed another alternative in the portable photo storage drive department, Jobo is introducing its GIGA One Ultra, which is available with a varying level of internal storage and a plethora of onboard card slots. The USB 2.0 unit promises transfer speeds "of up to 5.47MB/second" and is available with 40, 80, 120 and 200GB internal hard drives. Furthermore, each one is equipped with support for CompactFlash, Microdrive, SD, SDHC, MS, MSPro, MS Duo and MMC cards, and it even allows users to delete the data from one's card once the transfer is complete. You'll also find a two-inch LCD, battery status / remaining HDD space indicators, an aluminum casing and covered ports to fend off dust and debris. The new GIGA One Ultra is slated to hit shelves later this month and will run you €149 ($211), €199 ($282), €229 ($325) and €329 ($467) from least capacious to most.

Aska intros Tripper V photo viewer / PMP

by Donald Melanson posted Mar 2nd 2007 at 3:56PM

Japanese manufacturer Aska is beefing up its line of Tripper portable storage aimed at photographers, increasing the size and screen real estate with its new Tripper V model. Available in 40, 80, 120, and 160GB varieties, each comes equipped with SD and CompactFlash card slots for transfers direct from your digital camera, and a pack a sizable 4.3-inch 800 x 480 LCD to view all those photos on. Of course, you don't have to save all that space for photos if you don't want to, with the device also able to function as a PMP, supporting MPEG-4 video and MP3 and AAC audio. Look for the 80, 120 and 160GB models to be available first on March 12th, with the 40GB unit following in April, retailing for between $340 and $680 depending on the model -- all available in Japan only, of course.

[Via Akihabara News]

Wolverine's ESP 5160 PMP hits 160GB, stays bulked up

by Darren Murph posted Mar 2nd 2007 at 10:44AM

X-Men fans wouldn't want their Wolverine any other way than pumped up and ready to dominate, but PMP fans aren't exactly looking for the most inflated device on the block. Still, Wolverine's multifaceted ESP 5160 retains the rather bulky 5.3- x 2.8- x 0.9-inch enclosure of the previous (and less capacious) models, but bumps the internal storage capacity up to 160GB. Photographers will still be gawking at their offloaded JPEG, RAW, BMP, or TIFF files on the 3.6-inch 320 x 240 display, and users can also zoom, rotate, and view EXIF data in slideshow mode with tunes jamming in the background. Aside from offering up on-the-go slideshows, this hero also maintains its solid media playing functionality, handling MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC, WAV, and CDA on the audio front while tackling Motion JPEG, MPEG1/4, XviD, and WMV9 on the video side. Furthermore, you'll find a built-in speaker, NTSC / PAL video out, USB 2.0 connectivity, FM radio, a 7-in-1 flash card reader, integrated microphone, audio line-in, and the ability to record directly from a TV or camcorder if utilizing the optional docking cradle. So if you're looking for just about everything a non-internet-enabled PMP / photo storage device could offer, the 5160 isn't a bad option save for the size, but (literally) deep-pocketed consumers can snap this one up now for $549.99.

Jobo intros new photo storage, GPS devices

by Donald Melanson posted Feb 19th 2007 at 11:01PM

Jobo looks to be branching out from its trademark Giga Vu line of photo viewer/storage devices, today announcing the Spectator mobile storage device and photoGPS accessory for digital cameras. While the company seems to holding out on most of the details until the official debut at the PMA 07 trade show in Vegas next month, the Spectator appears to be slightly less of an all-purpose device than the company's various Giga Vu offerings, with no mention of PMP features and a considerably smaller screen. It will, however, hold plenty of photos -- available in 40, 80, and 120GB versions for €249, €299, and €379, respectively (or about $330, $390, and $500). Taking a cue from some earlier, less discreet devices, the photoGPS promises to let you tag all your photos with GPS data as you take 'em, conveniently adding the location information to the photo's EXIF file. From the sound of it, the device (pictured after the break) will also apparently work with any digital camera, although that'll undoubtedly be cleared up at PMA 07 as well. What is clear now is the price, with the photoGPS set to demand €149 (or just under $200) when it's released this summer.

Continue reading Jobo intros new photo storage, GPS devices

Polaroid's CGA-02540 provides ClickFree backup for photos

by Darren Murph posted Jan 14th 2007 at 7:30PM

For those aclimated just enough with technology to understand the basic functions of a point-and-shoot, but not intelligent enough to utilize a "My Pictures" folder or understand the concept of "one-touch backup," Polaroid's CGA-02540 is coming to the rescue. Designed for those who basically have a self-induced BSOD whenever they touch a mouse or keyboard, this 2.5-inch 40GB backup drive is programmed to work specifically (read: only) with photo files, and requires absolutely zero clicks to sniff around one's HDD, locate newly uploaded files, and backup only the latest pictures while leaving the originals in tact and in place. The ClickFree unit is so simple, in fact, that there's not even a single button on the enclosure, and if your PC sports a powered USB port, you won't even need to figure out how to utilize an AC adapter. Of course, clueless Mac users will certainly be in a quandary when trying to figure out why their machine isn't running "Windows XP or 2000," and we highly doubt 40GB is enough "for a lifetime of photographs," but nevertheless, the CGA-02540 should be available for purchase sometime this quarter for a currently undisclosed price.

[Via EverythingUSB]