Gift idea: ‘Eye-Fi’ moves photos to MacBook, PC

Though Eye-Fi’s Secure Digital (SD) bill has been discover there for a pair of years, it’s worth revisiting–just because it works. And it’s not be a intense intent as a pass heritage for some digital camera owner.

Eye-Fi allows the designate of photos from existing digital cameras wirelessly. A pleasant warning of inexpensive profession that has worked substantially for me.

The Eye-Fi bill replaces a accepted SD card.

(Credit:
Brooke Crothers)

Eye-Fi SD game become in 4GB and 8GB capacities and, after a relatively harmless setup, do absent with USB cables and the duty of inserting/removing of SD cards.

Because I possess a pair of MacBook Airs, this profession makes a difference. My first- and second-generation Airs hit no SD bill slots and meet digit always-occupied USB port–one of the some downsides to an otherwise superior ultraportable laptop. So, this is a feature I need–though not to the saucer where I would poverty to bounds my camera purchases to Wi-Fi-enabled models, same the Kodak EasyShare One–that was acquirable a some eld back–or the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3, among another cameras.

It’s rattling meet a concern of exchange your underway SD bill with the Eye-Fi bill and having an in-home Wi-Fi router, which some grouping do these days.

Setup involves inserting a USB musician into your grouping (the musician is utilised exclusive erst at setup, after that everything is wireless), then confirming your Wi-Fi router information, and eventually choosing where you poverty the photos to be stored on your laptop. There is a scenery covering that handles the semiautomatic transfers when you verify photos.

Configuring the bill requires you clew up for the Eye-Fi center. Setting up an Eye-Fi statement did not go swimmingly when I ordered up the card–asking me to ordered up an statement binary times–but the Eye-Fi database seems–for today at least–to hit resolute that hiccup.

I’ve been using Eye-Fi with my Kodak M580 and MacBook Air. So far, the bill has finished what it claims. As presently as you behave a picture, the picture is automatically dispatched to your PC over your home’s Wi-Fi network. For me, it has been nearly instantaneous.

And the Eye-Fi Center code also allows you to ordered up binary networks. So, for example, I hit Eye-Fi ordered up for my bag Wi-Fi meshwork and my ambulatory Verizon MiFi meshwork (the latter is a assign card-size router that provides 3G connections for up to fivesome devices.)

The 4GB edition (which I have) is $39.99 at Best Buy, patch the 8GB bill is $99.99.