Eye-Fi Unveils Next Generation Wireless Storage Cards

I am a big fan of things which make my life easier.  This past summer, I had the opportunity to check out a device which wholly simplified my life.  You see, I very much enjoy taking pictures.  My family, however, constantly complains because they never get to see most of these pictures.  The problem for me is that by the time I get home from wherever we have been, the last thing I generally want to do is transfer pictures, organize them, and then upload them to my Facebook or online photo storage account.

Enter Eye-Fi, the wireless storage card, which allows you to upload photos directly from your camera.  Just snap a picture and Eye-Fi will automatically upload it straight from the card to whichever online storage account you indicate.  What could be easier?  Or better?  How about the next generation of Eye-Fi wireless memory cards.  Read on for all the details, including faster upload times, a second generation interface, endless memory, and multiple sharing sites.

EYE-FI UNVEILS NEXT GENERATION EXPERIENCE AND THE WORLD’S MOST ADVANCED MEMORY CARD

New Endless Memory Mode Gives Users Virtually Unlimited Storage

Eye-Fi Introduces Eye-Fi Center, Software that Makes Sharing Photos and Videos Easier

INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW, LAS VEGAS — Jan. 5, 2010 — Eye-FiInc. has developed the next generation Eye-Fi experience, which includes an entirely new platform and more flexible sharing options. Unveiled today, the 8GB Eye-Fi Pro X2 is powered by Eye-Fi’s proprietary X2 engine and is the company’s revolutionary step in achieving high-end memory card performance. Photo enthusiasts will benefit from increased storage capacity, Class 6 performance for faster read/write speeds, faster-than-ever wireless photo and video uploads and increased Wi-Fi range.

Eye-Fi Pro X2 users will also benefit from a new feature, Endless Memory mode, which enables the Eye-Fi card to automatically make space available after photos and videos are uploaded. Last, Eye-Fi is introducing Eye-Fi Center, a new desktop application that gives users more options in sharing their digital memories.

“With the introduction of our first wireless memory card, we made backing up and sharing photos effortless.  Now, we’re again redefining what is possible with a leap forward in technology, performance and user experience,” said Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi. “The new X2 engine delivers further on the promise of a connected device – more convenience and virtually endless storage capacity, so there is no cap on the memories that can be captured.”

The Eye-Fi Pro X2 has been honored this year as a CES Innovations Honoree. More information will be available in Eye-Fi’s CES booth in the Digital Imaging Zone of South Hall Three at the LVCC, #31916.

Eye-Fi Pro X2 – Faster than Ever

The 8GB SDHC Eye-Fi Pro X2 is powered by Eye-Fi’s proprietary X2 engine which includes an exclusively designed chip and an 802.11n radio. The X2 engine enables greater flexibility in memory capacity and faster read write/speeds, achieving Class 6 performance. The 802.11n radio and a new antenna design enable faster wireless uploads and increased Wi-Fi range, and still support the 802.11b and 802.11g standards.

The Eye-Fi Pro X2 wirelessly uploads JPEG and RAW images and videos from the camera to computer and one of 25 online photo and video sharing sites, such as Flickr, Picasa or Facebook. It also allows users to create an ad hoc connection directly to their computer to wirelessly upload photos and videos while away from a wireless router. Or users can upload away from home at more than 10,000 Wayport and open hotspots. Pro X2 automatically geotags photos with information about where the images were taken.

It is available for pre-order on www.eye.fi and at select online retailers such as Amazon.com for an MSRP of $149.99.

“More and more we’re seeing smart devices like the Eye-Fi card that enable a better user experience. With the volume of photos and videos that are taken every day, consumers want a fast, convenient way to get their images off their camera to their computer and the Web for further processing and sharing,” said Alan Bullock of InfoTrends. “Eye-Fi allows consumers to add these capabilities for far less than the cost of a wireless camera.”

Endless Memory – No Cap to the Number of Memories that Can be Captured

In Endless Memory mode users can choose to have Eye-Fi automatically make space available on their Eye-Fi Pro X2. Using the card’s ability to communicate with the Eye-Fi Service, it receives confirmation whenever photos and videos are safely delivered to the user’s computer and/or online sharing site. When the card reaches the user’s pre-determined amount of space used, it will remove files that have been safely uploaded, beginning with the oldest – even when the card is not connected to the network.  If files have not yet been uploaded, the Pro X2 will not remove them. This option can be set up in Eye-Fi Center.

Eye-Fi Center – Easier Storing and Sharing on Multiple Sharing Sites

Eye-Fi also introduced Eye-Fi Center, a new desktop application for managing the Eye-Fi card and experience. Eye-Fi Center has a redesigned interface that is easy to navigate and use, with drag and drop capabilities. Eye-Fi Center allows users to easily select and republish photos and videos to different online locations, so users can share on multiple sites. It also allows users to get any photos or videos on their computer (even those not uploaded with an Eye-Fi card) into the Eye-Fi system, where they can be easily published online. And it allows users to access some features, even when not connected to the Internet, such as adding a wireless network to their card.

Eye-Fi Center will be available for download later this month.

SoftMaker Donates 6,089 Euros to Charity During “Load and Help” Campaign

Ladies and Gents, it is really great to see a socially aware software developer get into the mix of things.  With the holiday season recently past, we watched many different developers and software houses offer discounts on their applications.  This is / was great and all, but in the end it really only helps the company themselves and the customers who purchase the apps.

However, as we reported, SoftMaker exceeded these companies discounts and sales in one BIG way:  generosity.  Generosity in providing a free copy of their SoftMaker Office suite of programs, and much more importantly, generosity in donating a small amount to charity for each completed download.  SoftMaker donated 10 European cents for each copy that was downloaded – yes, you read correctly… you got free software and they made the donation – culminating in a total of over 6,000 Euros being donated to charities.

This really is just great.  Sincerely.  Thanks SoftMaker for your generosity, and thanks to each for helping to make this venture a success!

The “Load and Help” campaign 2009 ended on December 31, 2009. We are amazed that a whopping 60,890 people took up on this opportunity to get our office suite for free, and we welcome them in the family of SoftMaker Office users.

60,890 downloads also means that SoftMaker donated 6,089 Euros (ten Euro cents per download) to charity and development projects around the globe.  Isn’t that a great thing? Getting something for free and doing good at the same time!

Here is an overview of the development projects that were completed through SoftMaker’s donations:

http://www.betterplace.org/groups/loadandhelp

We thank all participants and want to send a very big “thank you” to all who passed the message about Load and Help along!

Myine Wireless Internet Radio

One of the things that I really miss about Nashville, TN is the country music stations. While I can get to the music via an individual website, I don’t always like playing music from a website on my PC.  The sound sometimes interferes with system sounds from the PC itself, besides, I’d rather not have the processor busy decoding streaming audio while I’m busy doing something else.

Enter the Myine IRA Wireless Internet Radio.  The device decodes and streams audio from broadcasting internet radio sites and allows you to play them anywhere your wireless network signal reaches. Is it worth the cost?  Is it a decent way to play audio from the internet?  Let’s take a quick look and see.

 

Read More …

2010: The Year In Review

You know, around this time of year, we see a lot of articles recapping the events of the last year, and looking ahead to make predictions of the year to come.  Well, we at JAMM decided to combine the two, and take a look back at the year that is to come.  I am standing here (due to the power of the Internet) on January 1, 2011 (and boy is it cold).  Anyway, the team and I have been talking about the year 2010, and I am here to recap a few of the major events which occurred in the year to come.

Let’s start with Palm.  The good news is that Palm continued to grow their WebOS operating system, bringing the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi to the Verizon network.  Unfortunately, any momentum this may have provided Palm was quickly tempered by the continued poor execution and implementation which Palm had wrought on its WebOS.  As such, although Palm enjoyed a strong first quarter, sales of WebOS based devices slipped significantly during the remaining three quarters.  By the end of 2010, although Palm had not thrown in the proverbial towel, the writing was clearly on the wall as shares of Palm stock were valued at their lowest since the introduction of WebOS.

Of course, where one company stumbles, another is never far behind, scooping up the pieces.  In this case, we saw Google repeatedly lurking behind Palm, lapping up the dissatisfied converts.  Its Android Operating System became the standard bearer  of 2010.  Following up on the success of the Droid and Nexus One, 2010 saw Google placing its Android OS on every network.  In 2010, Android, not the iPhone, took its place as the mobile operating system that users could not live without.

Speaking of the iPhone, what is going on there?  Sure, Apple released a new version of the iPhone, aptly names iPhone 4.  And sure, the stalwarts all flocked to upgrade, but the murmur which accompanied iPhone 3 became a dull roar of dissatisfaction.  More and more, users demanded more from their phones, and more and more Apple stumbled and balked upon delivery.

Additionally, 2010 saw the rocky marriage between the iPhone and AT&T finally come to an end.  Unlocked iPhone devices could now be bought directly from Apple, and used on any GSM network.  Sure, the promise of a CDMA version of the iPhone is still rumored…more than likely at Verizon, but we have yet to see proof of that coming anytime soon.

With the loss of its exclusivity agreement with the iPhone, AT&T saw a virtual stampede as dissatisfied users took their now unlocked iPhones to more stable 3G and 4G networks.  By the end of the year, AT&T’s mobile division faced an uncertain future.

All of this uncertainty also plays right into the hands of Microsoft, which will finally release their much-hyped Windows Mobile 7.  Just as Windows 7 was everything Microsoft intended Windows Vista to be, Windows Mobile 7 will be everything Windows Mobile 6 was supposed to have been…only this one if coming several years late.  Whether this will be the mobile operating system which saves Microsoft or too little too late remains to be seen at the end of the year.  While many users had fled the Windows Mobile operating system, Microsoft continued to enjoy strong market penetration, with Windows Mobile 7 releasing on all of the major mobile networks.  While the reviews were generally positive, it released much later in the year than expected, and by year’s end, it is impossible to tell whether Microsoft will be able to draw users away from other mobile networks, including its chief competitor in Google (as mentioned, Google took a significant bite out of Apple’s market dominance, making Android, not the iPhone, the market leaders).

Changing directions, 2010 could aptly be called the year of the eReader.  Whereas Amazon introduced us all to electronic books in 2009 with its revamped version of the Kindle eReader, the floodgates really opened in 2010, as over a dozen mainstream eReaders became available.  As a result of this competition, not only did ebooks finally reach the masses, they did so at a price which made everyone happy (with some ebook readers coming in at under $100).  The biggest change to the ebook market, however, is the availability of color e-ink based devices.  By the end of 2010, the end of paper and ink books seems to have become inevitable, as they join video tapes and CD’s on our shelves of obsolete technology.

Well, that is our look back at 2010.  Sure, there are a lot more things that happened (here is a hint, watch out for June…you will not want to miss it), but this is a look at the highlights (and in a few cases, lowlights) of the year.  See you next year for our look back at 2011. 

Smartphones Council: Roundup #1

Council meeting number #1 opens up and this week the council reviews eWallet 7 for Windows Mobile, tries to crown the best mobile technologies of the decade, predicts beyond any doubt what will happen in 2010 and sends a message to Microsoft regarding Live Anywhere and Windows Mobile 7.

Joining forces with leading mobile sites (and more great ones to join real soon) – enjoy this stories roundup!

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JAMM: eWallet 7 for Windows Mobile

With the recent release of eWallet 7 for Windows Mobile by iLium Software, JAMM decided to give the application a try on an HTC Touch Pro.  With iLium generously offering a review copy, the last few weeks have been living with the program to see how it eases daily life.

Check out the rest of the review that answers: why a password manager is important.

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Mobile Spoon: Best Mobile Technologies of the Decade

SMS? T9? GPS? iPhone or maybe the Droid?
What were the 10 mobile technologies that really changed our world in the decade that just ended? And what are the most overrated ones?

(And what does this picture have to do with it?)

Check out MobileSpoon’s 10 greatest mobile technologies of the decade!

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MobilityDigest: 10 Predictions for 2010
This week Mobility Digest gazed into their crystal ball and made ten predictions for 2010. The most controversial prediction stems from the predication that Swype will take over the industry and become stock on phones in 2010. Apparently a lot of you love your physical keyboards or haven’t seen the glory of Swype, but we’ll leave that for another day.

Other predictions included the rise of voice controls, networks getting bogged down by VOIP and putting the breaks on GoogSMS and streaming media, the late arrival of WM7 which will finally meets expectations (much like Windows 7 did), the advancement of browser wars (hi FireFox), stock hardware for WM jumps to new extremes, and HTC cedes market share in the WM market to Samsung, Acer and LG who are getting a head start on WM7 with some sleek devices that overperform and are underrated.

To get involved in the conversation check out the complete posting here on Mobility Digest.

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1800PocketPC: Live Anywhere is coming back!
Back in 2006 during E3 , a prototype of Live Anywhere was showcased. It was a vision where anyone with a mobile device could track their gamer tag, message friends, purchase content for that device or set it to download to another device, and compare rankings with your buddies on various gaming titles by making the xBox Live a part of the Mobile World (see Windows Mobile screenshots).

For 2006 it was a big deal but in 2010 if this makes it to WM7 we need a lot more than just comparing our trophies, I do hope that Microsoft understands this. I am sure there will be some great games for WM7 with focus on Multi-player and this market is going to be huge. If Microsoft can integrate xBox live with WM7 ( they have the muscle power to do it ) and allow users to challenge players on the go it would be a killer feature for mobile users…

They key thing here is all 3rd party games should use this to hook in to the multi-player aspect of the game…

Read the full story at 1800PocketPC

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The Smartphones Council:

- MobilityDigest
- 1800PocketPC
- The Mobile Spoon
- JAMM – Just Another Mobile Monday
- Just Another iPhone Blog

Site owners, wanna join the Smartphones Council? Contact us.