Eye-Fi cards add MobileMe support, more
Eye-Fi, makers of the a wireless memory card for digital cameras, has announced enhancements to its family of Eye-Fi cards that will purportedly make the upload of digital photos from camera to computer twice as fast. The faster wireless speeds will also be made available to existing Eye-Fi users at no extra cost.
In addition, users will be able to upgrade their Eye-Fi cards to add the individual services they want, including web sharing, geotagging and hotspot access, says Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi. Beginning Oct. 5, new and existing Eye-Fi card owners can add features that aren’t already included on their cards and renew annual services. By using the updated Eye-Fi Manager Web application, users can add the following services to their cards:
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[*] Web sharing — Users who have an Eye-Fi Home card can add Eye-Fi’s web sharing service to send photos directly from their camera to one of more than 20 online photo sharing, printing, social networking or blogging sites using a wireless network, saving the time and hassle of manually uploading from the computer. The annual service fee is US$9.99.
[*] Geotagging — Users who have an Eye-Fi Home or Share card can add geotagging to their card. Geotagging invisibly adds geographic information indicating where the photo was taken, allowing users to map where their memories were captured. The annual service fee is $14.99.
[*] Hotspot access — Users who have an Eye-Fi Share card can upgrade their card to automatically upload photos away from home at more than 10,000 Wayport hotspots and through open hotspots. The annual service fee is $14.99.
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Also announced today, Eye-Fi users will be able to upload photos directly to one of two new online photo destinations: Apple’s MobileMe and AdoramaPix. MobileMe members can wirelessly send photos from their camera directly to their MobileMe Gallery, which can then be viewed by friends and family on the Web, iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV. Available now, users will also be able to upload photos directly from their camera to their AdoramaPix account, where they can edit, share and make prints.
Eye-Fi’s family of products include the Eye-Fi Home, Eye-Fi Share and Eye-Fi Explore cards with manufacturer’s suggested retail prices ranging from $79-$129.
