Friday Finds #1: Wireless Photo Uploading Card

I am sorry this post is up late. I am having problems with my blog.

Welcome to my first Friday Find! I'm so excited to share all the goodies I have for you -- I have many waiting to be shared, and they are all cool -- but I had to share this one first. And apologies ahead of time for the length of this post, but its all good.

Note: The purpose of this series is not to bring reviews but rather, share cool stuff I've found that you may or may not want for yourself! I haven't personally tried them... yet... but if all goes according to plan, I may have several of them in my possession after Christmas!

Now ... many of my regular readers may remember the Great Crash of '07 -- you know -- when I lost all my precious pictures of my baby (from birth through 1.5 years of life) after my computer crashed into oblivion??? Well, we have since taken corrective procedures so that never happens again... BUT ... had I known about this little gadget, it would have saved me a lot of heartache! This is SO on my Christmas list!!!

Allow me to introduce you to... Eye-Fi. Now, you can wirelessly upload photos to your computer and to your favorite photo sharing, printing, blogging or social networking website straight from your camera using one of Eye-Fi's memory cards!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??? Me either, but I saw it on Good Morning America a couple weeks ago and have been investigating it ever since. This is definitely a Friday Find for keeps!!!

WHAT IS IT: Eye-Fi is a memory card for your camera that is straight from heaven... Short of talking to you, it does it all with regards to saving photos, transferring to your hard drive, and uploading to your favorite on-line photo shop. In short, this is a "super-deee-duper" gadget that I can’t wait to get my hands on!

WHAT DOES IT DO: Eye-Fi wirelessly connects to your home Wi-Fi network and uploads your pictures automatically from your camera to your computer. When your computer is turned on, the Card delivers your pictures to the assigned folder on your computer, or depending on the card you purchase, directly into a large selection of online photo destinations such as Wal Mart, Costco, Shutterfly (more listed below).

OPTIONS: The Eye-Fi people provide three options, from "basic" to "so many options I don’t even understand them all but I’m sure they are great."

1. The first option, and most simple one, is called "Eye-Fi Home," and wirelessly connects to your home Wi-Fi network and when your camera and computer are both on, uploads your pictures automatically to the assigned folder on your computer. This won’t help if your computer crashes, but WILL help keep you organized and on top of uploading your pictures!

2. The second option is called "Eye-Fi Share" and does everything the Eye-Fi Home does, but using its "Smart Boost" capability (I personally NEED Smart Boost), the Card will determine the most efficient path to upload pictures, going quickly to your computer if it’s on and then from there to the web if you've elected to share online, or going straight to the web if the computer is off. The photos will be stored securely and delivered to the computer the next time it is turned on. Some of the photo sites Eye-Fi Share will automatically upload to include: Wal Mart, Costco, Shutterfly, Picasa, TypePad, Snapfish, Photobucket, Flickr, Facebook, KodakGallery, and more (you select which one you want). It’s as easy as turning on your camera. No cables, cradles, or hassles. This option WILL help you out if your computer crashes and you loose all photos on your hard drive, as they have all been automatically uploaded to a photo site of your choice (for me, it is Costco because they are affordable, close to home, and on my request will burn my photos onto a CD – and I always request it!).

3. The third option is called "Eye-Fi Explore" and does everything option 1 and 2 do, as well as two new options: geotagging, and support for Wayport hotspots (free for a year). I have no idea what that means – but I’m sure its all good. This option is for those who tag or organize, for those who blog or share in real-time, for those who need to upload here, there or somewhere else, and all the rest who are simply passionate about managing, sharing and saving their memories. Eye-Fi Explore also automatically adds geographic location labels to your photos and allows you to upload from more than 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the nation. Your memories will be easier to search and more fun to share with geotags, and you’ll be able to upload them on the go. Those are not my words, but theirs -- simply because I haven't a clue what geotagging or wayport hotspots means... nor do I want to know... but if YOU know, then chances are that this is the card for you!

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: Eye-Fi users need to run a setup on their computer that guides them through adding Wi-Fi access points to connect to as well as determining where they can upload photos – either your computer and/or a slew of online photo-sharing sites (some listed above).

COST: 1) Eye-Fi Home sells for $79.99; 2) Eye-Fi Share sells for $99.99; 3) Eye-Fi Explore sells for $129.99.

THE LINK(S): 1) Eye-Fi Home; 2) Eye-Fi Share; 3) Eye-Fi Explore

WHERE CAN YOU GET IT: Wal Mart, Amazon.com (SALE prices at Amazon!); Costco; and many other places.

WRAP UP: Be sure to check out the links… not only do they explain things in great detail (a lot of it is already above), but my word … they have diagrams! DIAGRAMS! Women are visual people, and diagrams help me understand the process so much better. I HEART diagrams.

I hope this was helpful for you. I know it will be on MY Christmas list! (I want the Eye-Fi Share)

WHEW! I hope they ALL aren't this long!!!