[Spliff]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0303/03...kflashtrax.asp

Now if only Apple would put USB 2.0 on all new systems.

[Socially Awkward Solo]

Honestly I could care less about walking around with a portable picture shower.

If I ever want to show about 100 picts I can hook up my digial camera to a TV.

[step]

yeah, choice sucks!

[daydreamer]

Honestly, what's usefull about watching 30gb of pictures on this little tiny screen . As for the mp3s, ill got with an iPod , thank you.

[andycroll]

It looks a bit like the new Gameboy Advance.

I suppose it's interesting but.... I agree how useful? I think if you need 7,000 songs I'd go with the iPod.

Andy

[slider]

Wow, not bad. I don't really know where the market would be for this, but I would think photographers would fine this device very useful. Being able to carry around a small decive to download your picutures and then keep going as an appeal. It is too bad it's usb2.0, I think they should have made it firewire. Do most professional photographers use PC's or Mac's?

[-Q-]

I really don't see a whole lot of consumers being interested in this, but some pro's might. I would have loved to had something like this when I was on vacation last summer. Instead, I had to drag my iBook with me so I could download the pics at the end of the day when my camera's memory card was full. Something like that would be much easier to travel with...

But for music, iPod all the way. I don't need to carry a digital photo album with me wherever I go.

[Zim]

Originally posted by -Q-:
I really don't see a whole lot of consumers being interested in this, but some pro's might. I would have loved to had something like this when I was on vacation last summer. Instead, I had to drag my iBook with me so I could download the pics at the end of the day when my camera's memory card was full. Something like that would be much easier to travel with...

But for music, iPod all the way. I don't need to carry a digital photo album with me wherever I go.

You guys really need to get outside of your small reality box.

Several of us at work all have various models of Canon Elphs, a very CONSUMER grade camera. This camera takes movies, and 3Mp pics which will fill up memory cards fast.

We are constantly loaning each other our cards, and would jump on any device that would allow us to offload our pics while travelling. Carrying an iBook internationally is not an option.

To put it another way... I could spend $200 on spare CF cards.. or spend $300-$400 on a device that has "endless" (30G vs. 1-2G worth of CF seems endless), AND get an mp3 player at the same time.

Oh, and while I'm bored on the way home I can spend time previewing pics and weeding out the ones I don't like. I find the viewing option less important than the "offload from CD card" function, but.

Apple is getting ready to be the "has-been" of the mp3 market. The iPod is a super slick device, but its a one-trick pony. Any device that lets me combine functions and carry fewer gizmos (with their various cords and battery chargers) is a good thing. I'd happily buy something that does 3 things pretty well, vs something that only does 1 thing very well.

Mike

[xtal]

Originally posted by Zim:
I'd happily buy something that does 3 things pretty well, vs something that only does 1 thing very well.

I must respectfully disagree with you on this point.

I have sampled the market of multi-function products, but I find myself coming back to the dedicated solutions that do the job best.

I agree that there are those, such as yourself, who will find a product like this useful, but I think there are many consumers are looking for a one function dedicated product that does what they want it to do. How many times have I discussed products such at these with my friends, and someone always says "but I'd NEVER use that feature."

Just my thoughts.

[Zim]

What we really need is one of these players that is "open" to programmers/hackers. The Linux on iPod effort might be the holy-grail.

Those that want just mp3 can have an mp3 player, those that want to load on other more PDA/portable-storage features, can load on those hacks.

It still amazes me that there is not a HD-based Palm or such device.

No way that an open-source iPod would have gone so long without things like on-the-fly playlists.

Mike

[Freeflyer]

An alternative is a dedicated photo storage device. I have the following

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_...ve-vp2030.html

I'm going to be taking it on a 3 month trip next week, so I can download all the photos from my camera to the hard drive. Part of the trip will be a month long solo trek in the himalaya. Taking the Tibook is not feasible, nor is buying 20Gb of compact flash card.

For holidays, this sort of thing rocks. However, what I'd really like is for apple to upgrade the ipod firmaware to allow a firewire cardreader to be attached. They would sell so many more. I'm taking my ipod and a small battery pack for the occasional mood music while hiking.

Given that the xdrive weighs less than half a pound, there was no contest on the weight front. I got mine with a 20Gb hard drive for $190.

Hope this helps,

J.

[Socially Awkward Solo]

Originally posted by -Q-:
I had to drag my iBook with me so I could download the pics at the end of the day when my camera's memory card was full. Something like that would be much easier to travel with...

Buy a bigger memory card.

[Mac Zealot]

I dunno about you, but I'd love to see a mini flipping ipod with those features.

[I Bent My Wookiee]

So how big is this thing anyway and how long does the battery last? Do I really have to open the unit up just to change a song?

[-Q-]

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:
Buy a bigger memory card.

No size memory card can last 3 weeks in Europe. Thanks for playing.

[-Q-]

Originally posted by Freeflyer:
An alternative is a dedicated photo storage device. I have the following

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_...ve-vp2030.html

I'm going to be taking it on a 3 month trip next week, so I can download all the photos from my camera to the hard drive. Part of the trip will be a month long solo trek in the himalaya. Taking the Tibook is not feasible, nor is buying 20Gb of compact flash card.

For holidays, this sort of thing rocks. However, what I'd really like is for apple to upgrade the ipod firmaware to allow a firewire cardreader to be attached. They would sell so many more. I'm taking my ipod and a small battery pack for the occasional mood music while hiking.

Given that the xdrive weighs less than half a pound, there was no contest on the weight front. I got mine with a 20Gb hard drive for $190.

Hope this helps,

J.

Now THAT was exactly what I was looking for. I'll have to pick one of those up for the next trip...thanks for the link!

[-Q-]

Originally posted by xtal:
I have sampled the market of multi-function products, but I find myself coming back to the dedicated solutions that do the job best.

Exactly. While a swiss army knife is nice for the occasional task, you're not going to use one to build a house. Nor will I use my T-68i to take my vacation photos when I have a 3 MP camera available. It means I have to carry more, but I certainly have much better pics as a result.

I certainly wouldn't settle for a mediocre device that does a lot of things (Cough *microsoft* cough) when a device that is specifically designed to accomplish a task is available. But that's just me. As I said above, for some people, that would be useful. I just don't think it's a lot of people.

[cschmelz]

Originally posted by Spliff:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0303/03...kflashtrax.asp

Now if only Apple would put USB 2.0 on all new systems.

Friggin amazing... Would be a great addition to my backpack for digital photos in the backcountry... My Nikon 995, a few batteries, 256mb card and this item.. Very cool!

All the naysayers probably don't ever leave their hometown and don't travel away from their precious desktop for more than a day!

[Socially Awkward Solo]

Originally posted by -Q-:
No size memory card can last 3 weeks in Europe. Thanks for playing.

Two 512 disks are not enough? Buy 8, they are tiny.

[n~s]

That's pretty cool, but I'd still rather have an iPod for mp3 since I usually have my laptop around.

I will laugh if Apple releases something with the same functionality because everybody who hates this will probably say the apple version is a good idea.

[klinux]

I agree. These are prob people who poo-pooed the idea of a HD based MP3 player saying who would want one of those until Apple comes out with one.

[CatOne]

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:
Two 512 disks are not enough? Buy 8, they are tiny.

How stupid are you? What kind of camera do you have?

For example I have a Canon D60. It's a 6.3 megapixel DSLR. JPEG pictures are 2 to 4 MB in size. So on a 2 month trip you could easily gather up 5 GB of photos or more -- mainly because with digital you take the same shot 5 or 10 times from different angles just to get the "best" one because you can.

A 512 CF is still not cheap -- what $150? So why not get a portable device that's 20 GB and $200? Seems a lot more practical, not to mention IBM Microdrives are a bit fragile.

I just got back from 3 weeks in Chile and I had to be careful with CF usage because I had 1.4 GB of storage (1 GB + 256 + 128)... with a bigger device I coulda kept everything instead of deleting what looked the worst on a 1.8" LCD.

Here have a look:

http://homepage.mac.com/b.lloyd

[Socially Awkward Solo]

Originally posted by CatOne:
How stupid are you? What kind of camera do you have?

For example I have a Canon D60. It's a 6.3 megapixel DSLR. JPEG pictures are 2 to 4 MB in size. So on a 2 month trip you could easily gather up 5 GB of photos or more -- mainly because with digital you take the same shot 5 or 10 times from different angles just to get the "best" one because you can.

How stupid? Huh I dunno, this stupid.

I have a 2.0 MP camera so a 512 chip holds heaps but I guess your situation is more relative then mine so enjoy your player. I would love to see your camera hook up to it and download all the images to it.

[slider]

Well, although I can see the value in such a device for a photographer, which as appearantly just comfirmed here, I disagree with the idea of the iPod being old hat or multifuction devices. The iPod does what it does well, that is the main idea behind a device, small and portable that does it's job well. I don't have a need for storing pictures so why would I want to pay for it. If I were a photographer, then sure, but I am not. If you really want an all-in-one, get a 12"iBook or powerbook. I suppose that merging devices is enevable, such as the cameras that are being installed on a lot of phones, but I like the idea of a dedicated device. Of course this is just me.

[Zim]

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:
Two 512 disks are not enough? Buy 8, they are tiny.

6 extra cards...

512M cards go for $100... total $600...

iPod = $400
Firewire CF card reader = $50
total = $450

you do the math mr. rocket scientist as to why people would want this.

[Zim]

Originally posted by slider:
Well, although I can see the value in such a device for a photographer, which as appearantly just comfirmed here, I disagree with the idea of the iPod being old hat or multifuction devices. The iPod does what it does well, that is the main idea behind a device, small and portable that does it's job well. I don't have a need for storing pictures so why would I want to pay for it. If I were a photographer, then sure, but I am not. If you really want an all-in-one, get a 12"iBook or powerbook. I suppose that merging devices is enevable, such as the cameras that are being installed on a lot of phones, but I like the idea of a dedicated device. Of course this is just me.

I've been an Apple owner since the Apple II+.

The Apple does what it does well. Can you say "niche product" (3% market share)?

Well get ready to say the same thing eventually about the iPod unless they can innovate a product that essentially unchanged (in function) since introduction over a year ago. Apple still has the chance to dominate this market, but without something new I think they are getting ready to get passed by. Too many new things due out in the next few months that should be very good mp3 players AND do other functions.

Taking pictures, showing video are big steps. But storing photos with readily availoable Firewire card readers (which would just happen to plug into existing iPods) is such a small small step, it is amazing they have not taken it.

[slider]

KISS

You know, I like the CF card Idea, and it would be a nice option. But, I still don't like the multifunction device. As a marketing pov, most people are not techie, they don't understand many of the extra features that are available to them on a given product. It is hard to believe, but I often walk into a group of people and start to talk about computers (if that is where the conversation leads) and it is amazing how many people don't understand the difference between ROM and RAM, or ram and a HD, or even the difference between HD size or MHz. It amazes me and certainly where you makes a difference into who can do what. Yes, Apple should continue to innovate, but only to improve the produce, don't make it something else. If I a third party come along as offers a CF card read option, great, you'll know what to do with it. I think it is the simplicity of the iPod that makes it so appealing. So keep it simple.

[boardsurfer]

I think this device is very cool. I am not a pro photog but I can see where this would be a great thing to have. On the plus side it has a screen, which other devices of this type do not have. This makes sorting through pics and deleting the bad ones very convenient. At the same time, with 30GB, who cares how many photos are bad. Its got 30GB! On the down side, maybe it should be able to read multiple formats, and have firewire, not USB2 - maybe both? I think the MP3 aspect was almost an after thought - kind of a bonus. Like the iPod, all it needs is a card reader to add huge functionality - the device only needed a headphone jack to add some cool functionality.

Personally I do not think the iPod needs to gain this capability (store photos directly from a camera) because it wold ruin the form factor. Isnt that one of the great things about it in the first place?

[slugslugslug]

Actually, it seems that the market for these things is right around where the mp3-player market was before the iPod came out. Seems like every digital photography buff (okay, so that's not as many people as want just a music player, but still..) wants one, judging by all the discussions on http://www.dpreview.com/forums

So there's a bunch of these things around, with a variety of feature sets. But they all seem to have weird names (X'S-Drive II? Super Digibin? yikes.) and come from unkown companies, and they're pretty hard to find. (Amazon only seems to have the Archos)

If Apple could step in here, they'd probably have the cleanest design, just the right feature set, and iPhoto sync. And goldang it, they'd have firewire. I think all the Mac-head photographers would breathe a sigh of relief and just buy apple's thing.

I'm gonna buy something like this in April, probably the smartdisk one. But if apple comes out w/a product like this, I'll eBay what I've got and get Apple's.

My ideal feature set is built-in CF slot (adapters for anything else), monochrome screen, video out for photo viewing, and mp3 playing. Maybe color screen on high-end model, but I'd skip it..