If there’s one thing I absolutely hate doing, it’s having to take my memory card out every time I want to transfer pictures to my computer – it’s either that, or keep a multitude of USB cords plugged in so I’m always ready to clear up space.  It is a very tiring process, and I’ve often wished for someone to come up with a better solution.  Thankfully, someone at Eye-Fi must have been thinking the same thing that I was, because their line of Eye-Fi memory cards have the potential to revolutionize the way you take pictures.

How the Eye-Fi cards work is such an ingenious concept, I’m amazed at how long it took someone to come up with it.  The Eye-Fi memory card has a tiny Wi-Fi antenna built in.  When you first plug it into a computer (you only need to do this once – after that the information is stored) you’ll specify any networks that you want it to be able to connect to.  After that, any time the card is within range of one of those networks, it will automatically upload your pictures to wherever you specified.  Most people will probably use it to upload things to sites like Flickr or Shutter Bug, but if you have a network hard drive and set up port forwarding, you can have the card upload it directly to there whenever you’re away from home.

Speaking of being away from home – say you’re at the beach and there’s no Wi-Fi network around, but you know your card is getting full – what are you to do?  Surely not stop taking pictures, after all what if little Jimmy does something cute or funny.  Well, as long as you have an Android phone or tablet, or an IOS device (and realistically, if you’re going to have something high tech like an Eye-Fi card, you’re going to have one of those devices as well) then your Eye-Fi card can go right into direct mode and send pictures to those devices for backup, or if you have a hefty data plan you can upload them then and there.

There are also upgrades you can purchase for your card – although some of them come free with more advanced cards; take Geotagging for example.  In order to enable Geotagging on my card, I would have had to pay an additional $29.99 for a lifetime license, but the Geo X2, Explore X2, or Pro X2 cards all come with that feature free.  I wasn’t really worried about having it, but in case you’re not sure how it works, the card will “imprint” each picture with the information about where you took it.  I have three cameras that do that for me automatically though, and they do it with GPS (giving me longitude and latitude), which in my opinion is more accurate than how the Eye-Fi card geotags things.  Since the card doesn’t have built in GPS, it instead relies on a Wi-Fi Positioning System.  It allows the Eye-Fi card to map the locations of wireless networks that it finds – even if they’re not on your list – and then gives you a general idea of where you were (i.e. city name and such).

You can also upgrade your card to be able to access AT&T Hotspots around the world.  This also costs an additional $29.99 a year (though the Explore X2 and the Pro X2 both come with a year free), and again I saw no need for me to upgrade to this function.  I always have my tab and iPhone with me (and my tab can make it’s own Wi-Fi network), so there was little point in spending money on a service I’ll never use.  I did think it was kind of neat however, because when you set it up you can also set the system up to sent you a text message (or email – or even tweet) whenever your Eye-Fi card was within range of a Hotspot.  Unless you take a LOT of pictures though, I’m not entirely sure that it’s worth the price.

On the subject of price – they’re actually a lot cheaper than you might think.  Okay, it’s going to be a good deal more expensive than that $5 4 GB card that Wal-Mart was selling on Black Friday – but it is also is a lot higher quality (I bought one of those $5 cards so I can attest to that).  The card I was sent was actually the cheapest of the bunch, and comes in under $50.  The others go up in price according to size and features, but since you don’t ever have to really worry about running out of room on these, I think 4 GB is plenty.

Editor’s Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

The Bottom Line:  When you buy an Eye-Fi memory card, it has the potential to be the last memory card you’ll need – constantly transferring pictures to make room for more means you’ll realistically never run out of space; they do come at a price a good deal higher than standard memory cards though.

Pros:

• Being able to put pictures on your computer without having to remove the memory card or attach anything is absolutely wonderful
• The unlimited space option automatically deletes old pictures if they’ve been uploaded to make room for more, and is well worth using
• Since most people have an Android or IOS device, Direct mode is worth it’s weight in gold for when you’re traveling (and it is free)

Cons:

• Unless you’re willing to pony up more cash for an upgraded card, the add on features are extremely pricey
• The Geotagging feature on an Eye-Fi card isn’t as accurate as what might already be on your cameras
• $29.99 a year just to access a Hotspot (and only to use that Hotspot to be able to upload pics) seems pretty steep to me

You can get an Eye-Fi Connect X2 4 GB Class 6 SDHC Memory Card from Amazon for only $39.88 (and yes, they sell the others there as well)

Getting photos to your iPhone, iPad or Android device is a somewhat laborious device.  Upload, download and wait, not something we’re fond of.  Fear not, for EyeFi has your back.

Today, the company issued a firmware update, called Direct Mode that makes the aforementioned devices compatible with their X2 card.  Just pop it into your computer, install the update and then pop it back into your camera.  Provided you’ve synced the two devices, future photos snapped on your digital camera will automatically be transferred.

Read

It’s $84.99 + free shipping = $84.99!

Of note, Amazon sells it for $80.

Eye-Fi’s list of memory cards seems to be getting more complicated by the day.  And today, the company finally shipped their Eye-Fi X2 series, which is Class 6 rated, boasts something called “endless memory” and 802.11n connectivity for max wireless throughput.  So how does it break down?

The Eye-Fi Connect X2 4GB ($50): automatically uploads photos and videos to the computer and 25 online sharing sites.

The Eye-Fi Connect X2 8GB ($100): the same automatic file upload to photo online sharing sites, but includes lifetime Geotagging of photos and videos, and one year access to over 21,000 AT&T and Harborlink locations across the Unites States and through open hotspots.

The Eye-Fi Pro X2 8GB ($150): the same aforementioned features but this card can also upload RAW files to more than 25 photo file sharing sites and can make an adhoc connection directly to the computer of your choosing.

So what’s this endless memory thing?  It let’s users choose at what memory threshold the card will automatically delete files and make more space, that is assuming the files have been safely uploaded to a file sharing site.  If not, the card won’t delete anything.

EYE-FI DOUBLES SPEED AND CAPACITY IN NEW WIRELESS MEMORY CARD LINE-UP

Eye-Fi Also Doubles its Hotspots so Users Can Upload from more than 21,000 Hotspots

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 23, 2010 – Eye-Fi Inc., makers of the world’s first wireless memory card for digital cameras, today unveiled new wireless memory cards that deliver the next generation Eye-Fi experience of the award-winning Eye-Fi Pro X2. The “X2″ family of Eye-Fi cards have faster-than-ever wireless photo and video uploads, improved performance, and virtually endless storage capacity with Endless Memory mode. The new product line-up is available today starting at $49.99.
Eye-Fi has also more than doubled its hotspot upload locations. Now, users of the Hotspot Access feature can upload photos and videos directly from their camera at any AT&T Wi-Fi location in the United States, including more than 6,500 Starbucks, and from Harborlink hotspots, including BP gas stations.

“Just in time for spring outings and summer road trips, we’re giving users the ultimate Eye-Fi experience – it’s faster and even more convenient,” said Jef Holove, CEO for Eye-Fi. “Uploading and sharing your memories with friends and family is as simple as finding a nearby Starbucks and turning on your camera. We do the rest.”

The Eye-Fi Connect X2 and Explore X2 join the Pro X2 as Eye-Fi’s new family of products, each with Class 6 performance, an 802.11n radio for significantly faster uploads and Endless Memory mode. All Eye-Fi Cards are available today at retailers including Best Buy, Amazon.com, Adorama, B&H and J&R.

Eye-Fi Connect X2 – At 4GB capacity, the Eye-Fi Connect X2 will automatically upload JPEG photos and videos to the computer and one of more than 25 online sharing sites, such as Flickr, Facebook, YouTube or Picasa, through a Wi-Fi network. MSRP: $49.99.

Eye-Fi Explore X2 – At 8GB of capacity, the Eye-Fi Explore X2 will automatically upload JPEG photos and videos to the computer and one of more than 25 online sharing sites. It offers lifetime automatic geotagging so photos and videos arrive at the user’s computer with location information already included to identify where the image was captured. Explore X2 also offers one year of hotspot access for uploading away from home at more 21,000 AT&T and Harborlink locations across the Unites States and through open hotspots. MSRP: $99.99.

Eye-Fi Pro X2 – Unveiled at CES and winner of CNET’s “Best of CES” award, the 8GB Eye-Fi Pro X2 will automatically upload JPEG and RAW photos and videos to the home computer, and will send them to one of more than 25 online sharing sites. 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. Like Explore X2, Pro X2 offers lifetime geotagging and one-year of hotspot access to enable uploads away from home at more than 21,000 AT&T and Harborlink hotspots and open hotspots. MSRP: $149.99.

Double the Hotspots Makes Uploading Even More Convenient
Beginning March 31, any existing or new Eye-Fi user with an active hotspot service plan can upload at more than 21,000 hotspots across the Unites States, including Starbucks, Hertz Rental Car locations, Marriot hotels and BP gas stations. Users simply walk into an AT&T or Harborlink location, turn on their camera, and photos and videos will automatically upload to their computer or favorite sharing Web site. Users don’t even need to have their computers with them. Users can also upload through any open hotspot with no user agreement page. For a complete map of supported hotspots, please visit http://www.eye.fi/how-it-works/features/hotspot-access.

Never Miss a Photo Opp with Eye-Fi’s “Endless Memory”
Eye-Fi’s new cards include the “Endless Memory” feature, which lets users choose to have Eye-Fi automatically makes space available on their memory card after photos and videos are safely uploaded to the computer or Web. 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 a network. If files have not yet been uploaded, Eye-Fi will not remove them. This option can be set up in Eye-Fi Center.

Eye-Fi Center – Easier Storing and Sharing on Multiple Sites
All Eye-Fi users can download the new Eye-Fi Center desktop application that makes organizing and sharing photos and videos easier. Eye-Fi Center has a redesigned interface that offers new features and is easy to use. Users can drag and drop photos and videos to publish them easily to multiple online locations – even including photos and videos that weren’t taken with an Eye-Fi card. Users can download the software at http://support.eye.fi/downloads.
Eye-Fi has received numerous product awards including Mac Observer’s Editor’s Choice 2010 Award and Popular Photography’s 2009 Photography’s Outstanding Products (POP), and was named a CES 2010 Innovations Honoree. For more information, please visit www.eye.fi or follow us on Twitter @EyeFiCard.

About Eye-Fi
Founded in 2005, Eye-Fi is dedicated to building products and services that help consumers manage, nurture and share their visual memories. Eye-Fi’s patented and patent-pending technology wirelessly and automatically uploads photos and videos from digital imaging devices, including digital cameras and the iPhone, to online, in-home and retail destinations. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., the company’s investors include LMS Capital, Opus Capital, Shasta Ventures and TransLink Capital. More information is available at www.eye.fi.

[via Slashgear]

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Eye-fi has formed a special partnership with Apple that will provide the computer manufacture the exclusive rights to sell a new and some what special version of their SD card.

Called the Eye-Fi Geo, the 2GB SD card can automatically upload Geo tagged photos to Apple’s iPhoto application or a specified folder on the computer.  For an additional $9.99 a year users can also enjoy wireless uploads to their MobileMe account or 20 other photo sharing and social network accounts.

The Eye-Fi Geo card is exclusively available at Apple.com and Apple retail stores for $59.99.

Full release after the ‘leap’

EYE-FI INTRODUCES THE EYE-FI GEO APPLE EXCLUSIVE WIRELESS MEMORY CARD WITH UNLIMITED GEOTAGGING

Eye-Fi Offers Users an Effortless Geotagging and Photo Sharing Experience When Using iPhoto, an iPhone or MobileMe

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 29, 2009 — Eye-Fi Inc. today unveiled the Eye-Fi Geo card, a new wireless SD memory card exclusive to Apple that allows users to automatically upload photos from a digital camera to a computer and offers lifetime geotagging service. Available today in all Apple stores and online, the Eye-Fi Geo card is the latest addition to the Eye-Fi product family that is built to seamlessly integrate with Mac products and applications, including iPhoto ’09 and ’08, the iPhone and MobileMe.

“Apple users want simplicity and an effortless user experience, so it’s not surprising that a significant number of our users are on Macs,” said Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi. “The Eye-Fi Geo is the perfect companion for iPhoto’s new ‘Places’ application to pinpoint photos on a digital map so memories are displayed in a richer, more meaningful way.”

The Eye-Fi Geo wirelessly uploads photos straight to a folder on your computer or Apple’s iPhoto gallery where they arrive automatically geotagged with location information about where the image was captured.

Eye-Fi continues to embrace its loyal Mac following by developing products that seamlessly integrate with Apple products and features. iPhoto ’09’s “Places” lets users search and sort photos by location using geotags from the Eye-Fi Geo card. Users can also upgrade their Eye-Fi Geo card to share images online at MobileMe or one of more than 20 other photo sharing and social networking sites for a $9.99 annual fee.

Earlier this year, Eye-Fi released the Eye-Fi application for the iPhone, which wirelessly uploads photos from the iPhone to the Web and into iPhoto, or organized folders on a computer. With Eye-Fi, users can aggregate all of their photos – from both an iPhone and a digital camera –to manage and share photos in one place regardless of which device the photos are taken on. Eye-Fi users with iPhones can download the app for free.

The 2GB Eye-Fi Geo card is available exclusively at Apple stores and Apple.com for $59.99. Eye-Fi’s complete line-up of wireless SD and SDHC memory cards, including the Eye-Fi Pro and Eye-Fi Explore Video cards, range in price from $49-$149 and are available at www.eye.fi, in store at Apple Retail Stores and Best Buy locations, and at major online retailers such as Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Costco.com.

Eye-Fi cards have won numerous Mac product awards, including “Best of Show” at Macworld 2008 and The Mac Observer’s “Editors’ Choice Award 2008” at Macworld. For more information, please visit www.eye.fi/apple, or follow Eye-Fi on Twitter @EyeFiCard.

About Eye-Fi

Founded in 2005, Eye-Fi is dedicated to building products and services that help consumers navigate, nurture and share their visual memories. Eye-Fi’s patent-pending technology works with Wi-Fi networks to automatically send photos and videos from a digital camera to online, in-home and retail destinations. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., the company’s investors include LMS Capital, Opus Capital, Shasta Ventures and TransLink Capital. More information is available at www.eye.fi.

Launching later this month Eye-Fi is releasing two new models: The Eye-Fi 4GB SDHC Share Video and the Eye-Fi 4GB SDHC Explore video.  These new models will effectively bring down the price of the original models to $49 for 2 GB Home and $59 for 2 GB Share.  The entry level Explore is being discontinued.  Also to be released soon will be an iPhone app that owners of Eye-Fi cards will be able to download for free.  The app will provide users the chance to send photos from their iPhones to the 25 Eye-Fi affiliated sharing sites.  Sounds pointless actually.  Here’s a quick rundown and pre order links:

Eye-Fi Share Video

• 4GB SDHC memory card with built-in Wi-Fi
• Effortlessly uploads JPG photos and videos to your computer
• Includes unlimited WebShare service to automatically upload to your favorite sharing website
• Compatible with SDHC-labeled cameras
• Pre Order for $79

Eye-Fi Explore Video

• 4GB SDHC memory card with built-in Wi-Fi
• Unlimited Geotagging
• WebShare to upload photos to online sharing site
• Hotspot Access for 1 year
• Wireless JPG photo and video uploads to computer and web
• Upload photos and videos wirelessly from over 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the nation
• Compatible with SDHC-labeled cameras
• Pre Order for $99

[Electronista]

To celebrate Eye-Fi’s one year anniversary, the company has launched a limited edition SD card that doubles the original’s capacity from 2GB to 4GB. The new WiFi SD card sports the same great wireless function we’ve all come to know and love plus the edition of geotagging and access to WiFi hotspot locations. Unfortunately they don’t specify how and which Hotspot locations we’ll have access to, and the geotagging is done based on the WiFi’s location, which may or may not be 3rd party. In any case, who can bat an eye at more storage and free hotspot access.

The 4GB Eye-fi card will be available here for $129, or you can grab one at your local Costco for $99

Full press release below

Eye-Fi Unveils the 4GB Eye-Fi Anniversary Edition

Eye-Fi Celebrates First Anniversary with 4GB Limited Edition
Anniversary Card and the Win of Popular Science’s Best of What’s New Award

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ — Today Eye-Fi Inc.
(http://www.eye.fi) announced a new, limited edition card — the Eye-Fi
Anniversary Edition — to celebrate the one-year anniversary of its first
wireless SD memory card for digital cameras. Eye-Fi also announced it has
been chosen as one of Popular Science’s 2008 “Best of What’s New” award
recipients.

“For the past year, we’ve been reinventing the way people save and
share their digital memories,” said Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi. “From
automatic uploading to geotagging to sharing on the go, we’ve aimed to help
everyday photographers save their memories more often, share them more
quickly, and add more context to their collections.”

Available immediately, the new Eye-Fi Anniversary Edition doubles
storage capacity to 4GB and features faster memory speeds. Coupled with the
recently announced wireless performance upgrade, the Anniversary Edition is
designed to meet the needs of the demanding photo enthusiast. Like the
Eye-Fi Share, the Anniversary Edition wirelessly sends photos from a
digital camera to a computer and to one of more than 25 online photo
sharing sites.

The card comes in Eye-Fi’s celebrated, original slide-out package and
is available only at Costco.com for $99 to club members, or on http://www.eye.fi
for $129, while supplies last. The card can be upgraded post purchase to
include additional features, such as automatic geotagging and hotspot
access.

Since the Eye-Fi card launched one year ago, millions of photos have
been uploaded to the Web, and users report that they upload and share
photos with family and friends more frequently.

“With the introduction of the digital camera, the photography industry
faced a real challenge – photos trapped on cameras that were never shared
or printed because of the work involved,” said Alan Bullock, associate
director of InfoTrends. “The industry needs pioneers like Eye-Fi who
recognize the bottlenecks and build innovative solutions that move the
market forward.”

Over the past year, Eye-Fi has given more and more people the ability
to effortlessly share their digital memories and offered a rich, meaningful
experience for users. Eye-Fi has:

– Helped Take Geotagging Mainstream: Geotagging is a fast growing trend,
and through a partnership with Skyhook Wireless, Eye-Fi has automated
the process to make it easier and more compelling for all consumers.
Using the Wi-Fi embedded in its cards, Eye-Fi uses Wi-Fi positioning to
determine where an image was captured and adds a geographic tag to each
photo.
– Pioneered Uploads-on-the-Go to the Top Photo Sharing Destinations: Now
users can upload photos away from home at more than 10,000 Wayport
hotspots with their Eye-Fi cards – even without a computer.
– Introduced the “Eye-Fi Connected” Program: Eye-Fi has launched
the “Eye-Fi Connected” program to help other manufacturers tap
into the benefits of Eye-Fi’s wireless photo sharing ecosystem.
Nikon has released two Eye-Fi connected cameras, the Nikon D60 and D90,
both optimized for Eye-Fi cards. Lexar introduced the co-branded
Shoot-n-Sync Wi-Fi(R) Memory Card that uses Eye-Fi’s patent-pending
technology and online service.
– Integrated Social Networking: Eye-Fi announced integration with Twitter
and the availability of RSS feeds so users can notify their networks in
real time about recent photo uploads, and photos can be viewed
instantly.
– International Expansion: Due to high demand, Eye-Fi plans to expand into
Japan and Canada by the end of the year. Now more people worldwide will
have the ability to enjoy the benefits of Eye-Fi’s products and
services.
Also announced today, the Eye-Fi Explore card was chosen as one of
Popular Science’s “Best of What’s New Award” recipients in the gadgets
category. Each year since 1987, the editors of Popular Science review
thousands of products in search of the top 100 technology innovations of
the year. To win, a product or technology must represent a significant step
forward in its category.

Buydig.com has the Eye-Fi 2GB Home Wireless Secure Digital Card (EYEFI2HM) for $59 + Free Shipping = $59 Shipped!

Features:

• Connect any camera with an SD lot to your computer wirelessly
• WEB compatible and 90-foot range

Buy it: Eye-Fi 2GB Home Wireless Secure Digital Card – $59