Again, I do not have one myself, I have not tried it, but I understand that they have an arrangement with Wayport so that it uploads to the web from a WiFi McDonalds, say, and the next time you connect your computer to the web the photos come right on down. Something like that.

I think that this is something that the average newbie will love, actually.

No worries on connecting via cable, etc. – take the picture and when you get home and turn on the camera, the photos are on your PC. It really is pretty cool.

True, but the downside is that you have to configure it for the WiFi connection. If you have an encrypted network, how do you tell the card the password?

Also, will it upload automatically to your Web sites from any WiFi hotspot, only ones that you’ve configured or only your home connection?

When I want to put pictures on my PC, I just pull the card from my camera, put it in my laptop’s SD slot and copy them using Windows Explorer. No, it’s not as simple as the Eye-Fi would be, but I’ve saved $70 or so at the cost of a minute or two in time.

It sounds cool, but I’m not convinced that it’s a good value for your average digital camera user.

Steve

But as she showed it off that afternoon here, my Mom and my daughter were green. No worries on connecting via cable, etc. – take the picture and when you get home and turn on the camera, the photos are on your PC. It really is pretty cool.

If I’m sending to my PC, it’s not much harder to pop the card out and transfer the photos myself. Unless Eye-Fi provides some server software that allows transferring photos to my PC over the Internet, I’ve got to be within about 300 feet of my PC anyway, and most PCs seem to include SD card slots today (if yours doesn’t, USB card readers are very cheap).

If you’re sending to the Web, who wants to upload 5, 6, 10 megapixel images directly? Wouldn’t most people crop, edit and shrink their photos before posting them?

Plus, you have to be within WiFi range.

I suppose if you’re covering events (like a photojournalist or blogger at a tradeshow like, um, CES) with easy WiFi access, it makes sense for taking pictures and uploading to a secure site for somebody to grab them, edit them, write some copy and post them. However, that seems like a niche market.

Are there normal consumer uses that would make the Eye-Fi worth paying extra for? The list price for the cheapest one (2 GB with limited features) is $80; I can get 2 GB SD cards for under $10, so is it worth another $70?

Steve