Eye-Fi launches beta program for Eye-Film universal camera Wi-Fi card
Wednesday, November 1, 2006 | by Rob Galbraith

Eye-Film, a device that combines a Wi-Fi transmitter plus flash memory into a Secure Digital card that is promised to be compatible with a wide range of digital SLR and compact cameras, has taken the next step in its evolution to a shipping product.

Eye-Fi, the company behind Eye-Film, is now accepting requests to join a beta program, where participation requires a willingness to provide feedback and a payment to the company of US$99 to receive the device (if accepted into the program). When the beta period is over, Eye-Fi will exchange the 512MB beta card for a 1GB production version at no additional charge, says the company.

More information is in an except from the Eye-Film beta announcement below. A link to the beta program application form is at the end of the announcement page.

What are we announcing?

Eye-Film Beta is a media card incorporating 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and 512MB of Flash storage. Eye-Film Beta will transfer photos from within your camera to in-home destinations (PC or Mac), or directly to a supported online destination. While photos are transferred to the specified destination, the originals remain on the card. Please note that we still plan to offer devices at 1GB density as we move past Beta.

What slot types are we supporting?

Eye-Film Beta is an SD card. For D-SLR owners, we are offering a Compact Flash Type-II adapter.

What types of Wi-Fi networks does Eye-Film Beta support?

Open, WEP secured and WPA secured networks are supported. Both 802.11g and the older 802.11b are supported. There is no support for peer to peer (ad-hoc) communication at this time.

What cameras will Eye-Film Beta be compatible with?

We are aiming for broad camera compatibility and have tested Eye-Film across a wide range of consumer and professional makes and models, with successful results. Therefore, we are opening the Beta to any and all makes and models with an SD or Compact Flash Type-II slot. If you experience issues within your camera that we are unable to resolve, you may choose to withdraw from the Beta program and receive a full refund. See below for detailed participation guidelines.

What file types will we be supporting at Beta?

Eye-Film Beta will transfer JPEG files to the local or online destination. Other file types stored on the card (e.g. 'raw' images, video files, etc.) will not be transferred.


http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-7900-8653