Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette
Digital Foci Picture Porter 35 offers
a great way to store, organize photos, videos
TECH SPOTLIGHT
An itchy shutter finger and a small hard drive don’t go well
together.
I literally will take hundreds of photos while I’m out.
While I will use only a fraction of them afterward, I still want
to hang onto the ones I didn’t use, in case I use them later.
Unfortunately, with my photos running 3-10MB each, my
nearly-full hard drive practically cries every time I connect my
camera card’s reader to the computer. I need a safe place to
store my photos without filling up my hard drive. But burning
them onto DVD discs takes a lot of time and discs, and finding a
particular photo later takes forever.
One solution to my dilemma is the Digital Foci Picture
Porter 35.
I’ve tested past devices from Digital Foci, such as the
Photo Safe II, intended to be used to back up Photos. I was used
to the Photo Safe’s monochrome screen and simplistic controls.
The Picture Porter takes that design to a whole new level,
allowing the user not only to back up photos but also to view
and organize them and even turn them in the device.
The Porter has a basic function as a backup device. It can
accept files straight from a digital camera and can read several
card types, including Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick, Compact
Flash (CF) and xD-Picture Card. Not only can it pull off images,
but it also can store and play music and video files now as
well.
I was impressed with the speed at which it saved my files. I
was expecting a five-10-minute wait to back up over 300 photos.
The device did it in a little over three minutes.
I was completely surprised with how the device treated RAW
photos, particularly mine. A RAW photo is format preferred by
serious photographers because it allows for more precise
post-production editing. Unfortunately, RAW photos must be
compiled and converted before they can be viewed as true images.
My camera, a Nikon, uses a format of RAW called NEF, which
is not always compatible with, oh, anything. While they use
JPEG-format thumbnails, they still can cause issues if the
device doesn’t recognize the files as a photo format.
The Porter had no problems at all reading my photos, saving
them, arranging them and viewing them. I also could rename
folders or files and even arrange them into playlists to view
slideshows or create presentations that can be exported or
viewed on a television with the proper cables. The device even
lets record voice memos and attach them to certain files.
The various tasks are carried out with the side controls,
including escape and menu keys, volume up and down keys that can
be used to navigate through the files and features, as well as a
scroll wheel that doubles as a button. The 3.5-inch color screen
looks beautiful, and sound comes out the speaker on the front.
The device comes with a charger and a nice leather folio
case that provides access to all the ports, so you don’t have to
remove the device to use it.
The Picture Porter has a lot of promise and potential, but
it also could use some improvements. The navigation is awkward
at best. The wheel on the side must be scrolled slowly, or
you’re liable to press it in, which selects items you may not
want selected. I’d rather see arrow keys on the front of the
device. Ideally, a touch screen would make everything miles
easier, but I realize that may be a lot to ask.
I also had a bit of an issue with the charging cord. The
first night of charging it from being completely dead, it didn’t
charge. Turns out I not only needed to plug the cord into the
device, but I needed to push it in hard to get it to make the
connection properly. So it took a second night of charging
before I could use the device.
On the flip side, the battery last a heck, of a long time.
Yes, video will drain it faster, but that’s pretty much a given.
I had to recharge after backing up a few times and watching a
movie on the device. But I could back up a gigabyte or more of
photos several days in a row before having to charge it again.
The Picture Porter is a great step toward portable
multimedia storage and presentation. It has lots of space to
store photos, videos and music, the ability to organize
everything and export it for use elsewhere.
All it needs is an easier way to navigate the menus and
features.
For now, it still provides something I desperately need –
more space to store all those photos I’ve taken, and all the
ones I’m sure I’ll take.
Where It’s @
Digital Foci Picture Porter 35 requires Windows XP or later or
Mac OS 10.4 or later and a USB connection. The product comes in
250GB for $399 or 500GB for 499. More information is available
at
www.digitalfoci.com/picture_porter.html
