Wi-Pics Wireless Photo Transmitter

[Suhit Gupta]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-6452-6491' target='_blank'>http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-6452-6491</a><br /><br /></div>"<a href="http://www.diceamerica.com/">Dice America</a>, the maker of Wi-Pics and Rea's employer [Dave Rea, Wi-Pics' inventor] since he graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology last year, are gearing up for the seeding of oversized beta Wi-Pics units in March 2004, with the final, slimmed-down version (as pictured below) slated for release in May-June 2004.<br /><br />It will be Wi-Fi all the way, supporting the 802.11a/b/g transmission protocols, and autoswitching between them depending on the wireless network. It uses a wireless chipset from Atheros, which means when linking to access points that use the same chipset, an additional, faster-than-802.11g mode will be enabled for even more rapid throughput. A removable swivel antenna will be included, while an additional antenna can be connected to a second antenna port on the opposite side of the device."<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/310_wi-pics_proto_2004.jpg" /><br /><br />The Wi-Pics device will be able to support FTP, SCP (Secure Copy) and SMB, and maybe even more as more details become available. One will be able to enter authentication information like user name, password and other connection parameters through its front two-line LCD panel and four-button controller. It allows for most camera to connect to it via the USB and Firewire ports. Pictures flow into Wi-Pics over a cable from the CF slot, and out again over a Wi-Fi or a wired 10/100 link. The Wi-Pics includes two CompactFlash card slots which can be used to store photos arriving from the camera.<br /><br />"The base model of Wi-Pics, with 32MB of memory and no other internal storage, is planned to have a suggested list price of US$1600. The price climbs to a suggested list price of US$2400 for a unit with a bar code scanner and internal 40GB hard drive."

[foldedspace]

This may be a dumb question, but why would you want this?

[ctmagnus]

I kinda breezed through the article, but one example I picked out is if you and your family are in a theme park and want your pics taken. The photographer takes the pictures and gives you a UPC that's generated on the spot and the pictures are transmitted wirelessly to another location in the park. You then take that UPC (whether it's on a card or what-have-you) to that location and pick up the pictures.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Nikon D2H and WT1. =P

It's not really useful for the rest of us. The article did come from Rob Galbraith's site.

[Suhit Gupta]

Also, the 40GB version significantly increases the number of pictures you can take. Basically, from what I understand, you plug the CF card (as seen in the picture) into your CF slot of the camera and the pictures are stored on the Wi-Pics device. It is from this device that you can either transmit the photos wirelessly to 'wherever you want' or put it on the built in memory or on the CF cards that can be plugged into the CF slots of the unit itself.

Suhit