FluCard does wireless transfer of images easily
Like the common flu, Trek 2000 wants the FluCard to be contagious and spread like a virus among users. This card enables wireless transfer of images and video from your digicam to other FluCard-equipped imaging devices such as a digital photo frame or another camera, or even to social-networking sites like Facebook.
Currently, there are only a handful of shooters with built-in Wi-Fi capability, and they have limitations to the type of network they can access. For example, they cannot logon to portals like Wireless@SG in Singapore where users have to input their login details on a Web page. The Eye-Fi card developed in the US lets users send images and videos to other servers via only a predefined network.
On the other hand, the FluCard is a bit more flexible. It is touted as a scalable card which can be upgraded when new firmware becomes available. The FluCard has a memory of up to 30 secured networks. So you just need to enter it once, and the next time the card is powered up, it will scan for the most appropriate network and login to that for operation.
By default, users will upload the images to the FluCard portal where they can organize and print them. But if you want to send pictures to social networking sites like Facebook, all you require is a Wi-Fi-enabled mobile phone and. From there, you can access the FluCard's settings and change the login name and server to your Facebook account. However, you won't be able to surf the Web using the card as it is used only for sending and receiving.
The FluCard is compatible with all current digicam models with SD card slots as the FluCard doesn't require users to alter the snapper's firmware. Instead, the functions are built into the card and can be accessed only in playback mode. For example, users will have to press the Direct Print button (in certain cameras it is embedded in the menu to select the image for sending, and then scroll to the Sender or Server Upload image to activate the Wi-Fi and transmit the images. The transfer speed is rated at 1MBp/s.
With regard to power consumption, Poo Teng Pin, vice president of Operations in Trek 2000, said the Wi-Fi module is activated only when users are sending or receiving files. Otherwise, it draws power like a normal SD card. Poo also told CNET Asia that the FluCard has an effective transmission range of 10m. Beyond that distance, it can still operate but may be subjected to interference from other wireless devices.
For now, the FluCard is able to transmit to one device only. If there is more than one FluCard equipped cameras around the vicinity, the card will connect to the nearest shooter with the strongest signal. This raises some security concerns because images and videos may be sent to another device which is not the intended recipient. In hindsight, the transmission range is still quite short, so you will know who you're sending the pictures to. Hence, it seems secure to a certain extent.
As to whether the FluCard will be made available in other forms, such as CompactFlash cards, Henn Tan, president of Trek 2000, said the company will monitor the market for demand.
From all these specifications, it seems Trek's FluCard is slated to be the next generation of wireless SD cards for imaging devices. The Singapore company anticipates professional photographers to be the first to adopt this media before it gains popularity among the masses.
The FluCard also receives support from Toshiba which will appoint Trek as the official OEM manufacturer for the card. The Japanese firm will also form a consortium to support the distribution of the FluCard as well as oversee the intellectual property protection for this latest innovation.
Trek aims sell the card in capacities ranging from 8GB to 128GB. The 8GB version will cost around US$100 and is expected in Singapore in the next quarter. The next market to get the FluCard will be Japan.
