Digital Cameras, Media, and Card Readers

With the dropping prices on digital cameras and digital media in the past few years there is really a need for a quick reliable transfer method for your pictures to your personal computer.

Using the USB cable directly to your camera works to transfer pictures, but it's a waste of your battery and is often quite slow. Also some cameras don't seem to connect properly without specialized software from their manufacturer.

My favorite work around for this problem is purchasing a 7-in-1 card reader, there are all sorts of digital media card readers, some of them support even more than seven different kinds of media. These card readers generally run you about $15 to $50 USD and will save you loads of time and money (on batteries).

These card readers hookup to your computer via the USB port and don't require an additional software. Normally when you plug them in a series of drives will appear in your drives list in My Computer. As you put the different types of digital media in to the card reader the device will pop-up on the screen and you can transfer your files, delete the files, and basically treat the new media as a small hard drive.

These devices are great to have around the house, or in your camera case, they are generally very small, about the width and length of a credit card and about 1-2 inches in height.

Have you ever had a big party and wanted to compile all the pictures from every persons camera but weren't able to because of the wide variety of media? If you had a card reader you wouldn't have this problem, and again as I've mentioned several times, you are taking the pictures off the media directly, as opposed to using the USB link cable, and wasting the batteries of the cameras!

Next time you are at the computer store or shopping online, take a look at the different types of media transfer devices and card readers out there. Card readers are a great tool, will save you time, and money and the occasional head ache!

Ken Dennis http://KenDennis-RSS.homeip.net/

More resources:

RELATED ARTICLES

Motherboard Basics
A recent Tech Tip covered the basics of selecting a computer case and made mention of the various sizes that correspond to motherboards of different form factors. A few people wrote in expressing interest in understanding more about the basics of motherboards, and that's exactly what this Tech Tip intends to address.

How To Choose A Computer Case
Things to Consider When Choosing a Computer CaseIn the past, computer cases were all very similar? Clones of the same boring, beige box. With all of the choices available today, this is no longer the 'case', and people can use their systems' chassis as a means to express themselves and to set their system apart from the rest.

Bluetooth Can Be Cracked!
Nothing is completely safe today. Adobe has recently released a patch for a security hole in different graphical software, so why should Bluetooth be safe?.

Adding Serial Ports to a Computer with Only USB Ports
So you bought a new computer but you don't have serial ports?It's surprisingly common these days - you find an awesome machine that does everything you want it to do, but then you get home and find out that amongst the lightning-fast processor and terabyte hard drive, you're missing something - a serial port.Most laptop manufacturers have killed RS-232In an effort to enforce newer standards, such as USB and FireWire, many laptop manufacturers have let serial ports fall by the wayside.

The Printer Cartridge Wars: Generic or Remanufactured Cartridges Right for You?
OverviewAs "generic", "remanufactured", and "new compatible" inkjet printer cartridges and laser toner cartridges creep deeper into the printer accessories market, the choices become varied and often confusing. It is estimated that by the year 2004 the aftermarket share of the inkjet and toner cartridge market will exceed 11% of the estimated 12 billion dollar printer accessory market [source: CART magazine, March 2001] Here's a look at what all these terms mean, and an examination of the upside and downside of using non-"brand name" printer cartridge products in your printer.

Throw Away The Fax Machine - A Guide To Online Fax
Have you ever felt like throwing the fax machine out the window? Well you may not know it but you can, but not literally please.There have been services available for some time which allow you to take your fax needs online and save yourself the hassle of wrestling with the fax machine.

Inkjet Printer Tips to Select Proper Printer
If you are tight on budget, go for Inkjet Printer. Inkjet Printers are more economical compared to Laser Printers.

Your Printer Is Out Of Ink -- Now What?
We've all been there. You're in the middle of printing out an important document and your printer suddenly stops.

How to Choose a New Hard Drive for Your Computer
If you are running out of space on your computer or find that programs load a little slow, or that big files take a long time to open, it may be time for a new hard drive.Making a more careful decision about the hard drive can mean a much longer working life for the hard drive.

The Printer Cartridge Game
Think you got a great deal on a printer? Like the rest of us, you probably paid $50 to $75 for a decent Epson or Lexmark printer. What's the catch, you might have asked? Most salesmen would say there is no catch.

Portable MP3 Player Based Education
A revolution in learning technology has taken place. Actually, it took place a few years ago, and I'm only just now catching up.

Blu-ray: A Primer
Blu-ray is an optical disc format which is set to rival HD-DVDin the race to be the de-facto standard storage medium for HDTV. The HD-DVD vs Blu-ray battle resembles that between Betamax and VHS and DVD+RW and DVD-RW.

Selecting a Laptop
Small Can Be BeautifulWhen purchasing a new computer, you may be better served by a laptop than a traditional desktop computer. Recently, laptops with capabilities similar to desktops can be purchased for a comparable price.

How To Choose The Best Student Laptop?
How To Choose the Best Student Laptop?Merchants are singing those three magic words again, 'Back to School' and the fallout is everywhere!Just as you're getting your deep dark pre-cancerous tan going -- you hear those words -- and it spells the end of summer. Once again we are bombarded with advertising, featuring the latest in 'teen ware' 'school ware' and 'metal detector ware'.

Setting up a Tape Backup Strategy for your Business
So you know a little bit about tape backup, but you're wondering how to set up a tape backup strategy for your business. Well, let's take a look at 3 simple steps to setting up a complete backup solution.

DVD Media
DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for storing data, including movies with high video and sound quality. DVDs resemble compact discs: their physical dimensions are the same-12cm or the mini 8cm-but they are encoded in a different format and at a much higher density.

At War With The Internet
When it comes to sales of technology products over the Internet, there are now two factors that potential buyers must consider as possibly 'too good to be true'. In the past, there was only price to worry about.

What Is A Crystal? And How To Test It
Crystal are use to keep the frequency of the clock from drifting. If the signal from this clock stops, or is weak, or the pulses begin to vary, the electronic equipments might show intermittent faults or might stop altogether.

Video Encryption
What is Video Encryption?Video Encryption is an extremely useful method for the stopping unwanted interception and viewing of any transmitted video or other information, for example from a law enforcement video surveillance being relayed back to a central viewing centre.The scrambling is the easy part.

Selecting an Ink Jet printer-With Low Operating Cost
Printer technology has made tremendous advances in the past five years. Speeds are up and print quality is great.