Eye-Fi Card Gets Smarter, More Efficient

Today, Eye-Fi, makers of the world's first wireless memory card for digital cameras, announced a "Smart Boost" upgrade that will make wireless photo uploads with the Eye-Fi Card more efficient and improve the upload experience. Eye-Fi also announced its first expansion into brick-and-mortar retail with Ritz Camera Centers and its addition of RitzPix as an online printing option for Eye-Fi users.

The Smart Boost update will enable the Eye-Fi Card to intelligently determine the most efficient way to send users' photos where they want them. With Smart Boost, when the user's computer is on, the Eye-Fi Card will direct photo transfers through the Wi-Fi network to the computer, allowing the Eye-Fi Manager software to relay the photos to the Web. This approach will leverage the speed of the local network to transfer photos from the camera, reducing card activity and saving battery life.

With Smart Boost, the Eye-Fi Card will still upload photos when the user's computer is turned off. In this case, the Eye-Fi Card will automatically send photos from the camera, through the home Wi-Fi network, to the Web-based Eye-Fi Service. The Eye-Fi Service will then deliver images to a photo sharing site and to the user's computer when it is eventually turned on. In this approach, the speed at which images are transferred from the camera is paced by the home's Internet connection.

"The magic of the Eye-Fi Card is that it has the power built in to intelligently deliver the best experience," said Jef Holove, CEO for Eye-Fi. "Smart Boost is a good example of our aim to offer both new and existing users exciting new capabilities while keeping complicated things simple."

The Smart Boost upgrade will be available by February 12. Existing Eye-Fi users will be able to download the upgrade free of charge through the Eye-Fi Manager. New Eye-Fi Cards will include the "Smart Boost" feature.

Today, Eye-Fi also announced a relationship with Ritz Camera Centers, Inc. Effective today, Eye-Fi users will be able to upload photos automatically to RitzPix Online Imaging Service, Ritz's online photo printing service which allows customers to order prints online and pick them up in an hour from most Ritz Camera locations. In addition, the Eye-Fi Card can now be purchased from Ritz Camera Centers or online at Ritzcamera.com. Ritz is the largest specialty camera and image chain in the United States with approximately 1,000 locations in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Ritz store brands include Ritz Camera Centers, Wolf's Camera, Kit's Camera and others.

The Eye-Fi Card, which was recently named "Best in Show" at Macworld and won Yahoo! Tech's "Last Gadget Standing" competition at the International Consumer Electronics Show, will be demonstrated at the PMA tradeshow in Las Vegas, January 31-February 2 in booth U237.

Founded in 2005, the company is dedicated to building products and services that help consumers navigate, nurture and share their visual memories. Eye-Fi's patent-pending technology works with Wi-Fi networks to automatically send photos from a digital camera to online, in-home and retail destinations. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., the company's investors include Opus Capital and Shasta Ventures.

SOURCE Eye-Fi