Jan 5, 2014

Transferring photos the FlashAir Way

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(Daddy reviews)

The scenario is familiar: I have just taken the most amazing shot on my DSLR, and I can't wait to share it with my family or friends. Only problem is, I can't. Not until I transfer the photo on the memory card to my computer, and then transfer it again to my smartphone or tablet. Or I can just do the primitive way - use my smartphone to snap a shot of the LCD of the digital camera and share away. 

But it just isn't the same, right?

So thank goodness Toshiba's FlashAir came to my rescue!


Apart from being an SD Card that stores the camera's photos, it functions as its own wireless LAN access point that allows me to upload photos directly from my digital camera to a tablet, smartphone or PC. WITHOUT an internet connection. And that's about it really - a simple BUT extremely useful and convenient feature.

FUN FACT - Did you know that Toshiba is actually the company that invented Flash memory? Toshiba had set up the SD Association with other partners that develops and publishes technical standards for SD technology, which means their products go through the stringent process of making sure they all pass the SD Association's SD technology test.

Which probably explains why setting it up was a breeze as well. When I inserted the FlashAir SD Card into my camera, the WIFI hotspot fires up. By default, the SSID name will be “flashair_xxxxxx” and the default passcode is “12345678″. So all I had to do was to connect to the SSID via my smaprtphone, configure the SSID name and change the passcode, and I was good to go!

To access my photos on the SD Card on my smartphone, I needed to go to http://flashair in the mobile browser.



And all the photos that I had taken a few seconds ago were uploaded instantly from the camera to my smartphone! Sweet.


The new version of FlashAir SD Cards boast a Class 10 speed compared to the original model's Class 6 speed. So what this means is the photos and videos will be saved very quickly, while accessing and storing them across multiple computers, tablets and smartphones in a jiffy. And thanks to its wireless LAN chip, the card supports access from up to seven devices simultaneously.


To put it mildly, I love my new SD Card to bits! I love the fact that I do not need to connect the card to an external WFI access point to make the card's contents available. I love to being able to access the photos on the card almost instantaneously on my smartphone or tablet. Which of course, translates to me being able to share photos on social media platforms on the go. Fabulous photos of my monkies, like this.


Simple to set up, fast, responsive and ultra convenient -  for social media addicts like me, the Toshiba FlashAir SD Card is something I simply cannot live without anymore!



And if you are thinking of getting your hands on one, why not take part in Toshiba's Wifi your Pictures in a Flash! Contest?


There are 10 FlashAir 32GB SD Cards up for grabs. All you have to do is head down to its website HERE and answer the following question: Why is a WIFI SD card better than a normal SD card?

The contest has already begun, and the closing date for entries is 28 February 2014.

For more information, please visit www.toshiba-memory.com.sg.


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6 comments :

Dawn said...

Wow..thanks for sharing! Where is the cheapest place I can get this??

I love ur blog btw

Anonymous said...

sounds good but what are the cons?
1) how do you turn the wifi on & off on the sd card?

2) will it use alot of battery if you leave it on?

3) how much does the card cost? :)

thank you.

Cheekiemonkies said...

Hi Dawn,

Thanks for dropping by and for your kind words!

You can search for it on qoo10.com.sg. I have seen the 8GB and 16GB ones going for S$55 and S$80 respectively. Hope it helps!

Cheekiemonkies said...

Hi Anon,

To be honest, there aren't many cons with regards to the SD card personally.

But if I have to really pick one, then I have to physically disconnect the wireless connection from the SD card so that my smartphone will switch back to 3G/LTE connection for data usage. Nothing too irritating, but a tad troublesome nonetheless.

1. The WLAN of the FlashAir™ is always started whenever it gets power from the camera. It may turn off when it is unused after a time you can define in the settings of the card.

Alternatively you can configure the FlashAir™ to react on the status of a dedicated picture on the Card. This requires the camera to be able block/unblock pictures in the viewer screen. On every FlashAir™ SD Card sold in the market there is a pre-loaded small picture. If you use the camera menu and block this picture, the WLAN function of the FlashAir™ will turn off. If you unblock it again, the WLAN function will turn on again.

2. The SD Card is optimized for battery powered devices, so the consumption is kept low. At least in theory. But having used the card for about 3 weeks now, I didn't notice any drastic usage in power from my cam battery.

3. As mentioned in my previous comment, I have seen the 8GB and 16GB ones going for S$55 and S$80 respectively on qoo10.com.sg. But I'm not too sure for 32GB price though.

Hope it helps!

Claudia said...

Got mine from Challenger sometime back, members get the 8GB for $49. Very useful SD card but the camera batt drains out pretty quickly. And also the downloading takes quite a while.

Jackie said...

My friend bought from shop.toshiba.com.sg

8GB: $59, 16GB: $69, 32GB: $89

Free delivery and free 16GB USB3.0 drive

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