It sucks taking a digital camera on holiday, because as soon as you fill up your memory card, you have to find a place to burn your photos on CD, or else, lug a laptop around with you.

We already have USB hard drives that you can carry around. We also have card readers for PCs. Why not combine the two, so that you have a portable hard disk that can read your flash-card, memory stick or whatever you use, without a computer.

It doesn't need any kind of interface - you just insert the card, and it automatically downloads everything on the card to a date/time stamped folder. Runs on AA batteries.

When you get home, you just plug it into your computer like a normal USB hard drive.

It measures 12x7x3 cm, so you can easily carry it in a backpack or in your camera bag. Allows you to take 20gb of storage with you instead of 256mb, and is cheaper than buying extra flash cards.

It comes with ROM software for controlling I/O with storage media.

Optionally, it could even have a USB port which you could plug other USB drives into.

I don't think this would be difficult or expensive to make - card readers cost, what, US$20, USB hard disks US$100 ? I bet you could make one for less than US $150.
-- commanderrobot, Apr 17 2004

Archos Gmini 220 20 GB with Compact Flash Reader http://www.amazon.c...102-6182297-5244964
This is like what I was thinking, but I'd do away with all the extra stuff and keep it cheap. [commanderrobot, Oct 04 2004]

CompactFlash 4GB Microdrive http://www.steves-d...com/microdrive.html
a substitute [Laughs Last, Oct 04 2004]

Haven't you just described a Pocket PC with a large memory, stripped of a lot of features such as the screen?

My recommendation for travelling with a digital camera is to use a branded one and to check that the local photographic outlets for that brand have the services you need before you go.
-- Aristotle, Apr 17 2004


// My recommendation for travelling with a digital camera is to use a branded one and to check that the local photographic outlets for that brand have the services you need before you go. //

Oh, please.
-- zigness, Apr 17 2004


<aside>Is the Sony Mavica FD the only digital camera that records on floppy disks?</aside>
<further aside>I see that digital camcorders are now available that record directly onto DVD-R.</further aside>
-- angel, Apr 17 2004


I would defiantly buy one of these. Every time i go out i run out of memory. If i buy more i use more, but 20+gig would be hard to use in a day
-- hatch, Apr 17 2004



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