Help..Best way to backup my pictures while on vacation

[luvtwotrvl]

I am looking at some way to backup my pictures while on vacation. I really do not want to take around a large laptop/notebook since they are heavy is huge. I am looking into the Wolverine ESP 80g since it is cheaper than other brands and also has a nice LCD screen to view the pictures too. Are these portable media storage reliable??? Anything else I could be looking at that I might have missed?? Also, do I have to worry about the X-rays at the airport since it uses a hard drive???

 

 

Thanks,

David

[pierces]

I am looking at some way to backup my pictures while on vacation. I really do not want to take around a large laptop/notebook since they are heavy is huge. I am looking into the Wolverine ESP 80g since it is cheaper than other brands and also has a nice LCD screen to view the pictures too. Are these portable media storage reliable??? Anything else I could be looking at that I might have missed?? Also, do I have to worry about the X-rays at the airport since it uses a hard drive???

 

 

Thanks,

David

 

The Wolverine uses a 2½" hard drive just like a notebook or any of the other photo storage/viewer units. The reliability is only as good as the technology and they are all pretty good.

 

Personally, I carry enough memory for the whole trip and use my Epson P2000 as a true backup, not as a card clearer.

 

As for x-rays, don't worry...if the scanner has enough power to hurt your cards or hard drive, you'll be able to tell...everyone for 50 feet around it will be dead and glowing!

 

 

BTW, with the Wolverine at $299, you could add $100 and get an Acer or Asus netbook (9" or 10" ultra portable) with a 160GB hard drive that weighs a little over 3 lbs. They are fully functional PCs and add the bonus of a real screen to review you photos with real software of your choice. I love my little Epson P2000, but like all of the portables, they stopped updating the firmware to handle new file types and features when the next model came out. This will never happen with a netbook since the only limit is software.

 

 

Dave

[luvtwotrvl]

That's true Dave,

 

I really do not know if I would like to take around the small notebook. I am really going to have to take a look at that. As far as computers go, I usually do not have any trouble with the hardware, but the software usually gives me more trouble than anything especially Windows. That is another reason why I do not want a notebook besides the wait is not trusting Windblow OS on it.

 

Might will have to take at look at the small notebook.

 

David

[pierces]

That's true Dave,

 

I really do not know if I would like to take around the small notebook. I am really going to have to take a look at that. As far as computers go, I usually do not have any trouble with the hardware, but the software usually gives me more trouble than anything especially Windows. That is another reason why I do not want a notebook besides the wait is not trusting Windblow OS on it.

 

Might will have to take at look at the small notebook.

 

David

 

You can get Netbooks with Linux installed. OS is a personal choice. I'll use whatever works best for me.

 

I have been using and supporting Windows since 3.0 and have found it to be a stable platform when properly set up (except for the odious Windows ME). I have found that the biggest problem with any Windows PC is the free or trial crap software that the OEM loads it up with to "add value". When you start with a clean install and only add the software you want, it is a very usable and stable OS. That is one reason why Macs have such a good reputation, Apple ships them with a lot of usable software written by Apple for Macs and most Mac users don't add a lot of extra stuff like freeware and games.

 

In a business environment, Macs generally crash or run smoothly as often as PCs depending on the quality of business-specific software and how well they are supported. No magic in the OS, just good business practices for either will be successful. I have been running Vista since it was Beta and have never had it lock up, crash on me or suffer from a virus. I run it on proper hardware, only install the software I need and keep it updated.

 

Face it, when it comes right down to it, most computer issues are PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair)!

 

Happy shooting...and computing!

 

Dave

[luvtwotrvl]

Dave,

How are the battery on the Netbooks?? I have notice that they have improved right much on battery technology. I know I will not carry around a large notebook but the netbook I am not sure. Like you said, unlimited on options for the netbook, which I love. So, really not sure yet. Will check around and see what I can find.

 

David

[pierces]

Dave,

How are the battery on the Netbooks?? I have notice that they have improved right much on battery technology. I know I will not carry around a large notebook but the netbook I am not sure. Like you said, unlimited on options for the netbook, which I love. So, really not sure yet. Will check around and see what I can find.

 

David

 

The Asus Eee PC is the winner with a 7 hour life for the SSD hard drive model, but the Acer and Asus with the 160GB drives both get over 5 hours with the 6-cell battery option.

 

Dave

[cruisingbooboo]

At the opposite end of the technological spectrum but can 't you have a lot of memory cards, use 1 a day, keep them in a safe place and upload them once you get home?

[bob16946]

I purchased the Hyperdrive Colorspace and have been very happy with it. It's a portable hard drive with a screen to view your photos. I have the 160 GB model.

 

Bob

[krystalkruzer]

At the opposite end of the technological spectrum but can 't you have a lot of memory cards, use 1 a day, keep them in a safe place and upload them once you get home?

 

Just what I do since memory cards are so cheap now.2GB ones can be had for around $20.

[pilotdane]

Take a look at the January 2008 issue of Shutterbug. They reviewed: Digital Foci, Epson P-5000, Jobo Giga Vu, Aanho Hyper Drive and the Wolverine ESP5000. They all seem to suffer from a slow download speed, limited battery life, and they require you to lug along yet another charger on your cruise.

 

I chose not to purchase one. I carry a selection of 4 and 8gb cards and switch them at least once a day. My entire vacation is spread out over numerous cards so the loss or corruption of one is not a devastating loss.

[luvtwotrvl]

The Asus Eee PC is the winner with a 7 hour life for the SSD hard drive model, but the Acer and Asus with the 160GB drives both get over 5 hours with the 6-cell battery option.

 

Dave

 

Thanks Dave,

Will take a look on the Asus Eee PC.

 

David

[luvtwotrvl]

Take a look at the January 2008 issue of Shutterbug. They reviewed: Digital Foci, Epson P-5000, Jobo Giga Vu, Aanho Hyper Drive and the Wolverine ESP5000. They all seem to suffer from a slow download speed, limited battery life, and they require you to lug along yet another charger on your cruise.

 

I chose not to purchase one. I carry a selection of 4 and 8gb cards and switch them at least once a day. My entire vacation is spread out over numerous cards so the loss or corruption of one is not a devastating loss.

 

 

Pilotdane,

How do you like the Shutterbug Magazine?? Just checked it online and might have some interest in subscribing to the magazine.

 

David

[luvtwotrvl]

Just what I do since memory cards are so cheap now.2GB ones can be had for around $20.

 

 

That is really sounds good to me now!!! I really did not want to spend a lot money just to backup pictures. Like you said, the memory cards are very cheap now.

 

Might have to go that route!!!

The boss (wife) does not want me to spend a lot of money!!!!!!!!!!

She does not want me to pull from our Cruise MONEY!!!

David

[pierces]

That is really sounds good to me now!!! I really did not want to spend a lot money just to backup pictures. Like you said, the memory cards are very cheap now.

 

Might have to go that route!!!

The boss (wife) does not want me to spend a lot of money!!!!!!!!!!

She does not want me to pull from our Cruise MONEY!!!

David

 

Sometimes lo-tek is the best!

 

Just before Christmas I hit that sweet spot between the Sandisk Rebate coming out and all the shops raising their prices to offset it. I ordered 3 Sandisk 8GB Extreme III CF cards on sale for $29.95 each from Adorama and got the $70 rebate for buying three of the same card. Net cost...$19.85 for all three!

 

I still like to back them up and put the back-up in a separate bag when traveling, but if I don't want to carry extra equipment, I don't worry about running out of memory any more.

 

Whatever you decide..Happy shooting!

 

Dave

[SheilaNC]

I recently bought the Asus and am using it on a trip to Australia right now. It's working beautifully and, except for getting used to a slightly smaller keyboard, it's a dream....about 3 lbs, great little case, slips into my tote bag and after downloading Picasa, I'm up and running (just with a little netbook rather than a laptop). The purported 7 hour battery is, so far, lasting for 5.5 hours when in use and longer if left on but not active.

[chipmaster]

I recently bought the Asus and am using it on a trip to Australia right now. It's working beautifully and, except for getting used to a slightly smaller keyboard, it's a dream....about 3 lbs, great little case, slips into my tote bag and after downloading Picasa, I'm up and running (just with a little netbook rather than a laptop). The purported 7 hour battery is, so far, lasting for 5.5 hours when in use and longer if left on but not active.

 

 

Battery life for any laptop including the latest netbooks are rather optmistic, much like the old EPA mileage numbers.

 

Unless you set up the OS in maximum life or manually turn down the screen brightness, turn off wifi, and are running stuff that doesn't cache to the HDD expect actual battery life of between 50 to 70% of stated lifetime. The battery lifetimes are most usefully in comparing models, less so in determining if you'll be able to watch a complete movie or do work on a trans continental or trans-atlantic flight.

 

I agree at somepoint a laptop can shrink only so much. Designers forget that the ergonomics of a small keyboard. small screen etc. can detract from its use. Personally a 13" is "right" sized in my opinion. Key board not to small, fits all my bags, not to heavy, and most important enough performance to do real stuff. :D

[luvtwotrvl]

Sometimes lo-tek is the best!

 

Just before Christmas I hit that sweet spot between the Sandisk Rebate coming out and all the shops raising their prices to offset it. I ordered 3 Sandisk 8GB Extreme III CF cards on sale for $29.95 each from Adorama and got the $70 rebate for buying three of the same card. Net cost...$19.85 for all three!

 

I still like to back them up and put the back-up in a separate bag when traveling, but if I don't want to carry extra equipment, I don't worry about running out of memory any more.

 

Whatever you decide..Happy shooting!

 

Dave

 

 

WOW Dave,

That is REALLY a steal on those cards!!!!!!!!!!!

And yes, I do not like to carry a lot of equipment. So, I really do not know what to do yet. I got until July of this year before we head onto another cruise, so I do have a little time to think about it.

 

Thanks,

 

David

[luvtwotrvl]

I recently bought the Asus and am using it on a trip to Australia right now. It's working beautifully and, except for getting used to a slightly smaller keyboard, it's a dream....about 3 lbs, great little case, slips into my tote bag and after downloading Picasa, I'm up and running (just with a little netbook rather than a laptop). The purported 7 hour battery is, so far, lasting for 5.5 hours when in use and longer if left on but not active.

 

 

Thanks Host Sheila,

I really do like the netbook. I really do not think DW likes it too much. The Asus that Dave recommended is very nice. I might have to keep an eye out for a special price since I do have some time before we head out to our next cruise. One main thing I like about the netbook is like Dave said you are not just limited to pictures!!!

 

Thanks,

David

[krystalkruzer]

Just what I do since memory cards are so cheap now.2GB ones can be had for around $20.

 

I stand corrected,they can be had for $8.

[northernphoenix]

Have finally had a chance to transfer photos from my camera to my new Acer netbook. Couldn't have been easier!.Removed memory card from camera, put it into slot on side of netbook, and voila! I used the photo software that was included in the purchase to crop and correct. While we cruise Alaska, I plan to download each day's images to an individual folder, and enjoy the slideshow during our before dinner drink

[MarkP]

How much do the computer in the libary on the ship cost to use? Put them on a cd or dvd. Can you do that?

[mediaman]

Hello'

 

When I travel, I carry a small hard drive that's about the size of a portable radio. It is rechargeable. Each evening I connect the camera cable to the drive and it performs the backup. This is in place of carrying a portable, laptop computer. or a transfer device that would accept the camera memory card and move it to a small USB flash drive or such.

 

My unit is several years old and I think that substitutes cost about $100-$200 USD today? Check with your computer specialist or store. Hunt online (stores & eBay) too. Be sure to practice use of the item for familiarity before taking it along!

 

Good Luck.

[2VaCruzers]

I recently bought the Asus and am using it on a trip to Australia right now. It's working beautifully and, except for getting used to a slightly smaller keyboard, it's a dream....about 3 lbs, great little case, slips into my tote bag and after downloading Picasa, I'm up and running (just with a little netbook rather than a laptop). The purported 7 hour battery is, so far, lasting for 5.5 hours when in use and longer if left on but not active.

 

I just ordered an Asus netbook. I should get it this week. I HAS to be easier than lugging my laptop with me, for sure. I'm excited to get it. It'll primarily be used to store and organize pictures and surf the web, and check email while on cruises.

[AmazingJourneys]

I am looking at some way to backup my pictures while on vacation. I really do not want to take around a large laptop/notebook since they are heavy is huge. I am looking into the Wolverine ESP 80g since it is cheaper than other brands and also has a nice LCD screen to view the pictures too. Are these portable media storage reliable??? Anything else I could be looking at that I might have missed?? Also, do I have to worry about the X-rays at the airport since it uses a hard drive???

 

 

Thanks,

David

 

David,

 

I had this same issue a couple of years ago as I take over 2000 pictures on a 10 day vacation in case I ran out of space on memory cards. I know Princess will burn a CD for you, but I purchased a SmartDisk. The SmartDisk is essentially an 80 Gigabyte hard drive. I purchased it for under $100 and it was worth it. I purchased it at Best Buy. BTW, you can stick the SmartDisk in your pocket. It is very portable.

[luvtwotrvl]

David,

 

I had this same issue a couple of years ago as I take over 2000 pictures on a 10 day vacation in case I ran out of space on memory cards. I know Princess will burn a CD for you, but I purchased a SmartDisk. The SmartDisk is essentially an 80 Gigabyte hard drive. I purchased it for under $100 and it was worth it. I purchased it at Best Buy. BTW, you can stick the SmartDisk in your pocket. It is very portable.

 

Now, that is nice indeed............very cheap!!!

Did you get the Smartdisk Firelite 120g Portable hard drive?? Does the USB cable comes with it??

 

Thanks,

David