Must Have Device for Digital Camera Owners!
Written: Jan 14 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Extremely fast transfer rate, compact design, easy installation.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: See Review.
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| JennJoy's Full Review: Dazzle Multimedia ZiO! USB Pocket-Size r/w for Sma... |
The digital camera I have at work was a hand-me-down of sorts and when I received it there were no cables with it. In essence, I could take photos with the camera but there was no way to get the images onto my computer without any sort of connecting cable. I was dying to use the camera, but it sat on my desk collecting dust until my brother suggested I buy a card reader. That’s where the Zio! comes in.
What is it?
The Zio! is a memory card reader that plugs directly into a USB port on your computer. After you take pictures with your digital camera, you simply insert your memory card into the Zio! and then open the device as you would any other drive on your computer. On my PC, the Zio! shows up as removable drive E. From the drive you can drag and drop the image files directly onto your computer. The transfer speed is absolutely amazing! For instance, I recently transferred about 40 image files onto my computer from the Zio! and it took less time then sending an email with an attachment. I found this much more convenient than connecting a digital camera to my computer and using the camera’s software to download images. The Zio! saved a lot of time and hassle—I would certainly use it even if I did have the cables for my digital camera.
Specs
The device is quite thin and easily fits in the palm of your hand. Although my Zio! is for SmartMedia, they are also available for MultiMedia, Memory Stick, and CompactFlash cards. Although the Zio! is intended to plug directly into a USB port, it also comes with a short extension cable. The device is designed for Windows, but is compatible with Mac. While it did not matter to me, the Zio! is available in two colors: purple and charcoal. I purchased my Zio! online for less than $30.00 and they often come bundled with a memory card, although mine did not.
Installation
The Zio! comes with a software CD that installs the correct driver onto your computer. Installation took less than two minutes and after restarting the computer the Zio! was ready to use. After the driver was set up, the Zio! can be connected or unconnected from the computer at anytime without having to reinstall or start up any program. The small size of the Zio! means it can easily be tucked away in a camera bag, pocket or purse.
Recommendation
Not only did the Zio! solve the problem of being able to retrieve images from my digital camera, it is perhaps the best piece of hardware I have. The image transfer speed is enough to make this valuable to anyone who has a digital camera. My only complaint is the USB extension cord. Due to the way my computer is set up, using this cord is a must for me and I would have liked it to be a bit longer. As is, the Zio! has to sit on top of my hard drive instead of on my desk where I would like it. Despite this minor inconvenience, I would recommend the Zio! to anyone who frequently uses a digital camera.
Recommended:
Yes
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JennJoy
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Music. Nuff said.
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