Eyefi is well known for giving wireless functionality to several digital cameras with its Mobi SD cards that are equipped with Wi-Fi. However, the company is aiming to do something completely new, and that is by offering a new service called Eyefi Cloud.
Eyefi Cloud is a service that will let users share instantly captured photos across numerous devices, which include smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and laptops. The set-up allows for images to be stored in a single location, where they can be viewed by a plethora of other devices. It is a great idea, since most standalone digital cameras have no way to share photos instantly, as well as a way to save images to the cloud.
"Photo lovers know that life's most important moments should be captured using a digital camera but it's difficult to access those shots until long after the images are taken," said Matt DiMaria, chief executive officer of Eyefi. "Eyefi Cloud makes those highest-quality shots available within seconds of them being captured, so photographers can immediately enjoy quality images on the beautiful displays of their smartphone, tablet, PC or smart TV."
While Eyefi does come off as something that could work wonders, the service is not free. The company's Mobi connected SD cards cost $49, $79 and $99 for the 8GB, 16GB and 32GB versions respectively. The cloud service, on the other hand, will cost users $49 per year, so add that to the list of subscription services.
Furthermore, it is understood that each Eyefi Mobi connected SD card comes with a 90-day trial of the cloud service, so at least users will have the option to give it a spin before going all in. In addition, users should bear in mind that Eyefi's cloud service will require the ownership of a Mobi connected SD card, a move that might be the Achilles' heel of this service since some digital cameras have built-in Wi-Fi.
To begin sharing content from the digital camera via the Mobi connected SD card, users will first need to download the company's Mobi apps. They are available on both the Google Play Store and iTunes. Furthermore, users need to have either iOS 7 or Android 4.0.3 and later to use them, so for Windows Phone users, luck is not on their side.
Eyefi's cloud service could be a game changer for digital cameras, but how long before it becomes obsolete? As technology increases and eventually sees every digital camera with built-in Wi-Fi, there will be no need to purchase one of the company's Mobi connected SD cards.
To make sure this service survives, Eyefi is expected to remove the barrier that it has imposed and open up the service to everyone.
