(New v2.0 firmware update New features include: added brightness and contrast control; ability to use the Digital Album as a card reader for CompactFlash, SmartMedia, SD/MMC cards and Sony Memory Stick; support for viewing and printing JPEG, BMP and TIFF files; and lots of photo inkjet printer profiles.)

Nixvue System's Digital Album is a small, portable, battery-operated device that lets you store, display and print your digital camera images. This pocket-sized wonder contains a 10- or 20-Gigabyte hard drive with more than enough space to store tens of thousands of high-resolution camera images. The Digital Album is available in the U.S. for $499 (10GB) or $599 (20GB) from JOBO Fototechnic, Inc.

You no longer have to invest a small fortune in flash memory cards or buy an expensive laptop just to be able take your camera on an extended vacation or professional assignment. All you need is one memory card and a Digital Album. Now you can shoot all your pictures in high resolution mode - all of the time!

The versatile Digital Album doesn't need to be stuck away in the closet after the vacation is over. Leave it hooked up to the TV and put on a slideshow of your favorite digital images whenever friends stop by. Many people will be able to store their entire digital library on the massive 10GB (or 20GB) hard drive. Take it with you for use as a visual presentation tool for business meetings--just be ready to tell everyone where you bought it as I'm sure they'll want one too.

The Digital Album is compatible with all popular storage devices; CompactFlash Type I or II, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, Secure Digital / MultiMediaCards or IBM Microdrives. All you need is the appropriate PCMCIA adapter, a CompactFlash Type I adapter is included. It can be used with digicams from the consumer-priced models all the way up to the professional cameras like the Canon D30, Fuji S1, Nikon D1 and even the Kodak DCS series.

The Digital Album is completely portable thanks to a small but powerful rechargeable lithium battery with enough power for about 30 downloads from a 16MB flash card. The battery is automatically recharged when the DA is placed in its docking cradle.

Click here for information about a new high capacity battery for NIXVUE Digital Album from NewSun Ltd.

Connecting to Host PC

On the back of the cradle is a high-speed USB port to connect to the host PC. This is used for transfering files to/from the Digital Album's hard drive to the computer.

When the DA is connected to the computer its internal hard drive appears as another removeable drive. You can copy or read image files to or from it using the utilities that you're already familiar with, no special programs are needed.

USB drivers are supplied for Windows 98, 2000 and Me as well as Mac OS 9.1 users.

Connecting to a TV

The RCA composite jack lets you connect the DA to a television set, the video out signal is selectable for NTSC or PAL standards. Playback on the TV is controlled by the included infrared remote control. You can run an automated slide show of any folder of images or manually control the viewing sequence.

Note that although you can copy all image formats from your flash memory cards, the DA will only let you view JPG files on the television. It ignores other formats such as TIF, BMP or proprietary raw files.

When the DA is docked, access to the files is via an on-screen menu system that will be very familiar to Windows users. Commands are input via the remote control with pull-down menus for File, Edit, View, Options or Help. File menu selections for Delete, Rename, Search, New Folder, Print and Print Setup. It should be noted that the DA's operating system fully supports long file names, no "8.3" limited or truncated filenames (i.e. christm~.jpg  vs  christmas_party_1999.jpg).

If you'd rather browse thorugh your files in a visual manner then use the Thumbnail Mode instead of the default Text Mode. As you'd expect, the images will be displayed as small thumbnail pictures and directories appear as yellow folder icons. An Optimize option allows you to create the thumbnail files and facilitates quick viewing of images onscreen.

Remote Control Layout
Power On/Off	Function Key F1	Function Key F2	Function Key   F3
	Thumbnail Mode	Slideshow Mode	Information Button
Menu	TAB Button	OK Button	Backspace DEL
Rotate		Cursor UP
Zoom IN	Cursor LEFT	ENTER	Cursor RIGHT
Zoom OUT			Cursor DOWN

The small infrared control allows the user to turn the unit on/off, select pull-down menus, navigate (up. down, left, right) menus and file screens, zoom in and out of pictures, start / stop slideshows, enable thumbnail mode, rotate portrait mode images and more.

Transfering Files from Flash Cards

The main function of the Digital Album is to act as a portable storage unit for digital camera images. Transfering images from flash cards to the DA is as simple as putting the card in the PCMCIA slot, selecting the COPY option and pressing a button. The process is quick and automatic.

The animated frame above shows the screens on the DA's monochrome LCD display during an average COPY and VERIFY operation. The data LCD is a 96 x 64 pixel, high-contrast, backlit display that measures 3.5 x 2.5 cm.

The progress of the COPY operation is indicated by five "box" icons that fill-in to let you know its status. After the COPY process is finished you are prompted to erase the card. It's better to use the VERIFY option first to insure that the files were properly copied with no errors. You can also check the free DISK SPACE at any time.

Direct Printing

The Digital Album has a standard parallel port (DB15) connector on the back of the docking cradle that lets you connect directly to a photo-quality printer. Currently supported are the Epson Stylus Photo 750, 790, 870, 890, 1270, 1280 and 1290 printers. Also supported is the HP 950, 960, 970, 990, 1000, 1115, 1215, 1218, 1220 and 1315 photo printers in the version 2.0 firmware and that more printer drivers will be made available on their website in the future.

Using the on-screen menu you pull down the File menu and there is both a Print and Print Setup option just like those found in Windows. You can change the size of the paper and set printer options before printing.

Included is a nice padded carrying case with belt loops and a shoulder strap. The Digital Album is small enough to fit in your pants pocket but it's probably safer stored in the carrying case.

The Digital Album package includes:

• Nixvue Digital Album
• Rechargeable lithium battery
• CompactFlash Type I adapter
• Desktop docking cradle
• 110/240V AC power adapter
• CD-ROM with USB drivers
• User's Manual and Quick Start Guide
• Padded Carrying case
• USB cable
• Composite vido RCA cable

Digital Album Technical Data Dimensions and weight Digital Album unit - 146 x 82.5 x 29 mm / 320 grams (5.75 x 3.25 x 1.14 inches / 11.3 ounces) Cradle - 157 x 113 x 72mm / 380g (6.18 x 4.45 x 2.83 inches / 13.4 ounces) Interfaces USB, Parallel, Composite video, PCMCIA slot User Defined Storage Capacity 2.5" HDD, 10GB or 20GB, enough for 10,000 images or more Lithium ion rechargeable battery Battery Life: A full charge, 30 transfers from 16MB flash card (typical) Product Features No PCs required Standalone/Palm-sized device Huge storage low cost media Supports CompactFlash (Type I) SmartMedia, Memory Stick and CompactFlash Type II (IBM MicroDrive) via optional PC Card adapters Easy operation using LCD panels for copying and verifying Navigation on TV via IR remote controller Slideshow capability Direct print capability to photo-quality ink-jet printer USB connectivity to PCs Software and firmware upgradeable

Steve's Conclusion

Click here to view an Adobe Acrobat document that compares the Digital Album to the Iomega FotoShow, Minds@Work Digital Wallet and Sima's ImageBank.

The design of the DA requires that the battery also be small, but it packs enough power for a good number of file transfers in the field. For the average user this will not be a problem unless you have to spend an extended period of time away from an AC power source. Other than that I was thrilled with the overall size and performance of the unit. It operated flawlessly with every type of removeable media we use in digital cameras today and only requires the appropriate PCMCIA adapter for each. A CompactFlash (Type I) adapter is included in the package so many users will not need to purchase anything additional to begin using the DA as soon as the battery is charged. The battery is a lithium type and holds its charge better in storage than a NiMH type which is prone to self-discharge.

I've lost count of the emails that I have received from people looking for a device like this to take on vacation with them. Even though you could buy a considerable amount of flash memory cards for $499 what would you do with them once the vacation was over? The DA with its 10 or 20-gigabyte drive lets you carry your entire collection of digital images around with you in your pocket and easily display them on most television sets. You no longer have to decide which pictures are important enough to be shot in high resolution mode due to storage limitations. Shoot them all in the highest resolution setting and then offload them to the Digital Album and shoot some more!

The actual operation couldn't be simpler -- Take the flash card out of the camera, slip it into the PCMCIA adapter, put the adapter into the DA, turn it on, select COPY, press a button and away you go. All of the storage devices that I used transferred 60+ megabytes of data in under two minutes and that same amount of data transfers even faster from the DA to your host computer via USB. There will always be the argument that a laptop computer is a better portable storage alternative. Granted it is nice for the editing and viewing aspect but, a laptop computer doesn't fit in your pocket or hang from your belt.