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Eye-Fi Unveils Two New Wi-Fi Cards that Support Geotagging Via Wi-Fi



In addition to the wireless upload feature, the Geo card adds WiFi-based geotagging, which uses the card's WiFi to triangulate its position just like the iPhone and iPod touch do (and as Snow Leopard now does), using the same data from Skyhook Wireless that Apple uses. WiFi location finding isn't nearly as accurate as GPS, but it's a lot more affordable.


Of course, iPhone camera users have had this ability since iPhone OS 2.0 and the release of the iPhone 3G, thanks to a combination of Wi-Fi triangulation technology from Skyhook Wireless and GPS chips that have been added to later iPhones. Virtually everyone else is left with a choice: wait until you buy a new camera with geotagging capability, or look for an accessory that adds the feature. Nikon released an insanely priced $240 add-on for some of its professional cameras, and Sony introduced a similar $150 attachment; they and other companies have also been working on and in some cases releasing cameras with the feature built in. The accessories have just been too expensive, and the new cameras slow to arrive.




Eye-Fi Adds Two New Wi-Fi Cards, Adds Geotagging Via W-Fi




Direct Mode was announced with more details alongside the release of the Mobile X2, part of a reshuffling of the Eye-Fi line up, which now comprises Connect X2, Mobile X2, and Pro X2. The Connect has 4 GB and costs $50, while the Mobile has 8 GB and costs $80. That's their only difference. The Pro at $150 and with 8 GB of storage adds RAW file handling, and including a geotagging and a 1-year hotspot subscription. While RAW is restricted to the Pro model, you can add geotagging to Connect or Mobile for $30 (one-time fee), and hotspot access for $30/yr.


The SX280 HS principally adds built-in wi-fi connectivity, the latest DIGIC 6 image processing engine, 60fps movies, quicker GPS and better image quality at the same price-point as last year's SX260 HS model. The wireless feature feels a little half-baked, especially in comparison to Samsung's recent compacts, and we'd have liked a touchscreen interface, but overall the Canon PowerShot SX280 HS is a well-specified travel-zoom that offers the best image quality in its class.Image quality is slightly better than on the previous SX260, which was already very good, thanks to the debut of the DIGIC 6 processor. The back-illuminated sensor helps the SX280 to perform well in low light, with a usable ISO range of 100-1600 and even the higher settings proving adequate for web use and smaller prints, although we'd avoid the new top speed of ISO 6400. Full manual controls make the SX280 HS as well suited to more experienced users looking for a compact alternative to their DSLR as it is the beginner, but disappointingly there's still now raw format support.The same 25-500mm, 20x zoom lens offers a broad focal range that makes it possible to frame up subjects near or far in pretty much an instant, pretty amazing given the size of the SX280 HS which is only a little larger than most compacts. The GPS system has been speeded-up, so that the waiting time for a lock on the nearest satellite is shorter, while wi-fi makes its first appearance on a Canon travel-zoom. As with Canon's other wireless compacts, though, it doesn't offer all of the features of rival systems and is a little difficult to both setup and use. Using both GPS and wi-fi quickly drained the battery, so buy a couple of spares if you want to take full advantage of the camera's features.Despite our quibbles with the wi-fi implementation and lack of touch-screen control, the inclusion of DIGIC 6 has brought a number of significant improvements to Canon's 2013 travel-zoom model, making the Canon PowerShot SX280 HS a real contender to the market-leading Panasonic TZ series. 2ff7e9595c


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