WiFi Digital Cameras - Making you more mobile

WiFi digital cameras makes there to be no need to even plug your camera memory card into a computer, or a printer at all. Now you can buy a digital camera that transmits the images via wireless technology. A wireless connection for your image uploads.

Now, you may be among those in the population that have not even gotten their hands around the whole digital image sharing thing yet. But this promising new technology may lead us to a world of fewer cables to plug in, quicker transfer of our images, and in the case of events in the world, the ability to share images of news almost instantly.

Major Players

1. Nikon
Nikon has done an excellent job with the integration and implementation of the Wi-Fi features. Nikon has released two models of digital cameras that are WiFi enabled. The idea is to be able to transmit your pictures straight from the camera to your computer or printer through a wireless adaptor. Nikon's greatly anticipated P1 and P2 wireless (wi-fi) digital cameras are easy to use, compact in size and produce fabulous photos. Nikon says it has achieved solid non-line-of-sight connectivity at up to 60 feet and line-of-sight connections as far away as 300 feet. My home is full of 2.4GHz gear that may create interference.

Nikon is including one year of complimentary T-Mobile Hotspot Wi-Fi service (for digital cameras), with the opportunity to connect in more than 7,000 U.S. Nikon's wireless W-Fi photography extends to printing, where you can print the photograiphs wirelessly to a PictBridge compatible printer. All the Nikon Wi-Fi functions can be easily set up with an installation wizard.

2. Kodak
Kodak has released its own version of the WiFi camera in their Easy Share line of cameras this year. Kodak has already gone to making it easy to share photos by transmitting them at so called "wireless hot spots", usually cafes or stores where wireless access is sold or given away to customers. These efforts by the leading camera makers seem aimed at adding value to their already impressive digital technology.

Kodak is to be highly praised for trying to cut through the Wi-Fi gobbledegook and making the camera as simple to use as possible. Kodak also partnered up with T-Mobile wireless on the project to reach even more people.

Other Issues

1. Sophisticated
It should be noted that it is extremely important that novice users read the Wi-Fi directions carefully, as some of the specifics of connecting to wireless networks can be confusing.

2. Battery Life
On the downside, the wi-fi can be hard to set up and the battery life is too short.

Wifi digital cameras seem to have gone out of fashion - probably killed off by smartphones with HSDPA access. They haven't been the hot ticket that camera companies expected them to be. The hassle of dealing with a wireless network and the ease of USB transfer makes WiFi cameras a hard sell.