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Eye-Fi Unveils Automatic Geotagging and Hotspot Connectivity With Eye-Fi Explore
Monday, May 12, 2008
Partnerships with Skyhook Wireless and Wayport will Enable Users to Automatically Map Images and Upload Photos On the Go
BURLINGAME, Calif., May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Eye-Fi Inc.
(http://www.eye.fi), makers of the world's first wireless memory card for
digital cameras, today announced the Eye-Fi Explore, a new card designed to
make photo sharing richer, easier and more convenient. Unveiled at the
O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference, the Eye-Fi Explore allows users to
automatically upload photos from more than 10,000 hotspots while away from
home or from their home wireless network. It also automatically tags users'
photos with information about where the image was captured.
"The Eye-Fi Explore delivers the two enhancements most requested by our
users," said Jef Holove, CEO for Eye-Fi. "Our geotagging service automates
what is today a compelling, though time-consuming and manual, experience.
And, our hotspot access will allow travelers, bloggers, and anyone on the go
to upload, share and save their pictures before they even get home."
Like all Eye-Fi cards (see today's release: Eye-Fi Unveils Family of
Products), Eye-Fi Explore allows users to automatically send photos directly
from their camera to their PC or Mac, and to one of 25 online photo sharing,
printing, social networking, or blogging sites using their home wireless
network. Eye-Fi partnered with Skyhook Wireless to provide geotagging
capabilities and Wayport to enable hotspot connectivity for the Eye-Fi
Explore.
How the Eye-Fi Explore Works
Through a partnership with Skyhook Wireless, the Eye-Fi Explore will allow
users to map where their photos were captured with automatic geotagging. The
card uses built-in wireless technology to locate nearby Wi-Fi access points
when pictures are captured within the Skyhook coverage area. The Eye-Fi
service uses this information to encode each photo with geographic locations,
and the images arrive on the user's computer and online sharing account
automatically tagged.
"Geotagging makes it easier to manage and search for your photos on your
computer, and it also makes them more fun and relevant to share on the Web.
Tagging has exploded on sites like Picasa Web Albums and Flickr, where users
can share with each other where a picture was taken," said Ted Morgan, founder
and CEO of Skyhook Wireless. "We're thrilled to work with Eye-Fi to make it
easier for users to map where an image was taken."
In North America, Skyhook currently provides coverage of more than 70
percent of the population. In Europe, the top 50 metropolitan areas are
covered, along with 70 percent of the population in Germany, France and the
UK. The rest of Western Europe will be covered in mid-summer 2008. Coverage
expansion in key Asian markets, including Japan, Korea, Taiwan and other
countries is currently underway.
"Geotagging is fast becoming popular with online photo enthusiasts because
it gives more meaning to photos and it allows photographers to better organize
their images," said Mark Geller, Business Product Manager of Google's Picasa
Web Albums. "Eye-Fi's efforts to make geotagging automatic will help make it
a fundamental element of digital photography for everyday users."
The Eye-Fi Explore wireless memory card will also give users the freedom
to upload photos while away from home at one of Wayport's 10,000+ hotspot
locations. By simply turning on the camera in a Wayport location, the card
will automatically connect to the Wi-Fi network and begin uploading photos to
the Web and the user's PC or Mac.
"We're excited to collaborate with Eye-Fi to connect digital cameras to
Wayport's network, creating another way for people to stay connected while
they're away from home," Dan Lowden, vice president of marketing and business
development for Wayport. "People at a quick-service restaurant or in their
hotel room will be able to share photos while their memories are still fresh."
The photographer does not need to have a Wayport account or a laptop with
them to upload pictures for free from their digital camera. Eye-Fi will
notify users via SMS or e-mail messages regarding the progress of the upload
session.
Wayport enables public and private applications across the U.S. in major
hotels, McDonald's restaurants, Hertz airport locations, and other top retail
brands.
Eye-Fi Explore Availability
The 2GB Eye-Fi Explore includes unlimited Web uploads, unlimited
geotagging and one year of hotspot access at Wayport locations. The Eye-Fi
Explore (MSRP $129.00) will be available at major online retailers beginning
June 6, 2008.
Eye-Fi offers two additional wireless memory cards for digital cameras to
meet users' varying digital imaging needs. (See release entitled: Eye-Fi
Introduces New Product Line-Up.) For more information, please visit
http://www.eye.fi.
About Eye-Fi, Inc.
Founded in 2005, the company is dedicated to building products and
services that help consumers navigate, nurture and share their visual
memories. Eye-Fi's patent-pending technology works with Wi-Fi networks to
automatically send photos from a digital camera to online, in-home and retail
destinations. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., the company's investors
include Opus Capital and Shasta Ventures. More information is available at
http://www.eye.fi.
About Skyhook Wireless
Founded in 2003, Skyhook Wireless has pioneered the development of the
first-ever metro-area positioning system that leverages Wi-Fi rather than
satellites or cell towers to deliver precise location data supporting the
growing market for location-based services. The Skyhook Wi-Fi Positioning
System (WPS) requires no new hardware, works indoors and outdoors, provides an
instant location and is more accurate than current technologies in congested
downtown areas. WPS serves over 70% of the US & Canadian populations and is
expanding internationally. Skyhook Wireless is headquartered in Boston, MA,
and is privately held. Investors include RRE Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures,
Intel Capital and Common Angels. For more information visit
http://www.skyhookwireless.com, send email to info@skyhookwireless.com or
call 617-314-9802.
About Wayport, Inc.
Founded in 1996 and based in Irving, Texas, Wayport helps some of the
world's top brands enhance their customers' experience. Wayport supports
innovative organizations by enabling breakthrough network applications,
serving more than 12,000 locations across 35 countries. Wayport serves notable
brands in a variety of vertical markets, including AT&T customers through a
managed service agreement. Wayport helps clients create new business
capabilities and improve operational efficiencies at premier venues including
major hotels, hospitals, McDonald's and Hertz locations, and other retail
brands worldwide. To learn more about Wayport, please visit
http://www.wayport.net or to see locations worldwide, visit
http://www.wayport.net/locations.
SOURCE Eye-Fi, Inc.
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