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Eye-Fi + Nintendo DSi

ByJohn

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been playing around with my shiny (actually it’s matte black) new Nintendo DSi. One of the new features of the DSi is the fact that it has two onboard cameras (one facing towards you and one facing outwards), albeit sub-megapixel ones. There is a built in camera app that has a lot of fun & goofy photobooth-like features. It also has an SD card slot that allows you to copy game data and save your photos to it which you can then import into a computer and use like a normal digital photo.

Nintendo DSi camera(s)

I bought an Eye-Fi 2gb Secure Digital Card awhile ago and haven’t used it as much as I wanted to for a couple of reasons. Primarily is it’s limited access point connectivity – it can (currently) only be setup for one access point at a time and it has to be connected to your computer in order to change it. Kinda of disappointing considering they now have an iPhone app to manage the card but it doesn’t let you do much other than review your uploads and post your iPhone photos to whichever online service you have the card setup to post to. The card also doesn’t recognize RAW files that I usually shoot in and the card I own is only 2gb (they now have 4gb cards and support video). I usually have either a 8gb or 16gb card in my DSLR or point and shoot cameras.

Eye-Fi + DSi

Since the DSi doesn’t have any built in way of posting photos taken with it’s cameras online, it seemed like a good fit to utilize my Eye-Fi card in the DSi.

Eye-Fi + DSi

This way I can use the camera(s) and as I take the photos, they literally get posted immediately to Flickr (or any other services you set it up to post to):
DSi Eye-Fi test

The files upload almost instantly since they are 640×480 but it’s pretty cool that this part works so well and effortlessly once it’s all setup the first time.

Nintendo DSi camera(s)

Unfortunately, it only works this effortlessly in one wifi location at a time so if I take my DSi out somewhere and take photos, it won’t upload to Flickr via another wifi access point. It would be nice if you could add multiple access points to your account or change it on the fly via the iPhone app. Going a step further, it would be amazing if you could use the iPhone as the access point and have the iPhone post the wifi photos via your 3G/Edge data plan….kind of like a wirelessly tethered SD card.

While this is a good use for my Eye-Fi card right now, Nintendo (or a third party) could easily come out with an app (another new feature of the DSi is it’s online game/app store) that gives you this functionality since the DSi already has built in wifi connectivity. But until that app comes out, this seems to be a good workaround.

Maybe Eye-Fi will expand the options the card has too….one can hope.

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12 Comments

  1. John,

    Great post. You can add as many Wi-Fi SSID’s to your Eye-Fi Card, as you’d like. Just keep adding them, and the card won’t forget them. As you add them you’ll see your previous ones, still there. If you have the open hotspots Wayport roaming service, even as you get into open hotspots, the Eye-Fi Card will start to upload.

    If you set-up Notifications (email, SMS, Twitter), you’ll know that the card is uploading, by getting Start, Stop, End notifications. Twitter notifications will broadcast to your friends and followers that the card has uploaded photos and/or videos :-)

    Good luck —

    Ziv.

    1. Thanks for letting me know about the multiple SSID’s, Ziv! That should actually make it much more useful now.

  2. It’s just a pity that there’s no easy way for the Eye-Fi to connect to a NEW base station you’ve just found. Of course, that would, as you noted, require an interface.

    I also find that I don’t use my Eye-Fi much either, but since I won it, it’s not too big a loss. I usually want to edit and post-process my photos before posting them, even though I do usually shoot JPEG. But if I had a DSi, that would be a perfect application.

  3. Derek, lets take a step back — if there is encryption on the network, then just like a laptop, you would need to enter the WEP or WPA key, so yes, you need an interface, but the card isn’t different in that regard, from a laptop.

    If there is no encryption, the card will just get on, IF you have the Roaming service enabled. It’s that simple.

    In terms of editing first — you can have the card upload to just your PC/Mac, or if you want to edit online, use things like Picniq, PhotoshopExpress, etc…

    1. Not that I’m aware of….at least not yet. Nintendo would have to release some kind of wifi app to allow that.

  5. Nintendo doesn’t have a wifi so the only way to store pics is through memory cards.

    1. Um, the DS does have wi-fi and has since the DS Phat….just no means of accessing the stored photos to send them somewhere online like Flickr.

  7. HI THERE WOW 4 GB SUPORTS VIDEO LIKE YOU TUBE AND FACE BOOK WELL IF NOT THE EYE-FY HAS ONLY A 4 GB CARD NOT A 32 GB CARD AND THEY COST A FORTUNE ON THE WEB SITES THAT SELLS EYE-FI A 4 GB EYE-FY COST $100 WHILE I CAN GET 10 4 GB SDHC CARDS FROM PUBLIX FOR ABOUT $10 WICH MEANS I COULD HAVE A TOATAL OF 40 GB OF MEMORY

    1. Wow…maybe you should buy a new keyboard instead of memory cards since your caps lock key seems to be broken.

  8. hi. There. Eye-fi. Just. Released. There. 8. Gb. Eye-fi. Card. Soo. There. 16. Gb. Or. 32. Gb. Eye-fi. Cards. Between. 2012. And. 2014

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