Digital Foci Picture Porter Elite

Memory cards have come down in price over the years to the point where all but the largest cards (4/8GB and up) are relatively affordable.  However, with today’s high-megapixel cameras you can chew through a handful of memory cards in no time flat.  If you don’t feel like lugging your laptop around to download pictures onto, then more memory cards or a digital storage device are your only options.  Sure, with a little tweaking and some additional items you could utilize your iPod as a storage device, but it’s neither fast nor friendly.  The Picture Porter Elite (PPE henceforth) is designed to solve that little dilemma, and serve as a personal media player as well.  With your choice of a 40GB or 80GB hard drive, slots for a variety of popular media types, High-Speed USB 2.0, a 3.6” LCD, and the ability to play MP3s and videos (plus record in MPEG-4 format straight from a TV), the PPE seems great on paper.  If you have a camera that can produce RAW files, then you’re in luck with the PPE as it will display RAW files from most popular camera models. 

As a photo storage device the PPE sounds like a winner, but as a media player it’s hard to say as the interface can make or break even the most decked-out hardware devices.  Available in Summer 2006, the PPE is priced at $499 (40GB) and $599 (80GB).  Painfully expensive, but cheaper than 40 or 80GB worth of memory cards. We have one more image, after the jump.

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