Vendor Spotlight: Picture Keeper (2 of 2)

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Reported by Christine Ousley

I love using my camera. So much, in fact, that I seem to run out of space on my computer all the time. You are probably saying, seriously? You must have a really old computer. Well, actually, it's not that old. I work off of a Mac Power Book but since it is a laptop it only has a 120 GB hard drive. Only 120 GB? Surely that must be enough space for pictures? Well.....

When I first used my 16 GB Picture Keeper it came up with over 16,000 files to back up. That is a lot of picture files. I told you I loved using my camera. Let me start from the beginning.

When I first heard about the Picture Keeper I was very skeptical. I mean, what's so unique about a portable USB flash drive? You can find them anywhere. In fact, I already owned about five. But then the demonstration started and I was pleasantly surprised. Now this is cool!

Picture Keeper is much more than your average USB flash drive; it is a USB smart drive. This means that by using a program on the flash drive, Picture Keeper is able to search through your computer and only backup the picture files you specify. It also lets you decide which folders and drives to search in as well. So, now you don't have to back up your entire computer just to save your pictures somewhere safe or take tons of time archiving them to a DVD. Picture Keeper does it all for you.

When I plugged in the Picture Keeper for the first time my computer screen looked like this. Do you see the drive named Untitled? All you do is click on that and then start the program.

Well, it should work that way, but when I opened up my window I saw this sign on the program. I guessed right away that it meant it was not usable.

I quickly called customer support and left a message that I needed help. They called me back and told me to download an updated program off of their website. Okay, I thought, no problem. I downloaded it and started again. This time I had no problems getting the program to start. It started backing up my pictures and it really didn't take too long before yes, you guessed it, it ran out of room. It was then that I also realized that my computer itself was at it's breaking point too. When I looked at my desktop I saw that the Picture Keeper had created a folder on my desktop and was saving everything in there instead of the USB flash drive. Well I dragged that folder to the trash quickly and dumped it.

Well the long and the short of it is that I had made a mistake by using the updated program on my computer. What I should have done is replace the new program with the old one on the USB drive itself. After I did that Picture Keeper worked like a charm. It still didn't change the fact that I had over 16,000 pictures on my computer, but at least it wasn't making duplicate copies of the pictures on my hard drive and not placing them on my Picture Keeper.

I quickly realized that my next task was to start cleaning up my picture files. I started with erasing duplicates and unwanted photos. The next thing I did was take a look at the settings in the Picture Keeper program. Remember I said earlier that you can specify what folder or drive on your computer that you want to back up. Here is a screen shot of that window. You can delete or add drives easily. I deleted a drive and let the program work.

As you can see in the screen shot below, my backup was successful. I love that it shows you how much space you have left on the device and how many files were backed up. This particular backup was only done for demonstration purposes. I still need to go and clean up more of my files in order for everything to fit on the drive. Either that or I need to purchase another Picture Keeper, which is definitely on my wish list.

What I found helpful is that it is very easy to restore the Picture Keeper and start over if you need to, as such was my case.

Overall, I can say that even with all of the techie toys that I have used I am stilled wowed by the Picture Keeper. Probably because it is a simple solution to a problem that all camera lovers face. Nobody wants to lose a single precious photograph, but archiving is time consuming, tedious and often confusing.Picture Keeper is so simple and easy to use. It pretty much does it all for you. Actually, it is people who don't consider themselves computer experts that I would highly recommend getting the Picture Keeper. Another wonderful feature of the Picture Keeper is that when plugged in again it will search through your computer and only copy new files. That takes all the guess work out of which files need to be saved which is a huge plus for those that feel less confident on a computer.

Pros:

• Easy to use, just plug it in and start the program
• Small, portable device that you can take or store anywhere
• Advanced features for those who need to be more specific about what they are backing up
• The ability to use the device at your local photo lab in order to print your photos
• Available in three sizes
• Video tutorials and information on their website
• Works on PCs and Macs
• 1 year warranty
• Backup reminders

Cons:

• A few technical problems as stated above
• Customer service was a little hard to reach. I would have liked to reach a person instead of an answering machine.
• Hard to find in stores but the company has a page on their website which can direct you to a dealer near you.

I highly recommend the Picture Keeper. I was wowed by it when I saw it for the first time and I am still completely impressed with what it can do now that I have used it. I am really happy to know that my pictures are archived safely and that I won't lose them if my computer happens to crash.

The 4 GB Picture Keeper retails for $29.99; the 8 GB for $59.99 and the 16 GB for $99.99.

*READER DISCOUNT*
10% off the price of any Picture Keeper AND FREE SHIPPING for the Craft Critique readers; enter coupon code PKBFF during checkout!

GIVEAWAY!!
Picture Keeper is giving away a FREE 16 GB Picture Keeper to one of our readers! Leave a comment on any Vendor Spotlight: Picture Keeper post (this is 2 of 2), and tell us how many photos you have lurking on your computer that need backing up! One comment per person, per article, please. Winner will be drawn on Sunday June 6, 2010 at noon CST.

Disclosure