Canon Puts Efficiency On Press
Entered CNET Catalog: 02/09/2005
SKU: 660955
Manufacturer: Transcend Information. Inc.
Manufacturer description
Transcend has created a Digital Album that integrates a digital photo player with a storage device. Transcend's Digital Album is not only a convenient photo organizer, but also a multi-card reader that is able to download data from a flash card without a computer. With a 20GB capacity hard disk, thousands of pictures can be stored, avoiding the need to carry a notebook or buying extra flash cards while traveling. Also, photos can be displayed in the built-in 2.5'' high-resolution color LCD display panel of the Digital Album or shown on TV via the video-out port. You can also add a voice memo to specific photos, making sure you remember the details of the picture. This handheld all-in-one entertainment center makes transferring files from your computer much easier with its multi-card reader slots and USB 2.0 port. It can store over 25 CDs, 13, 000 floppy disks, or 150 flash drives (128MB) of data in the palm of your hand. After collecting all of your photos, you can edit them with the included Photo Explorer 8.0, a powerful photo editing software. Transcend's Digital Album is an indispensable companion for avid digital photographers. Easily fitting into a jacket or purse, the palm-sized Digital Album is ideal for taking to a party, consolidating all the pictures from everyone's digital camera, and then showing them on the big screen TV. Transcend's Digital Album is your ideal portable storage choice to cherish your photos and mp3 collection.Product summary
The good: Nice high-resolution color screen; memory card slots galore; simple interface.
The bad: Bulky; poor battery life; digital audio options limited; supports only MP3 and JPEG playback; can't listen to music and view photos simultaneously.
The bottom line: Poor battery life and a thin set of features makes this photo viewer with a built-in MP3 player a secondary choice.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 04/26/2005
Next to an iPod, the Transcend Digital Album just looks silly. But its oversize body (measuring 4.2 by 3.2 by 1 inches) can accommodate all sorts of flash memory cards. It's less a MP3 player, way more a photo viewing/storage device. The Digital Album has 294x228-pixel resolution on its bright and colorful 2.5-inch display. It may not be the sharpest or largest screen available in this category (see the gorgeous VGA screen on the Epson P-2000), but it's still a delight for viewing photos, particularly compared to the smaller screen of the Apple iPod Photo or a typical digital camera. And there's no need for a CompactFlash adapter, as on other dedicated photo viewers such as the Flashtrax SmartDisk, because you have a slot for CompactFlash/microdrive and another slot for SD/MMC/SmartMedia/MemoryStick.
Centered under the screen is the primary five-way controller, which is tactile and exact. On either side of the five-way are tiny (but, again, tactile) buttons for Select/Copy, Exit/Delete, Memo/Record, and Menu/Power. Depending on your mode, pressing a button activates the first option, and holding it down for a couple seconds activates the second option. The rest of the Digital Album's various ports and controls are located on the right spine and include dedicated volume buttons, a lock switch, a USB port, power in, a built-in mic, and indicator lights. Each memory card slot has a protective and attached rubber cover. Overall, the controls are a quick learn, and the folder-driven interface is intuitive as can be. In fact, if you don't have any cards inserted, you get only one choice on the intro screen: an icon for the unit's hard disk.
Basically, the Digital Album is a file browser and a decent file manager. Once you drill down into a folder, you'll see your files, either in thumbnail mode (better for photos) or list mode (better for everything else). The photo thumbs are small but viewable, and you can see up to eight of them on the screen simultaneously. Selecting a thumbnail opens a full-screen version--a snappy process, even for 2MB files, which take about 3 seconds to load. You can set a simple audioless slide show with a few transitions and delays of 2, 4, 6, and 8 seconds, as well as append each photo with a 10-second voice memo. It's also no task at all to transfer files from memory cards to the hard disk or vice versa: simply select your files, then activate Copy. Transfer speeds are decent at 1.2MB per second via a standard 1GB SD card, and we appreciate the Copy Entire Card feature, which, inexplicably, isn't mentioned in the manual.
Free storage for the selected "disk" is displayed in the upper-right corner, and battery- and volume-level indicators are located in the lower-right corner. You'll also get the file path and the number of files in the folder displayed. Unfortunately, the Digital Album supports a limited number of file formats for playback--in essence, only MP3, JPEG, and M-JPEG (digital camera movies). There's no TIFF, WMA, or raw support.
As an MP3 player, this thing is as basic as it gets, with no EQs or true playlist support (you can, however, play folder contents in order), and annoyingly, you can't hold the volume buttons down to adjust the level in multiple steps. You get the convenience of a built-in mono speaker, which is nice for playing memos, but the sound quality is predictably subpar. Finally, the fact that you can't listen to MP3s while viewing photos is a real bummer. Our advice for MP3/photo enthusiasts is to get a Camera Connector for about the same price as the Digital Album. If your camera is compatible with the Camera Connector, the larger screen and some file-management tools are the only features you give up for better audio and a compact form factor.
The Digital Album doesn't get very loud, and sound quality is average, with a hint of background noise, not-so-crisp highs, and muddy bass. But, again, this isn't an audiocentric device. Photos appear sharp and vibrant on the screen, and depending on the resolution, they look nice when output to a TV via the included A/V cable. Probably the most disappointing aspect of the Digital Album is its battery life of just 3.8 hours for music and considerably less for a photo slide show, an unacceptable amount for music and a disappointing one for a photo viewer. Transfer times over USB 2.0 average an acceptable 1.7MB per second, and the Digital Album mounts as a UMS device. The Digital Album ships with a decent carrying case, A/V and USB cables, a wireless remote control, another utility case for media cards, a hand strap, a cleaning cloth, and some average earbuds. The Windows-only software CD includes a Windows 98 driver, Photo Explorer 8.0, and a user guide.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2out of 2 user reviews
Transcend Digital Album 20GB
Pros: At first look at this it is nice , good screen
Cons: hard to navigate folders no way to name folders within this unit , but you can threw a computer by adding the folders and naming them before hand ,,
BATTERY LIFE is bad and you will have a hard time trying to find a replacement ,
Paper weight
I used it twice , put it away until i wanted to use it , and such as it is the battery is gone and no replacement in sight ,, as i can NOT locate one at this time
out of 2 user reviews
RATING: 9 out of 10 `FOR IT'S INTENDED USE-DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Pros: Fast down loads, Direct connect to 7 camera flash cards, TV connection with infrared remote control, computre connection, Sales around $360.00 most are digital storage with viewers over $500.00
Cons: Music & Video-James Kim was right on.
This unit is primaily designed for downloading digital flash cards from cameras to it's hard drive for storage and then showing pictures from it's own viewer or the best in the entire market connection (remote control) to TV and monitors with Full controls. Video is a second and Music is a third option of it's use.
It comes with everything you need.
I have over 6,000 pictures in mine with perfect results and grat utility
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