April 3, 2010 52 Comments

Be a Rapid Remote Reporter

I was sent a few things to check out: the Eye-Fi card and the Novatel Mifi card. Together, you can use these tools to take a photo or video and then upload it to the web without ever touching your computer. In fact, you can do it from the floor of a conference, from the scene of breaking news, or wherever you might want to get the scoop on other photographers and reporters. Here’s the quick video.

I think it’s a neat setup, if you want a fast way to get information out to the web fast.

The Mifi device alone is worth it. If you’re debating whether to buy a 3G card for your laptop, consider a Mifi, as it will let you connect up to five devices wirelessly to the Internet. I love the heck out of that option because it means not only can I get my laptop online, but if my phone is in a bad coverage area, I can switch over to wifi.

What do you think?

People always ask which camera I used to shoot my video. I use the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 (that’s a review of the camera).

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Genesis Framework

Genesis Theme Framework

The Genesis Framework empowers you to quickly and easily build incredible websites with WordPress. Whether you're a novice or advanced developer, Genesis provides you with the secure and search-engine-optimized foundation that takes WordPress to places you never thought it could go.

With automatic theme updates and world-class support included, Genesis is the smart choice for your WordPress website or blog.

Become a StudioPress Affiliate

Newer Comments →
  • http://ephealy.com/ Ed Healy

    I've been in love with Mifi for some time. I'm anxious to hear what people think of Sprint's 4G as well: http://sprint.com/4g Check the video about 4G for the iPhone…

  • http://radiogirlradiogirl.blogspot.com/ kim/ohradiogirl

    This is good to know. I may have to invest in these two items. Wondering if the Eye-fi will work w/audio? I have an sd card in my audio recorder and I want to upload audio. I'll send them a note and ask. Thanks for the information.

  • http://stevegarfield.com stevegarfield

    Excellent report. What wireless service did you use and how did that work. Do I just use my existing AT&T data SIM card and plug it into this Novaltel device? Thanks.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jmctigue John McTigue

    Classic example of the power of marketing via an influencer. I read your blog all the time but didn't know about these cool new (useful) gadgets. Now I've been exposed, not by the companies but by your review and I'm doing more research considering a purchase. No doubt that's why they sent you the samples, but very smart strategy. Clearly this inbound marketing stuff works. Thanks for the tips!

  • acowboyswife

    I'm dying to try out both…one of these days! Great report of them:)

  • WizardSolutions

    Nice article Chris – If I get the chance to check out Mifi and Eye-fi, I sure will do.

  • WizardSolutions

    Nice article, Haven't had a chance to use mifi yet

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Oh, good question. There are a few ways to do it. Sprint, for instance, offers a kind of 4G/mifi combo card. Most services use a separate service for the mifi device, like having an additional phone line. The Novatel was like that. It was its own little platform.

  • http://affiliatemarketinghomestead.com/ brucedstewart

    I will have to have one of those

  • http://BestSellerAuthors.com Warren Whitlock

    Just saw numbers on CNN losing 1/2 audiences We don't want to wait to seem them share tweets. Viva Instant reporting!

  • http://www.itmemos.com/ TravisV

    Don't most people who do video well edit at least a LITTLE bit? At the very least, to pull out the extraneous sections and make it more digestible for the viewer? Regardless, this is very cool. At college football games or whatever sporting events you see the satellite trucks. This sort of behaves similarly.

  • http://blog.SingularityDesign.com/ Jeff Greenhouse

    I'm probably a few days away from getting the Spring Overdrive, which is like the MiFi but with combo 4G/3G capability. It's great that we're on the verge of truly mobile broadband AND the ability to easily share it among multiple devices. Hallelujah!

  • http://sorgatron.com michaelsorg

    Wish something like this was available when i did my old rap shows. Best I had was a tethered AT&T 8525. And the switch to iphones killed that capability.

    Could be fun to post live shows from music or wrestling events for the hardcore fans that follow up.

  • http://twitter.com/BTRIPP Brendan Tripp

    Cool! I'm affiliated (I wish I could say “working with” but that would imply that I was actually getting paid!) with a couple of projects that do a lot of web video (one is a hyper-local daily news program for Evanston, IL), and this could be a super way for the various segment reporters to work remotely … have forwarded this on!

    - @BTRIPP

  • http://stevegarfield.com stevegarfield

    So I have an AT&T SIM card. Could I pop it into your Novatel device?

  • engrishlarner

    did u shoot this video before u summarize wht u gonna say?
    caz ur eyes are always going upper right, n it physiologically means u are not prepared for wht u gonna say. you still speak so well though:)

  • http://illwatchanything.com Jared Parmenter

    Wow, very informative review. I especially appreciate that you suggest how the products can be linked together – so often a product's usefulness isn't obvious at the outset, and only in concert with other services/gadgets and end-uses does it all seem to make sense.

    The 'remote travelling machine' idea has a neat (if slightly eerie) cyborg quality to it that's reminding me of the “Gargoyle” reporters in Neal Stephenson's _Snow Crash_. This setup could be especially flexible in conjunction with an iPad's video-editing capabilities, potentially a solution to TravisV's comment. I'm imagining taking video, sending it over to the iPad, quick editing/tagging, uploading to blog, all with gear that can fit (more or less) in your oversized pockets. Presto!

    What capabilities does the Eye-Fi card allow for tagging and titling pics (or would that depend on the camera)? Does it play well with common blog software?

  • http://twitter.com/rafaazua Rafael Lopez de Azua

    Great report Chris. One question though: aren't cell phones and the Mifi on the same network? So if your cell is getting bad coverage in a building (for example) won't the Mifi have issues as well?

    In either case, I want a Mifi… It would have made a recent business trip sooo much easier

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Depends. Some people would have a cell on one network and a mifi on another. For instance, lots of people tether their iPhones to a mifi.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Okay, I can't remember how to do it directly to a blog, but I *think* I solved that with Pixelpipe. I sent them from Eye-Fi to PixelPipe and that went straight to the blog. Make sense?

    Tagging and stuff is done in PixelPipe. Any other editing would be on-camera. It's not magic. It's wifi. : )

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    I never summarize first. Nice catch. : )

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Depends on the mode, Travis. If you want to the be first person on the net with a picture of Steve Ballmer holding up an iPad, you don't care about the rough edges. If you want to do “polished” stuff, of course. But A is the use case versus B. Make sense?

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Not that I can tell, though I didn't break the thing open. Let me check and get back to you.

  • newmediajim

    believe me, TV networks are losing the stomach for rolling out the uplink trucks as often as they used to. A typical vendor uplink truck might cost around $5000/day. Most stations/network bureaus (those that are left) have a couple. These things cost around $250K-$500K to build depending on how many paths you can get out of them etc. TV networks and local stations are increasingly moving towards off the shelf broadband technology to get on the air, precisely because of the costs involved in running these trucks. Still, these beasts provide 10-15 Kw of power, phones/comms, playback/edit capability, multi-path HD uplink, return video, teleprompter, and data downlink, and a place for the talent to stay warm when it's yucky outside ;)

    One of the coolest non-truck uplink capabilities we have is the BGAN. We've also been experimenting with the LiveU. pretty cool stuff!

  • http://twitter.com/mayaREguru Maya P.

    I have had the Sprint Overdrive for about a month now, and I am a huge fan, worth every penny. When wifi has failed me while teaching at a University, out came the Overdrive, while negotiating with another REALTOR near Philadelphia I even enjoyed 4G and it was remarkable speed. I even impressed a client by going online while looking at houses (he was a retired NSA tech guy) with it. Even better – it also will boost my cell signal when my Sprint Curve jumps on the wifi. I have used it in a moving car (passenger), on a train, in the airport, in a hotel, in a school (equiv of a cement bunker), and I think I might slip into Seussisms here, so… as long as Sprint has decent service, and even not (when the cell won't connect, the Overdrive does).
    I am so glad I fired AT&T and went back to Sprint. This is my favorite high-tech device of all time (at this moment).

  • http://twitter.com/BenENewton Ben Newton

    I've had a coolpix with wireless and I have rarely used the wireless because of the hassle. I will have to have o look into the Mifi.

  • http://www.staffingtalk.com greggdourgarian

    Suggestion: the lighting problem on your face would probably go away if you wore a light/white shirt.

  • http://twitter.com/gingerw gingerw

    I have had the sprint mifi card for about 9 months. I can't imagine life without it. It has dramatically improved wasted travel time + I am able to share with people I travel with, with makes me tremendously popular. Surprisingly, I have not added the eye-fi card to my gadget list yet.

  • http://twitter.com/rafaazua Rafael Lopez de Azua

    Yep, thanks that makes sense….

  • http://detroit.fwix.com Jamie Favreau

    Very interesting. I am not sure I would want instant video to the web though. It was stated before some editing should be done. If you could edit some scenes though the camera that would be good but than that isn't instant. If you are looking for rough copy of something maybe. Not sure though. Nice concept!

  • http://www.tomorrowsweb.com/blog Josh Chandler

    Ha, if Steve Balmer holds up an iPad that'll be a HUGE news story. :)

  • http://www.tomorrowsweb.com/blog Josh Chandler

    wow, I had no idea so much went into a “in the field” TV operation. The supplier's business model is eroding now thanks to uStream and Justin.tv. :)

  • http://www.tomorrowsweb.com/blog Josh Chandler

    Instant or not, the world want it's news fast. In some sense a live broadcast of a breaking news story is a live feed of that particular moment in time, no pre-edited monologues. We've become accustomed to rough broadcasts with edits in some sense. This new development doesn't alter things too drastically.

  • http://www.ivanwalsh.com Ivan Walsh

    Might work for A&E situations, i.e. where you (doctor/nurse etc) want a video from the accident scene.
    Or for other emergency scenarios, e.g. crime scenes, accidents, traffic problems etc, where the quality is secondary to the actual footage.

  • http://twitter.com/gillat Ziv Gillat

    I've heard great things about the Sprint Overdrive as well

  • http://twitter.com/gillat Ziv Gillat

    @kim/ohradiogirl:

    The Eye-Fi Card uploads JPG's movies and RAW files (Pro or Pro X2). So if you stick it into an audio recorder, unless it's saving an extension that we support, like am MP4, AVI, etc… — it won't work. If the extension is supported, AND if the files are placed into the DCIM folder, like any camera would do — the files will upload.

    Remember, the card is intended for cameras and camcorders, not audio recorders.

    Thx –

    Ziv.

  • http://twitter.com/gillat Ziv Gillat

    Novatel has 2 devices in the US — the Sprint & Verizon model, that works on EVDO rev A networks, and the GSM model. The GSM model takes a SIM card, and works in the US and in Europe. So if you take a fresh data SIM card, or your existing SIM card, insert into the GSM MiFi, program the APN's — it'll work well :-)

    I personally use the Verizon MiFi everywhere I go, and I heard that the Sprint MiFi is also great. It really depends on which carrier you prefer to go through, and which carrier has the strongest 3G network.

  • http://twitter.com/gillat Ziv Gillat

    Chris and Jared:

    Going through PixelPipe is awesome and is one possibility. PixelPipe has 5 times the destinations, so if you can't find your favorite site through us, it's very likely that you'll find it through PixelPipe.

    But even through the Eye-Fi Manager or Eye-Fi Center — under Advanced, you can add tags, rename albums ahead of time, etc… For example, you can preselect to have everything going into a Flickr set called “iPad Launch”, add Flickr tags in advance, and everything that goes from the Eye-Fi Card will get those tags :-)

  • http://twitter.com/gillat Ziv Gillat

    Ben, if you look at Nikon USA's web site, you'll see that they stopped selling the Coolpix with the built-in models.

    Also, notice the following link:

    http://www.eye.fi/how-it-works/camera-compatibi…

    It will show you that the top OEM's have chosen to go the Eye-Fi Connected route, to make Wi-Fi easier.

    Compare our features and functions with the built-in WiFi that used to exist in cameras… With us, you can buy the camera that fits you, your budget, your size constraints, and then, chose which Eye-Fi Card fits your budget, and as we upgrade our features / functions / services — you'll get them.

  • http://radiogirlradiogirl.blogspot.com kim/ohradiogirl

    Thanks. I appreciate the response. Your comments are quite insightful and useful.

  • annawoods04

    This is actually wonderful and even i liked the idea about the service that is available. We have better option to use any type of facility according to the advanced facilities and continue with our work when ever we are stuck up at any point of time.

    Texas breast reduction

  • Kristin

    Chris – thanks for the pairing review, to help us with value-add math (1 + 1 becoming more than just 2).

    Do the carriers still limit the bandwidth?

    I still have a Sprint Novatel because when I researched the MiFi option, I could not get an unlimited data plan. I gave up my cable modem years ago when I got the Novtel modem…

  • http://twtrcoach.com TwtrCoach

    Eye-Fi, MiFi… and Roger Smith Hotel :)

    I did notice your nice T-Shirt.. 3 for 2 review :)

    Cheers.. Are

  • kyrylkov

    Novatel Wireless MiFi 2352 (European version) & MiFi 2372 (American version, for AT&T, Bell, Rogers, TELUS, etc) from the official distributor.

    No contract, no SIM lock, can be used with any 3G/HSPA network/operator around the world. Feel the real freedom with this revolutionary device.

    Available in black and white with worldwide shipping:

    http://store.mpxsys.com/novatel-wireless-mifi-2…

    http://store.mpxsys.com/novatel-wireless-mifi-2…

  • erikdeckers

    Hey Chris, this was a great post. I actually geeked out on it a bit, and it helped me write a post for this morning about bloggers as citizen journalists. I even linked to this post.

    I've been telling people about the whole Eye-Fi/Mifi hookup, and will be giving a talk on crisis communication tomorrow where I plan on mentioning it too.

  • Pingback: The Growing Need for Bloggers as Citizen Journalists | Professional Blog Service

  • http://idoitdigital.com clintus

    genius! I love it. thanks Chris.

  • http://www.memorybits.co.uk/ memory card reader

    I like the devil this opportunity because it means not only that I can get my laptop online, but if my phone is in an area of poor coverage, can I switch to wireless.

  • http://sunglasses.shoemkt.com sunglasses

    A dress is like a barbed fence. It protects the premises without restricting

    the view.
    Louis Vuitton Sunglasses
    welcome to our store:
    http://sunglasses.shoemkt.com/louis-vuitton-sunglasses-c-1120.html

  • http://www.yuregininsesi.com yuregininsesi

    caz ur eyes are always going upper right, n it physiologically means u are not prepared for wht u gonna say.

Newer Comments →
GetSocial