I have bought a benq digital camera
http://global.benq.com/products/dsc/dc1300.htm , but this camera
doesnt have any cards for storage purposes, its all internal. Meaning
I have to download photos straight to a pc via a usb cable.

I will be travelling overseas soon and I want to know if there are any
portable storage devices where you can plug the usb cable from the
digital camera straight to the device to download the photos.

I am aware that that means the device would need to hold the software
that my pc current holds. Is this possible?

Worst come to worse I could buy a cheap laptop, but I would prefer
something smaller for travelling.

If not any good websites I could keep an eye on?
Thanks

What you need is a usb memory stick (sometimes also called a "USB
Flash Drive")
. This is a rather small (in physical size) storage device that can be
plugged into a usb port. Your should be able to transfer the photos to
the memory stick then by using the transfer function of the camera.
What I propose is that you see a local shop and try out if the
camera´s software will accept a memory stick (according to the
description of you camera - it should !)

Here are some examples of usb memory sticks:

1.
USB memory sticks at usbkey.biz
( http://www.usbkey.biz/online.htm )
They offer small sticks beginning at 32 mb capacity for $ 13,90 up to
256 mb for $ 75.
.
The description says:
"...is a compact, light and portable ingenious storage device. Just
plug it into any USB port, it looks and functions just like another
hard. No power supply or cables needed.  You can run applications,
view videos, or play MP3 files directly."
( http://www.usbkey.biz/online.htm )

2.
At ebay.com a search using the keywords "usb memory stick" yields more
then 230 offers, including new sticks at low prices. An interesting
one seems to be:
( http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3410684180&category=11161
)
$ at 12,49.
The description says:
"Here is a Great Mini storage drive that lets you take your data with
you. It's quick, it's easy, and with 32MB of USB storage everyone will
want one! Plug and play via USB port with 32MB of capacity that fits
in your pocket!
Product Specification: 
Portable 32mb USB Pen Drive Storage 
- 32MB Capacity 
- USB Interface, version 1.1 compliant 
- Read 700Kbytes/Sec Transfer rate 
- Write 350Kbytes/Sec Transfer rate 
- USB Bus Powered 
- LED 
- Hot Plug-n-Play 
Product Condition: 
New In Retail Box."


3.
Another offer can be found at usb007.com:

( http://www.usb007.com/ )
"What if a device existed that was the size of a car key and could be
plugged directly into any computer that has a USB port. And what if
anything on that computer could be quickly copied to it, securely
encrypted, password-protected and carried in the smallest of pockets
to any other computer in the world? No installation or drivers
required! No experience required and no moving parts! And what if this
device only cost $17.98?"
and another advantage here:
"We ship by air using a secured form of shipping that requires your
signature, ensuring that your USB007 will not get lost in the mail.
Best of all, we do all this now for just $4.95 ea!
$4.95 EA. FOR ANY DESTINATION WORLDWIDE!"


I hope this solves your problem. Have a nice trip overseas and visit
Germany ( :-) ).

Search strategy used :
( ://www.google.de/search?sourceid=navclient&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=usb+memory+stick
)


Regards

till-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by mrmint-ga on 02 Apr 2003 17:40 PST

Till,

Thanks for the response, but I have already researched to this point
on my own.
The websites you linked, dont sell the sort of device I need.
They are only standard usb reader types.

I am looking for one that can handle the software on it, as explained
in my question..if it does exist.

The real answer I would prefer if you could find one, if it exists.
Can you provide more information if possible?

Thanks

---

Clarification of Answer by till-ga on 02 Apr 2003 22:40 PST

1.
The description of your camera says:

"Intelligent image downloads-so smart and so fast
The BenQ Digital Camera 1300 uses a convenient USB interface to
download images to your computer. Just connect it to your computer's
USB port with a USB cable, and images stored on it are automatically
downloaded into folders designated according to the date each
photograph was taken."

So what I think is that the camera´s in-built software sends the
photos to your pc. Instead of the pc you should connect the usb memory
stick and then store the data on the stick. The stick will behave like
a hard disk.

2.
You said "The websites you linked, dont sell the sort of device I
need.
They are only standard usb reader types."
On the websites I linked both card readers (that are used to read
memory card into your pc without having to connect the camera to the
pc) AND memory sticks are sold.

3.
I don´t think that buying a small laptop only for the data trasfer is
a reasonable solution as the price of a laptop will exceed the price
of a new digital camera with a memory card.


till-ga

I thank the researcher for their efforts on attempting to answer the
question. But the clarification I recieved was based on assumptions
that are in fact not true.

My camera Benq DC1300, has software that I currently install on a pc
to be able to download the photos to it. Can I install this software
on a portable device of some sort, so I dont need the pc at all?
Please re read the question too!

Maybe I require someone with more knowledge in this particular area to
answer this question for me.

Thanks

Hello.

I could go on forever recommending laptops that run windows and look
tiny...
But at the end of the day, they cost a fortune and you can find these
laptops yourself by going to your local computer store.
The one thing you might not have in mind though is a solution often
used in touchscreen kiosks and entertainment booths where space is an
issue.
This device is tiny and can be powered off a cigarette lighter.

It's powerful enough to even run WinXP professional and has a TV
output too for when there's no computer monitor.

Have a look at: http://www.jadetec.co.uk/products/micropc/

Here's the solution I propose.

Your camera has an autosync feature with the computer.
All you need therefore is to boot the computer up, plug the camera in,
wait for the pictures to download (give it a reasonable time of let's
say 10 minutes) and unplug and shut down.

We are currently doing this while taking shots in cars from a small
cheap digital camera.

You can even buy a small foldable keyboard from any computer store if
you want to, such as this:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/laptopsforless/unps2folkeyp.html

You don't need a mouse and if you really need a monitor, you can plug
it into any TV set using the built-in tv-out card.

The box is small and fits easily in any backpack.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the answer..I think thats the sort of thing I am looking
for..I bit expensive but I will see if I can find a similar device a
little bit cheaper.