Minds@Work Digital Wallet Reviews

Rating
Reviewed by: rob
(Professional)

Review Date
January 14, 2003

Overall Rating
1 of 5

Value Rating
1 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
2 votes

Review 1 of 4

Price Paid: $8.00 from minds at work califo

Summary:

at first, the minds @ work customer service was helpful when i got a bogus unit. when i got a second bogus unit, they wouldn't return my calls. the battery is a joke and the "new" unit already had someone else's images on it. the unit works, sometimes. apparently they've come up with a "new generation" of digital wallets. in all fairness, once i figured out how many times you have to turn on/off the unit in the proper order, digital photos could be downloaded. i was in cuba for a week and didn't lose any data, but it was very nerveracking. i'm eating the loss and looking at an Ipod. hope this helps someone.

Strengths:

better than carrying a laptop across a third world country

Weaknesses:

it's really scary to intentionally delete photos of fidel castro, hoping they've been saved on the hard drive.

Similar Products Used:

laptop

Customer Service:

Minds @ Work? at first, friendly, then, non-existent

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Rating
Reviewed by: BostonBullit
(Expert)

Review Date
April 18, 2002

Overall Rating
4 of 5

Value Rating
4 of 5

Used product for
2-5 years

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Review 2 of 4

Price Paid: $499.00 from MicroCenter

Summary:

I have used the original 6gig version of the DW for over a year now and it has definately come in handy. I like to go to events and shoot gigs worth of photos and this device has made that possible. there are a few quirks, like the fact that it drains it''''s battery if you leave it connected, but they are easy to work around. Minds has updated the firmware a few times since I have owned the unit and they added some nice new features like a download countdown timer and the ability to navigate the HDD down to the file level. It was wise of them to not leave us original unit guys hangin when they released the new stuff! I do wish I could upgrade the HDD myself, but alas this isn''''t possible so I''''m stuck at 6gb. Also USB can be slooowww when you have to push 5gig of files through it, FireWire would be very nice here!

Strengths:

Compact, portable, relatively inexpensive storage option, upgradable firmware

Weaknesses:

battery drain issues, card doesn''''t go all the way into body when inserted, can''''t upgrade the HDD, USB can be slow

Similar Products Used:

none

Customer Service:

never tried, but they have shown that they don''''t forget the original purchasers by releasing firmware updates that work on all models.

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Rating
Reviewed by: VG
(Professional)

Review Date
April 17, 2002

Overall Rating
5 of 5

Value Rating
5 of 5

Used product for
0-1 years

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5,
1 votes

Review 3 of 4

Price Paid: $199.00 from CompUSA

Summary:

I''ve had the 3GB Digital Wallet almost a year now and average using it at least once a week. I usually store 5-600 RAW images per shoot. Never had a glitch down or uploading. A small padded belt pouch is ideal for carrying and protection. The cards pop in the side and has a nice, large ejection button. Unit powers down when inactive. Looks and acts like another drive in your computer. Menu functions are easily accessible through selection buttons on the side of the unit. One button downloading! LCD screen is clear and legible even in bright light.

Strengths:

Easy to use. Reliable and rugged as I''ve banged it around a bit. Portable and lightweight. Charges fast from AC adaptor. Installs and accessed easily on PC. Mine has went over 2 weeks without a charge and still had a bar on the strength indicator.

Weaknesses:

Uses a custom battery pack. Wished it used AA''s.

Similar Products Used:

Notebook computer

Customer Service:

Called about formatting and was promptly taken care of. Very polite tech!

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Rating
Reviewed by: Alan
(Expert)

Review Date
April 16, 2002

Overall Rating
4 of 5

Value Rating
4 of 5

Used product for
21+ years

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
2 votes

Review 4 of 4

Price Paid: $167.00 from DealCat

Summary:

Digital Wallet 3GB, with 32FAT formating has 4.6GB storage. Storing 1.3MB Jpegs theres plenty of room for prelonged field uploading. Shooting RAW or Tiff 3GB size could be wanting for more storage area. Battery life is near 2GB of uploads. Tip Format the Card in the camera, Formating in the digital wallet reduces amount of upload per charge.

Strengths:

Portable storage in the field. Functions are easy to use. Compatiable with PC and MAC. Automatic shutdown when not in use. AC adaptor the wallet charges and can be used at same time. Docking port eliminates some bulk that otherwise would be built into unit. A digital wallet and couple CF cards its non stop picture taking, comes in handy during sports photography.

Weaknesses:

No matter what size Digital wallet from 3GB to 20GB the battery only lasts 2GB of upload. Battery also losses charge when not in use for 3 days or more. Battery pack is not designed for easy removal and replacement.

Similar Products Used:

Laptop

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