Have you ever noticed that buying a digital camera without good provision for memory cards is like buying a PC with a 1 mb hard drive? In an ever-changing world of technology it is nearly impossible to find one memory system to cover the plethora of goodies that demand more and more memory or hard-drive space to operate. So today we are looking at an incredible little invention called Fotobar that is available throughout Australia right now, thanks to Haldex - a locally owned and operated consumer electronics company with a professional history in the photographic industry.

Fotobar is, to put it simply, like a multi-lingual interpreter as it talks to, reads and copies from memory card systems including Compact Flash, Microdrive, Smart Media, Multimedia Card and Memory Stick / PRO… But the memory card slots are just the beginning… Fotobar is also a fully-portable CD player, CD burner and DVD player giving you ultimate control and compatibility wherever you are, go or happen to be!

What can I do with Fotobar?

Well, this device - as a universal card reader, seems to be perfect for digital file creators on-the-go. If you are a photographer, musician or technology boffin, chances are you own some type of memory card to converse with one of your newer digital gizmos such as PDAs, professional CD units or digital cameras. One thing that is constantly an issue is the information we store on our memory cards and how to make use of it. If you own a new Sony product with memory capacity, chances are you own a memory stick slot….the problem is, this slot and the cards that fit it, only work with other Sony products… Fotobar will change this problem forever!

At the push of a single button, any memory card slotted into the front of the unit can be burnt (copied) onto a blank CD media. I thought I would give this a test so put in my SD card that has a 512mb capacity. In under 7 minutes, I had the entire contents (501mb) recorded from my SD card onto CD and was then able to view it on either my PC or Mac. The video footage is now copied and stored on a backup CD and I can clear the contents of my memory card for another day… Oh and did I mention that I did this while holding the unit and walking down the street on my way to morning coffee? Now that’s conveniently cool.

If you wish to burn items from your PC or Mac, you can also connect Fotobar via USB where it will open a folder on your desktop from which to drag, drop and burn. Once connected to your computer you can use Fotobar as an external CD / DVD drive, burner and card reader!

As a DVD player, this machine rocks! Easy to plug and play – and it will even run DVDs from your old laptop (as long as you have a USB or USB 2.0 connection). The stereo audio signal can easily be split through a 5.1 – 7.2 system if that is what you have set up, but sounds great simply through headphones.

What’s in da box?

This is one of the best packages I have ever opened. Packaged in quite a boring cardboard box you will find a stunning little pro camera bag containing everything you need for your mobile workstation. The unit, software drivers, burning software and battery pack are in there as well as a tonne of leads to connect the unit to power and signals from visuals and audio and even combined in S-Video. There is a remote control, USB 2.0 lead and of course the Bag which honestly looks like a bag you would pay for to guard your $$$$$ camera.

So, do I need Fotobar?

If you are a memory card user then Fotobar is certainly for you. The options are limitless as a communication tool between your own little digital network of toys and tools. The extra features such as DVD player and battery all combine to make this a very strong and useful tool and at under $500 I honestly can’t wait to start snapping my digital pics again.

Fotobar at a glance…
• Supports USB 2.0 memory card reader functions when connected to a PC (Windows 98/Me/2000 SP3/XP) or a Mac (O/S 10.1.13 and up)
• Supports CD-RW (24X) function with or without a PC
• Supports DVD (8X) Player function on TV or on a PC/Mac. (Note: You need fast CPU, Pentium 450 and up, in order to play the DVD smoothly!)
• Supports one-button backup function to back up your memory cards
• Supports memory cards: CF/ Micro drive/ SM/ SD/ MMC/ MS
• Supports JPEG, MPEG1, MPEG2 (DVD) and MP3 file format
• Supports photo thumbnail, rotate, zoom in/out, delete, and auto slide show. Great for your PowerPoint presentation on a TV or projector!
• Supports MPEG1,MPEG2 play, pause, stop, forward, backward and Vol+/-
• Supports MP3 play, pause, stop, forward, backward, Vol+/- and repeat
• Supports NTSC and PAL TV
• Upgraded F/W by using memory cards.
• Package includes
• FotoBar CDRW/DVD player unit with a remote control
• Canvas carrying bag
• Rechargeable battery pack, 7.4V/2200 mAH
• AC power adapter, 110/220V input, 9V/2A output
• S-video and RCA connection cables with audio cable for TV or VCR
• 2 AAA batteries for the remote control
• USB 2.0 cable for PC connection
• Instruction booklets and software CD
• Two blank CDR media disks
• Supported memory cards: CF/ Micro drive/ SM/ SD/ MMC/ MS (optional)