Customer Reviews

SmartDisk 40 GB FlashTrax

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've owned a Flashtrax (40GB), Epson P-2000 & eFilm Picture pad and would rate the Flashtrax in the middle of the pack, with the P-2000 in the lead at this point when it comes to digital photo storage.

Advantages to Flashtrax
- One button download don't need to open cover to start download process
- Better raw file support, can rotate & zoom raw files & view histogram
- Offers a 80GB option

Disadvantages of Flashtrax
- Doesn't come with protective case
- Hinged screen seems vulnerable to breakage if you bend it back too far
- Menus & filelists are hard to navigate - buttons awkward
- Need to move rubber piece to insert memory card each time
- Compared to p-2000 the screen display is poor and protective plastic is flimsy
- Battery snaps on end near hinge and can pop out if you press buttons on side accidentally.
- Slow download speeds
- Awkward to hold & balance because you have to unfold the screen. Folding screen also makes hard to adjust screens angle of view if there is a glare.

Advantages to P-2000
- Menus & Buttons are visual, intuitive and easy to use. Browsing thumbnails display quickly.
- The display is large, sharp, bright and perfect for viewing photos
- Quick downloads
- Memory cards slot design makes it easy to load & remove cards with press of button. Accepts both SD & Compact Flash cards without an adapter.
- Comes with protective case, hand strap & display stand
- Battery is well protected - stored inside device with a door covering it
- Easy handling, no clumsy screen to unfold

Disadvantages to P-2000
- Can't Zoom or do slide shows with raw files If you shoot .nef +jpg, you can still zoom, create slide shows and it will auto rotate the jpg for you. Although you can't rotate raw files I didn't find it an issue since it's easy to turn the device sideways and that way it uses the whole large screen for a larger display anyway.
- No Histogram display on raw files (again if you shoot with a raw+jpg you can view the histogram on the jpg)
- Hard to find one in stock to buy!

Prior to buying the P-2000 I owned a Flashtrax & an eFilm PicturePad which I use to download raw digital photos. One day the eFilm stopped reading memory cards, but the other functions worked. Although it was under warranty the eFilm stopped making them and couldn't fix it so bought a Flashtrax to replace it.

I liked the Flashtrax a lot better than the picturePad since it's display, battery life and menus were much better than the efilm. When my husband dropped the FlashTrax on a grassy area, the screen cracked even though it was folded at the time. It still worked fine, the display was just cracked. So don't assume that the folding screen will protect the screen from breaking. SmartDisk replaced the screen but a few weeks ago my photo equipment was stolen so I was back on the market for a portable storage device. I must give kudos to SmartDisk for great warranty support! After reading a review of the p-2000 I decided to give it a try. (On the p-2000 the glass/plastic on the p-2000 screen & body seems much more solid than the FlashTrax so I think it would withstand rough play a little better even though it doesn't fold.)

Now that I've worked with the P-2000, I wouldn't buy another Flashtrax. The P-2000 downloads from memory cards much faster, and the screen display is bright, sharp and large enough (3.8") to get a detailed view of photos. The menu's are more intuitive due to the more visual nature of the menus and the buttons easier to use. The slide show feature also automatically will create transitions to make the show look polished without any effort. There's no folding and unfolding screens to view making it's easier to hold and adjust the screen to get a direct view without glare.

Bottom Line:
If you are a professional or enthusiast who shoots in raw format, you'll probably agree that Flashtraxs raw support is better than Epsons. Epson needs to add the capability to view histograms and zoom on raw files which I'm hoping they will do in a future software update that owners can download. Shooting in Raw+jpg does work around this but wastes memory space. Most the time I only check my histograms while I'm shooting to see if I need to adjust settings so this isn't a deal breaker for me. You'll still love the P-2000 for it's great display and ease of use. Getting the Flashtrax or P-2000 is much cheaper than buying 40GB of compact flash cards and smaller and easier/faster to use in the field than a laptop. If you decide to go with the Flashtrax you'll be happy not to lug a laptop but learn to balance awkward devices in the field. If you need the capacity for 80GB the Flashtrax is your only option at this point. Nikon owners may look at the Coolwalker. Although I haven't owned one the P-2000s screen and flexibility to use with non-Nikon cameras (such as my Olympus point & shoot) gives it a big advantage over the Coolwalker in my mind. Plus on the p-2000 & Flashtrax you can view videos & listen to music too!

If you are an amateur you'll love the p-2000 since its a slick device to store/view thousands of photos, listen to music and watch quicktime movies on. I wouldn't get the Flashtrax since you don't need the 80GB file capacity to store thousands of jpgs or raw file features. The P-2000 is easier to use too.

The only problem is it's hard to find a p-2000 in stock due to demand or Epsons lack of production so if you are in a hurry, you may need to get a FlashTrax instead.

I had the need for a product that could be used for: 1. playing MP3, 2. dumping photos 3.Viewing photos and 4. Portable data storage. Along with the Archos products this was the only device which can do it all. I selected this because I prefer the "gameboy" design since it protects the screen well. In fact, I was so impressed with the specs that I was prepared to pay about $170 shipping(to south africa) and run the risk of losing it since there is no support outside US/Europe at all. It all paid off(so far). Fortunately it arrived intact and I have had the device now for 3 problem free months.

It plays music with exceptional quality and photo dumping from all card formats are a breeze with the very flexible optional adapter. TV connection also works well. The video only supports Motion JPEG - MJPEG.AVI files. I have been able to look at .avi videos taken with a Canon camera successfully. However with a downloadeable translation tool from their web site, many other formats can be translated and it works. The translated video takes up a bit more space after translation. Since the device firmware can be upgraded, one hopes that they will come out with more video codecs. The only glitch i found is that the operating system can be very slow when you have large directories. With 40GB of dispace available, a directory can become too large very quickly. That requires a lot of organizing if you have lots of music to store. I also requested from the support people to confirm (before I ordered)whether I would be able to read a Memorystick Duo (with supplied adapter) but there was no satisfactory answer. Battery life is not great, about 3 hours when playing music only, but that should be expected for a device such as this. When only using it for dumping photos, it lasts for days.

A nice feature is that it can read .M3U playlists created on our PC and you can create playlists on the device itself.

An all in all impressive product which have given me countless hours of joy(so far) and I would recommend it for sure. In fact, I have not seen a device on the market yet for the price that can beat it.

I purchased FlashTrax two years ago and it worked great until I bought a new CF card. No where in the manual does it specify that the system is limited to 1GB and smaller cards. My 2GB card (common size now days) is not compatible according to support. Their failure to support larger card sizes is a major disappointment.

I bought it for 2 reasons. First, as a present for my wife to carry in her purse - thousands of pictures of family & friends, and 2nd, as a place to store digital pix without having to lug my laptop around.

I ordered one from Amazon.com on Nov.22. (Standard supersaver shipping) - I received the unit the next day! On the 24th I took it to work and opened the box. While the unit would turn on, the screen would not "light up", and the "reset" button broke and fell into the case. I went online and within 30 minutes had printed the return shipping (UPS) label, and requested a replacement.

I got it Tuesday (Nov 30), and opened the box this morning. This one works, and it's way cool.

I've already downloaded and updated both the firmware and the bootloader. Simple & easy.

Bright, big screen. Full resolution jpg's (1MB ea) take about 1 second to sequence. Plays my Nikon 5700's .mov files perfectly w/o conversion. Zoom, pan, EXIF display, histograms, etc. Create albums w/ timed sequencing. No complaints, yet. I'll update this review in time.

Needed: ability to delete while viewing full-screen!



Don't forget SmartDisk's $50 rebate.

I have own it for almost 2 years. This products deserves 4-5 stars when it works. My main use for it is to copy photos from digital cameras when I travel. Copying process is a bit slow but acceptable.
But I constantly have Blue Screen issues (turn on and get blue screen only). At that point the only way to fix it is boot firmware update from CF card. Regardless of every latest firmware updates which all claim to have fix the problem, it still remains a constant problem. And if you are traveling to out of the way places & w/out internet access, then you better have a copy of the re-boot firmware with you.
I just had the blue screen problem again. This time re-booting from latest firmware no longer fixes the problem. I called tech support. It will cost me $155+shipping to fix it and they guarantee the replacement part for $90 days. I asked if the Blue Screen issue will remain? He replied, "That will always remains an issue."

-Easy User Interface. Plug and save for your compact flash card without having to turn the unit on if you are in a hurry.
-Nicely designed exterior and 3.5 inch display.
-The screen resolution in review mode wont allow you to determine sharpness absolutely but definitely will allow you to review pictures and show them to friends.
-There are smaller units out there but this is a nice compromise for size and functionality.
-This unit is a hard drive,so don't expect to take this running when you listen to you MP3 player.
-It has good sound quality when using headphones.
-My only complaint is the "case" is just a felt bag, I was expecting something more durable.

I can't speak to other Smart Disk products, but I find it hard to believe their support is any better.

My first unit lasted almost a year, and was deemed "unrepairable" by Smart Disk when I returned from an overseas journey 13 months after purchase. I'd acquired another one while my first was out of commission, which was defective on initial use. The screen was erratic, sometime my computer would recognize it (Windows XP), sometimes not. After a lengthy conversation with customer support, I learned this "new to me" unit was out of warranty because it had been manufactured 18 months earlier. This is the only company I know, apart from our local dairy, that bases their warranty on their date of manufacture, in addition to date of purchase. How is a consumer to know how long a product has been the pipeline?

If you choose to purchase one of these units, I suggest the "date of manufacture" be guaranteed by the seller, as it's not visible on the box.

I bought the flashtrax for a trip to Southeast Asia so I would not have to lug around a laptop or extra memory cards. The little device made the trip, every day I could download the photos and then put on a slideshow. It really is worth the cost, I have since taken it on 4 other trips and it has never let me down. The battery life could be better, but it is not too bad for just downloading the pictures from memory cards. I recommend buying the memory card adapter as well, even if you only have a camera that takes compact flash cards. That way you can download your friends and families pictures to your flashtrax.

I purchased a 30 gb Flashtrax recently, and upon arrival it looked like a great device. Plugged in and got recognized, then I got the program "MJCvt.exe" to convert my video (This device supports very little video). My word a 1.1gb, 8 minute movie?! I tried playing it on the device, and it froze as soon as I pressed play. I tried other converters, and while I got the video and audio on my computer, this device would only play the video.

Tech support was a nightmare. I kept being referred to their "MJCvt.exe" program 5 times at least, and even given instructions on running it (C'mon, you click 'add' to put the video for conversion, and click 'run.' How hard is that to learn). Finally, I gave up and am selling it, since there are no alternate ways to create video, the only reason why I wanted it.

Pros:
- Plays MP3s nicely.
- Shows photos.

Cons:
- Terrible customer support.
- Can't play many videos, and either freezes on the ones it can, or plays a video with no audio.
- Video size is worse than any on the market.
- Short battery life for an mp3 player.
- No good case available.

Recommendation: AVOID ANY SMARTDISK PRODUCT!

I purchased the 30 gig version from Amazon. It appears to be the same as the 40 gig, except for the drive size. I loved this thing. It worked great. Unfortunately, I left it alone for about 4 months, and when I went to use it the other day, I got the opening screen, and it went nowhere from there. Dead, dead, dead. And on its 13 month anniversary, to boot...or I guess, not to boot. I guess I'll have to pay for any repair now.