The Pixman Pro is much more than a portable storage device and it is all you need for those times when you are away from your computer on holiday perhaps. You can read about the original Pixman HERE but the Pixman pro takes things a few steps further. Below we have just listed a few of the interesting features of the Pixman Pro. The unit is rechargeable so we don't have to worry about buying batteries before we leave home.

2.5" Low Temperature Poly Silicon TFT high resolution LCD.
Support copying data or images to and fro between memory cards and HDD. (No PC Required).
Can view RAW files for selected cameras. (Check Photo Viewer in specification for the list of supported camera)
Back up all kinds of files as the 2.5" external HDD
Use as USB card reader/writer.
Double as a MP3 audio player, video player and Voice Recorder.
Support to view photos and digital movies on it's 2.5" colour LCD screen.
Can connect to PAL or NTSC TV.
Can be operated using remote control

Storage cards for digital Photographers have become much bigger in capacity over recent years and also much cheaper to buy. However, the pixel count in our digital cameras is also increasing, especially with the launch of cameras like the Canon 5D with 13 million pixels. It doesn't take long to fill our storage cards and I can fill a one gigabyte card in a days photography without too much difficulty especially when shooting in raw mode.

If we are shooting action shots where the continuous setting on the camera is used, then our storage problem increases. So, what do we do to solve the image storage issue when we go away for a 2 week holiday or like us later this year a 5 week holiday to Australia. If you take 2 people shooting high resolution Raw pictures for 5 weeks at 1 gigabyte each per day that adds up to a lot of storage.

A solution we have used for some years is to use an old laptop. This is a machine that has been overtaken by the improvements in technology and file sizes, but is still usable as a portable storage device.

However, we are getting tired of lugging the laptop away on holiday especially with all the security problems at airports. Its embarrassing to have to take the laptop out of the case and I have heard of occasions when people have been asked to start up the laptop to prove it was a working machine.

A search for an alternative storage device for the pictures we shoot turned up the Aqua Pixman. We have used the original Pixman for some time now and it has been faultless in its operation. The Pixman Pro is the next generation and like the original Pixman it is a stand-alone, palm size, rechargeable storage device. No PC is required and the Pixman Pro comes in capacities from 40, 60, 80 and 100 gigabyte.

We put the 60 gig version of the PIXMAN PRO through its paces and will concentrate here in the practical use of the device. All the technical information you can handle is available on the Pixman web site, but those who know me also know I don't do technical. Keep it Simple should be my middle name, or three names.

First impressions are important as they were with the original Pixman and the Pixman Pro is very slightly larger, but still shirt pocket size. The build quality is also excellent and the carrying pouch is soft, but solid too.

After charging the Aqua Pixman Pro for about 4 hours we placed a full 1 gigabyte flash card into the slot at the side of the case and turned it on using the smaller of the two buttons on the front left of the case. A nice touch is a robust rubber cover over the flash card/Microdrive slot similar to those we see on our digital cameras.

Press and hold the on button for a few seconds and the unit will fire up. The LCD panel came alive and told us that it was identifying the memory card. Within seconds we had a series of icons on the brightly lit screen and our EOS digital card icon appeared in the bottom right corner. To navigate around the icons we use the large OK button in the centre of the unit, rocking it left,right and up or down. Once we reach the icon of our choice, hit the OK button to select it, again this is rather like many digital cameras.

After hitting OK button the familiar yellow folder appeared that contained our images. The button above and right of the OK button is split into two, the left part is marked ESC to go back to the icons and the right side is labeled MENU.

Hit the menu button and select copy from the menu that appears on the LCD screen and you will be asked to confirm that you wish to copy the contents of the flash card to the clipboard, hit OK and then the escape key to go back to the icons. Navigate to the pictures folder and hit the OK button, then the menu button and choose paste, select yes to paste from the clipboard and a full 1GB memory card downloaded in 2-4 minutes depending on the speed of you card, but then what is the rush, the important thing with our images is reliability.

Alternatively, we can use the photo backup facility to download images automatically. Place your memory card into the Pixman and turn it on. Once your memory card has been identified, select the memory card cursor and hit the menu button. Select Photo backup from the on screen options and the rest is automatic. You cannot over-write a folder once Photo backup has created it, even if you put a card into the Pixman with files of the same name. In that case, like the original Pixman a second folder is created.

Downloading to a PC was easy using the USB cable and after plugging in the Pixman Pro we pressed the start button and the unit fired up and a message on the screen said MSC device, which meant it had located the PC. After a few seconds the Aqua Pixman Pro was found by Windows XP and within a few more seconds the familiar download panel appeared on screen.

If you receive the message on the left that the device could work faster with a USB 2 connection, don't worry, just carry on anyway. The Aqua Pixman Pro will work just as well with USB 1 or USB 2 connections, but obviously faster with USB 2.

We carried out the same operation on a number of desktop computers and all read the Aqua Pixman Pro perfectly and made downloading the pictures easy. Using a USB 2 connection we found that 1 gigabyte of images could be fully downloaded to the PC in 2-4 minutes depending on the card used.

Apart from using the Aqua Pixman Pro to store digital images it is also very useful as a portable storage device for many other computer files that we need to copy from one computer to another.

Mp3 Player

The Aqua Pixman Pro is also great as an Mp3 player and comes complete with earphones. Once your Pixman Pro is attached to your computer, copy your chosen Mp3 files into the media/ Music folder from your PC. To play the Mp3 music turn on the Pixman, navigate to the music icon displayed clearly on the Pixman screen and select your music. To the left of the Pixman body is a wheel for the volume control.

Video Player

The Aqua Pixman Pro will even play video that you have downloaded from your PC into the video folder.

Portable Recording Device

If you want to record live sound while you are out and about the Pixman Pro can do that for you too. Use it to record the church bells peeling a commentary or interview. Just turn on the Pixman Pro and navigate to the AudioRec icon. Select it and you are invited to press OK to start recording, its as simple as that.

Playback through your TV

Using the leads included with the Pixman pro, plug it straight into your TV and display your images on the TV screen. This feature is great for evaluation and for checking images when you are away from your PC. A large image on the TV will help you sort and evaluate your images for sharpness and exposure or just display them as a slide show. The Pixman Pro even has a small remote control, which is great for controlling the Pixman when attached to a TV.

General Features

The Aqua Pixman Pro will allow us to zoom into images on the LCD screen or the TV and because we have a menu and folder system like a PC we can copy and paste images and files from one part of the Pixman to another.

Stop Press

In December 2005 and into January 2006 we took an extended holiday to Australia where we covered the entire East coast of the continent. With myself shooting with a Canon 1Ds with 11 million pixel files and Carol shooting with a Canon D5 at 13 million pixels, image storage was a problem we had to address before leaving. Even our old laptop would not allow us to shoot and store images in Raw mode without quickly running out of space during the 5 weeks we were away.

We used two Pixmans while away in Australia, the basic Pixman with an 80 gig drive and a Pixman Pro with a 60 gig drive and we found them to be superb. I did put a load of Mp3 music on the Pro to while away the long flight, but never got round to listening to them much, but they were there if the flight got too boring.

We did have to take a laptop away with us as well, but only because I was doing a couple of lectures in Brisbane while away and needed my files to demonstrate with. Other than that, the laptop was not needed.

Both the Aqua Pixmans worked brilliantly and in future I would have not have any qualms about just carrying just a Pixman for any extended holiday. They worked faultlessly and and never lost one of the 6000 + images that Carol and I shot over the 5 week period.

Being small and light we carried the Pixmans in our camera bags at all times. One reason was to always have them available to clear our flash cards on the move, but also for safety sake. Once 3-4000 of our images were stored on the Pixmans we didn't want some thief to take off with all our masterpieces from a hotel or motel bedroom.

What we also tended to do was to download our full flash cards whenever we stopped for lunch somewhere. There was no rush to do this as we did have enough storage cards for a couple of days shooting, but is used the time while waiting to be served and cleared the cards just in case we found an oasis of images around the next corner. It also allowed more time in the hotel pool in the evening to cool down from the Australian heat.

This holiday helped build a lot of confidence in the Pixman and Pixman Pro and I am well pleased that we had them to rely on. We took the opportunity to keep them well charged whenever we got the opportunity and I can now confidently add reliability to the list of likes below.

Likes

Build quality
Ease of use
Quality carrying case
Charged battery Operation
Multi use for images - file transfer between PC's and Mp3 player
Use your own image as a LCD screen background
Remote control, which is great for TV viewing of images
Unable to over-write image folders
Reliability

Dislikes

None - a quality piece of equipment