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RoadStor All-In-One
CD Writer, DVD Player, Digital Photo Viewer
Digital cameras have enabled photographers to shoot many more images much easier with
a much lower cost for photographers. As technology evolves, digital cameras are being
developed with greater image sizes, and also a greater need for storage capacity.
Micro
Solutions' RoadStor satisfies the need to be able to archive the images
stored on digital media cards while away from your computer. The RoadStor is
a portable 24X CD Writer, DVD Player (supporting DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD+/-R,
DVD+/-RW, and DVD-RAM formats) and digital image viewer. The device allows a
digital photographer to avoid having to worry about running out of memory without
having to invest a lot of extra money in unnecessary memory cards.
CD-Writer
The RoadStor
can read a variety of current memory formats.
- Secure Digital
- Multimedia Card
- Compact Flash Type I and Type II
- Microdrive
- Smart Media
- Memory Stick
- Memory Stick Pro
- Memory Stick Duo (with adapter)
- xD (with adapter)
Backup from a memory card is very easy. After turning the RoadStor on, inserting your memory card into one of the
media slots and a blank CD into the CD drive, the process is started by pressing
a button on the top of the device. The display on the top of the unit provides
a prompt to begin the backup process. A second press of the backup button starts
the process. I was able to back up a full compact flash card (512 MB) to a blank
CD-R in 32 minutes. While this is slower than a desktop PC CD burner, it is
certainly fast enough to provide the necessary backup of your digital media
cards in a timely manner.
The RoadStor
creates multi-session CD's so that you can continue to add content to your CD's
until the CD is full. Additionally, the RoadStor supports disk spanning to enable you to backup
media cards up to of 1 GB or greater in size..
DVD-Player
The RoadStor
is a multi-function device. The DVD playback functionality is limited though
usable. The included remote control can be used for adjusting volume, menu features,
fast play through the movie (up to 128xx) and powering the unit on and off.
 Though
the DVD player has limited functionality, playback was smooth and crisp and
the sound was as good as my home DVD player.
Additional Features
Micro Solutions
has offered many options in this portable unit. Connecting a pair of headphones
to the audio jack allowed me to use the RoadStor as a portable CD player. And
as music download services continue to grow in popularity, the
RoadStor can be used to play a CD of MP3's, or can play them when stored
on a media card. As there is no volume control on the unit itself, the remote
control is needed to adjust volume of the music being played. The unit seems
to require MP3's on the CD to be stored in the root of the disc. If you MP3's
are arranged in a directory structure, the unit may have difficulty playing
them.
The RoadStor
can also act as an external CD Writer/DVD player/Media Card Reader for your
desktop PC. Windows
2000, XP,
Windows ME and MAC
machines recognize the RoadStor as soon as you connect it to your PC via the
RoadStor's USB 2.0 port, while a driver is needed for Windows 98.
While connected to a television, the RoadStor will act as an image viewer as well. This allows
you to easily view your images without the use of a computer for review purposes,
or to show off to your friends and family! Viewing can be done in several formats,
and the included remote control allows you to quickly jump between directories,
or to sit back and view a slide show of your images.
What's Included
The RoadStor comes with a travel case which stores the unit, S-Video, Composite
Video, Audio, Power and USB cables. The bag also has room for the included rechargeable
Lithium-Ion battery pack. The battery provides about two hours of DVD playback
or CD Recording, and about four hours of image playback from media cards.
Purchase
Micro
Solutions' RoadStor is available through a variety of channels. Your local
photography or big box store, online through various retailers or direct from
Micro
Solutions for $269.00 US.
Amazon.com sells the unit for
$251.99
Conclusions
The Micro
Solutions RoadStor provides a variety of features in a small size. The ability
to backup your digital photos without a computer will appeal to all digital
photographers. The additional features included in the RoadStor will appeal
to travelers looking for a portable device that will fulfill many needs.
The unit I first received for review had a problem where it would
not complete the disc creation process. After calling Micro Solutions, I was
quickly sent a new unit that performed without a hiccup. I found the colours
of the images to be a little contrasty when using the unit as a image viewer
connected to my television, though the DVD playback looked fine. In all, the
RoadStor portable digital media backup device can be an indispensable tool for
digital photographers, both professional and hobbyist.
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