Ultra Simple Image Backups

Polaroid's photo backup drive designed for ordinary folks; useful, weird, and bizarre products from the Consumer Electronics Show.

Hey, Mom? Listen up. I'm back from the humongous Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and I have a gizmo you'll love. It takes all the photos on your computer and puts them in a safe place. You don't have to read a manual, use your mouse, or even call me for help. (You can still call, but this way I don't have to explain that "AnyKey" business again.)

The Polaroid Media Backup Photo Edition is a 40GB external drive with a no-nonsense way to back up over 60 different image file types. It has an unusual design that makes perfect sense for a novice: Just connect it to a USB port and as soon as your PC recognizes it, it instantly starts backing up image files. (Win 98 systems need a driver--but you really ought to move to XP already.) http://www.goclickfree.com

The Polaroid drive is truly plug and play, with no on or off switch and no software to install. Everything runs right from the external drive. The device includes an AC adapter--but if you have a powered USB hub, the adapter isn't necessary.

The ClickFree software (developed by Storage Appliance) is preconfigured to search and grab all images, even those attached to e-mails and in zipped files. It's smart enough to bypass system folders. You can even configure the software, making it possible to skip specific folders.

If you need to restore your image files, plug the device into the USB port and follow the simple directions on screen.

Dig This: This Dilbert is too funny... and taken straight from real life.

If you've been around computers for a while, you probably have questions. (All right, so maybe it's just me wondering--but while it's still my newsletter, I'll just carry on.)

Q: There's no on or off switch, so how do you get access to the files on the external drive once you've closed the program?

A: No problem. If the device is still connected to the PC, just launch it by accessing the external drive with My Computer and clicking on MediaBackup.exe.

Q: What about using the Polaroid drive to store other files?

A: You could, because it's just a hard drive. But if you want to do that, then you should buy any one of hundreds of plain-vanilla external drives, because the Polaroid's not designed for you. It isn't meant to be an external hard drive that's always connected. (My favorite? Any of Maxtor's OneTouch external drives.) The idea is to keep the Polaroid device in a safe place so if your PC's stolen, or there's a disaster of some kind, your pictures are safe. And that makes it ideal for consumers like my mom to back up their photos.

Quick Aside: If you're interested in digital photography, you need to take a look at Dave Johnson's Digital Focus. The newsletters are smart and filled with the kinds of tips that make me a sharper photographer.