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Epson’s recently releaseD P-2000 is a portable storage device with a
display that shows enough detail to make image reviews in the field a real option.
The second generation P-2000 has built upon its predecessor, the P-1000, with
an improved display, faster data transfer and a four-fold increase in capacity;
all for the same $499.
What’s New
The P-2000 uses a 3.8” Photo Fine LCD display with a resolution of 640x480
that displays up to 262,144 colors. The display quality is noticeably better
than that of the P-1000—especially when viewed in direct sunlight.
The unit includes USB 2.0 support for much quicker file transfers to your computer.
Unless you are running Windows 98, the device will show up as an external hard
drive (Windows 98 users must install the provided driver to access the P-2000
from their computer). The extra speed comes in handy since the capacity has
increased from the original 10GB to 40GB. Also new to the P-2000 is a dedicated
SD/MMC card slot to augment the CompactFlash slot. Other memory cards can be
used with an optional adapter.
Support has been added for video and audio files.
In Use
The P-2000 comes with a carrying case, wrist strap, USB cable, AC adapter and
a nice little stand for use while playing slide shows or while connected to
your TV (you’ll need to purchase an AV cable to view your images on TV).
Operation is intuitive, with a four-way switch for navigating the display, an
OK button to make selections, and a Cancel button to back-up one step. A Home
button returns you to the main screen for file selection and copy operations.
The unit can be connected directly to an Epson printer and includes a Print
Order feature for selecting multiple images and specifying the number of copies
desired.
Transferring images to the P-2000 was quick; a SanDisk 256MB SD card and a Lexar
1GB CompactFlash card both moved a 1GB of images in just over five minutes.
I copied 17GB of data on one battery charge with minimal playback. Expect about
10GB of transfer with normal use.
While viewing images on the P-2000’s beautiful display, you can zoom in
on JPEG files (with amazingly sharp image quality). Raw files from Canon, Nikon,
and Epson are also supported, but they cannot be zoomed. Other raw file formats
can be copied to the P-2000 for storage, but you won’t be able to view
them on screen.
Specifications
Storage: 40GB hard drive
Power Source: Includes one Lithium Ion rechargeable battery
and charger/AC cable
System Requirements: Windows 98SE or later with 128MB RAM,
Macintosh OS 9.1 to 9.2.2 or OS X 10.2.X and later with 256MB RAM
USB Interface: Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (1.1 compatible)
Video Interface: NTSC or PAL Connects to television, monitor
or projector with optional third-party video cable
Dimensions: 5.8" x 3.3" x 1.2" in. (W x H x
D)
Weight: 1lb with battery
Accessories Included: Epson P-2000 Multimedia Storage Viewer,
user documentation and CD, one Lithium Ion battery and charger/AC adapter system,
USB cable, stand, carrying case and wrist strap
The Bottom Line
The P-2000’s screen quality is truly stunning, and at $499 the unit will
be popular with digital photographers looking for storage and functionality.
For more details visit www.epson.com.
Jon Canfield’s latest book, “Raw 101: Better Images with Photoshop
Elements and Photoshop” is now available. Visit Jon on the web at www.joncanfield.com.
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