Can a smartphone be used as a pic viewer and for storage?

**mgvh** · 10-12-2011, 10:06 PM

I have an Android Droid X. It has a beautiful screen that has much better resolution and is larger than the LCD on my K-x. In addition, it has a microSD card. SO... I'm trying to figure out if there is a way to connect the camera (or an SD card reader) to the phone to use it both as backup storage and as a picture viewer. I've searched around on the Android side of things, and haven't come up with much. The Droid X does have a microUSB connector, so it's possible to get adapters to make it into a standard USB, but I'm still not sure how to get it to read/transfer the files. The Droid X, like many other phones, has WiFi, Bluetooth, and a microUSB port.
Here's the best I've found so far:

Get a Macally Syncbox which could connect to the phone and would accept any normal USB device including a SD card reader or the camera itself.
Drawbacks: Reviews are quite bad. It's very slow transferring files, works inconsistently, and chews up AAA batteries.
Just get a netbook or tablet. Some have built-in USB connectors or even SD card readers, and most all have at least some kind of dongle to make the connection possible.
Drawbacks: I don't have one. They are a few hundred dollars at least. I'm not really wanting to carry yet another device with me.
(An Eye-Fi SD card would seem to work if you had a wireless network available, but that's not likely in the field.)
There's the AirStash wireless SD card reader that looks perfect (though it costs $100). AirStash: wireless flash drive + pocket media server + SD adapter for iPhone, iPod touch & iPadDrawbacks: It's impossible to buy as far as I can tell, and the website looks like it was last touched in 2010.

Anything (especially cheaper ways) I'm missing? Thanks.

sterretje · 10-13-2011, 03:39 AM

Something like SD to MicroSD/TransFlash Card Converter Module - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

And this is what I googled for: sd to micro sd adapter so you can look at more options.

//Edit
How much storage space does the android have? Might not be worth it for storage?

**mgvh** · 10-13-2011, 09:51 AM

Originally posted by sterretje

Something like SD to MicroSD/TransFlash Card Converter Module - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

//Edit
How much storage space does the android have? Might not be worth it for storage?

Well, that's an interesting option! Only problem for my phone, at least, is that I have to remove the back cover and the phone battery to get to the microSD card, so this won't work. If someone had an external microSD slot, it would be a great option.
Thanks.

10-12-2011, 10:06 PM	#1
mgvh Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: MD Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,030	Can a smartphone be used as a pic viewer and for storage? I have an Android Droid X. It has a beautiful screen that has much better resolution and is larger than the LCD on my K-x. In addition, it has a microSD card. SO... I'm trying to figure out if there is a way to connect the camera (or an SD card reader) to the phone to use it both as backup storage and as a picture viewer. I've searched around on the Android side of things, and haven't come up with much. The Droid X does have a microUSB connector, so it's possible to get adapters to make it into a standard USB, but I'm still not sure how to get it to read/transfer the files. The Droid X, like many other phones, has WiFi, Bluetooth, and a microUSB port. Here's the best I've found so far: Get a Macally Syncbox which could connect to the phone and would accept any normal USB device including a SD card reader or the camera itself. Drawbacks: Reviews are quite bad. It's very slow transferring files, works inconsistently, and chews up AAA batteries. Just get a netbook or tablet. Some have built-in USB connectors or even SD card readers, and most all have at least some kind of dongle to make the connection possible. Drawbacks: I don't have one. They are a few hundred dollars at least. I'm not really wanting to carry yet another device with me. (An Eye-Fi SD card would seem to work if you had a wireless network available, but that's not likely in the field.) There's the AirStash wireless SD card reader that looks perfect (though it costs $100). AirStash: wireless flash drive + pocket media server + SD adapter for iPhone, iPod touch & iPadDrawbacks: It's impossible to buy as far as I can tell, and the website looks like it was last touched in 2010. Anything (especially cheaper ways) I'm missing? Thanks.

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10-13-2011, 03:39 AM	#2
sterretje Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Roodepoort, South Africa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,561	Something like SD to MicroSD/TransFlash Card Converter Module - Free Shipping - DealExtreme And this is what I googled for: sd to micro sd adapter so you can look at more options. //Edit How much storage space does the android have? Might not be worth it for storage?

10-13-2011, 09:51 AM	#3
mgvh Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: MD Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,030 Original Poster	Originally posted by sterretje Something like SD to MicroSD/TransFlash Card Converter Module - Free Shipping - DealExtreme //Edit How much storage space does the android have? Might not be worth it for storage? Well, that's an interesting option! Only problem for my phone, at least, is that I have to remove the back cover and the phone battery to get to the microSD card, so this won't work. If someone had an external microSD slot, it would be a great option. Thanks.