The Picture Keeper: A Review

I am slightly addicted to taking pictures. I always have a camera with me because I never know when the kids are going to do something crazy or we might stumble upon something fun. I also try to keep the pictures backed up in a few different locations (computer, online, and a USB drive) in case the computer crashes or my USB drive breaks or malfunctions. Both of these have happened and I have lost many photos from our earlier years of being married.

Recently, I was asked by www.MailPix.com to try out a new product that they partnered with. It is called the Picture Keeper and it is a PC and Mac compatible USB device that automatically finds photos on your computer and stores them on the device. Whenever you download new pictures to your computer, you just plug the device in and it only adds the new pictures. (Right now MailPix is offering a free Picture Keeper 4 with an order. You do however pay the shipping of the Picture Keeper.)

The Picture Keeper comes in various sizes of storage. I received the PK-4 to review, which is the smallest device and costs $29.99. The largest one is the PK-Pro which costs $189.99. It was pretty simple to use. You plug the device in and either click the Open Folder To View Files on the AutoPlay box that pops up or find the device under My Computer. Next, click the LaunchPictureKeeper (it has the Picture Keeper logo picture). Once the box opens, click Start Backup.

I had 2389 pictures on my computer, which varied from 17 KB to 3.97 MB in size (I use an iPad and a 16 MP camera). The PK-4 held 1155 of my pictures, which took 11 minutes to copy to the device. If I wanted to backup the rest of the pictures, I would need to purchase an additional Picture Keeper. The new device is supposed to pick up where the other one left off. For my uses, I would need a larger sized Picture Keeper because I have lots of pictures and they tend to be larger in size. For someone who doesn't use a larger sized megapixel camera or take a lot of pictures, a smaller sized device would work well. To find out which size you need, click the Start button on your computer. Right click on Pictures/My Pictures and then click on Properties. Look for Size On Disk or Size Of Files In Library to see how much memory your pictures are using.

I also have pictures on my iPad, which does not have a USB drive on it. Picture Keeper has an app at the App Store for $1.99 that will take pictures from your iPhone or iPad and send them to your computer (search for "picturekeeper"). However, your computer must have the free Picture Keeper Helper software downloaded first. Their website says that an Android App will be coming soon.

The great thing about the Picture Keeper is that you can use it on multiple computers, as well as a PC and a Mac. Picture Keeper also offers a download to purchase so that you can buy your own USB device and save the software and pictures to your USB. After you download pictures to the Picture Keeper, you could also use it in digital photo frames! I've had mine for a few weeks and so far have been able to access the pictures without any problems. The Picture Keeper is a thin USB, so it doesn't take up as much room as a separate hard drive and I think it would make a nice backup option for your pictures.