HP SimpleSave Photo Backup Solution

This week, I had the privilege of previewing a unique solution to photo backups from Hewlett-Packard (HP). Let's face it, most people don't back up their photos. I know several of my friends and family members never back up their digital photos. HP thinks a big part of this problem is that the backup process is not simple enough for most people, so they have developed a new product called HP SimpleSave Photo to make the process of photo backup as easy as inserting a DVD.

With HP SimpleSave Photo, there is no software to install on your computer. As soon as you insert the HP SimpleSave disc into your computer's DVD burner drive, the backup process begins automatically. The program finds all photos stored on your computer, including those in email and compressed files like zip archives.

Here's how the process works once the HP SimpleSave Photo DVD is inserted:

1. Initially, users will see a "loading" message upon inserting the DVD.
2. Soon, a "Welcome... starting in 15 seconds" message will appear.
3. Next, the user is shown a summary of what photos have been found, the number and size of the files, and the number of DVDs required. The user can select which photos they want to include in the backup.
4. Once the user approves the backup selections, a new screen shows the progress of the backup, and eventually the message, "Backup complete. Your files are safe."

_{Step 3 in the backup process. Image © HP.}

The finished backup DVD includes a thumbnail viewer for browsing the photos and also provides options to print or email selected photos, or to use a photo as your desktop wallpaper. For those who want more control over the backup process, an options button lets them specify the search locations, types and sizes of images to be included (around 100 formats are supported, including RAW camera files and video clips), and whether or not to include photos found in email and in compressed folders.

_{Users can browse, print, and email photos directly from the backup disc. Image © HP.}

Once a DVD has been used for backup, inserting it in any computer displays options to restore or view/print/share the files. The restoration process is just as user-friendly as the backup process, with progress clearly displayed, and a link to the files on your hard drive after the restore is complete. HP has stated that files are restored to the computer's C drive and the underlying folder structure is recreated. It is then up to the user to move files to another drive in a multi-drive system.

Unfortunately, it appears that the SimpleSave DVDs are for one-time use, presenting a snapshot in time of the user's photo collection. There is no provision for incremental backups. This seems to be the one flaw in an otherwise very promising product and I hope to see it addressed.

This product is aimed primarily at home users, and rightly so. I would hope that anyone with very large collections of photos would have moved beyond optical storage media by now. (And for those who are looking to do so, I can attest that the new HP MediaSmart Server (compare prices) is an excellent solution. I recently purchased one for backup and storage of my own photo, media, and other files, and I'm very pleased with it!)

HP SimpleSave Photo will be priced at $14.99 for a 5 pack of DVDs capable of storing up to 10,000 photos. The product is expected to ship in April of 2008 and is compatible with Windows Vista, XP, and 2000.