Protect Your Images
Epson bundles a lightweight carrying case in the package with the P-4000 Multimedia Viewer, but if you're serious about protecting the images stored on the hard drive you'll want something tougher. During my travels, I used a Lightware (www.lightwareinc.com) G300 Small Meter Case that fit the P-4000 perfectly. While traveling in Mexico it was tucked inside a (insert shameless plug here) Joe Farace Reporter backpack. After being bounced around inside a Jeep and being schlepped back and forth between hotels and airline overhead compartments, the Epson P-4000 looks, and more importantly, works as good as new.

While originally designed to hold a light meter, Lightware's G300 Small Meter Case fit the P-4000 perfectly and protected it during my travels.

El Momento De La Verdad
I took Epson's P-4000 Multimedia Viewer on a trip to Mexico. I also took every memory card I owned with the intention on not erasing any card and using them as backup. Just in case. As it turned out, I needn't have worried.

While you're traveling the 3.5" screen makes the P-4000 a great "pass-around" device to share images with friends or you can always plug it into a big screen TV (with an optional cable) to show to larger groups so everybody can ooh and aah at the same time. The built-in slide show capability adds pans and dissolves to the presentation, making it look professionally designed and all you have to do is push a few buttons on the Magic Box.

The P-4000 includes a USB 2.0 connection for fast download to your computer and I simply copied the folders from each memory card onto my hard drive. Everything worked perfectly, just the way it's supposed to and I was able to burn DVDs of all of the images from the images now stored on my hard drive.

As a bonus, you can print directly from the P-4000 to some Epson inkjet printers, including the Stylus Photo R300, Stylus Photo R300M, Stylus Photo R320, Stylus Photo RX600, Stylus Photo 620, PictureMate, and PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition. The tiny PictureMate would make a useful traveling companion with the P-4000, allowing you to present prints of your images while you're traveling rather than having to mail them back!

Epson's P-4000 Multimedia Viewer not only made my trip to Mexico more pleasant but enhanced the experience by allowing me to share digital photographs later in the day with my traveling companions.

Technical Specifications
Liquid Crystal Display: 3.8" Photo Fine LCD
Resolution: 640x480, displays up to 262,144 colors (white LED backlight)
Hard Drive: 2.5" 80GB hard drive
Connection: USB 2.0
Photo File Formats Supported: JPEG (minimum 160x120 pixels; maximum 17.8 megapixels); raw Video File Format: Motion JPEG (maximum 640x480; minimum 160x112)
Audio File Format: MP3 (MPEG-1 Layer 3); AAC; maximum bit rate 320 kbps (48KHz, 16-bit stereo)
Built-In Memory Card Slots: CompactFlash (Type I and II); Secure Digital and MultiMediaCard; Memory Stick, xD Picture Card, and Smart Media are supported with third-party adapter
Power: Internal--rechargeable lithium ion battery; External--AC adapter/battery charger Audio/Video Output: Mini-jack; NTSC or PAL; connects to television, monitor, or projector with video input using third-party audio/video cable Headphone Output: Stereo mini-jack
Internal Speaker: Mono
System Requirements: Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, XP Home/Professional; Mac OS 9.1 to 9.2.2, OS X 10.2.x to 10.4.x
Dimensions: 3.3x5.8x1.2"
Weight With Battery: 14.4 oz
Price: $664.95

For more information, contact Epson America, Inc., 3840 Kilroy Airport Way, Long Beach, CA 90806; (800) 463-7766, (562) 981-3840; www.epson.com.