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[OM] EyeFi X2 Bricking

Subject: [OM] EyeFi X2 Bricking
From: Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2016 10:31:00 -0500
Just a final heads-up for anybody who is still using the EyeFi X2
series of SD Wireless cards.

If you haven't reconfigured them to direct connect mode by the end of
this month (tomorrow) your card's WiFi feature will start getting
bricked. The network upload functionality of the cards are being
disabled. As long as you change the settings in time, you should be
able to continue to use them in direct mode for a while until the apps
"age out".

Otherwise, you'll still be able to use it as a memory card.

Fortunately, they were inexpensive, and served their purpose. Ricoh,
which acquired EyeFi, has kinda taken a "screw you" attitude towards
the customer base, but that just reflects the reality that we are
essentially "renting functionality" and not really "buying" it.

Between now and September 16, 2016, functionality and settings changes
will be dismantled and after September 16, 2016, it is just a pretty
orange memory card that may or may not work anymore with anything
other than what it is directly plugged into.

I did investigate the security flaw that is embedded into the X2.
There is a legitimate concern, and it is bad enough that I will only
use the card in a camera and only attach it to a computer for
downloading of files with the immediate removal afterwords. DO NOT
LEAVE THE CARD IN YOUR COMPUTER UNATTENDED. Once I get a new card (or
camera with built-in WiFi support), I WILL take a hammer to the X2
card. I've already altered how I use the card.

Where Ricoh has made enemies with the customer-base isn't with the X2
card itself. We can understand that. Where Ricoh has gone off the deep
end is completely shut down of almost the entire ecosystem: card,
software, apps, on-line library... Of course, it was foolish to use
the cloud services anyway, but that's another story.

On another note, the flaw in the X2 card is also present in early
generations of WiFi equipped cameras, smart televisions, security
cams, cars, and so forth. Many of those have been updated through
firmware, others are either non-issues or lesser issues because the
functionality of the device itself is limited.

Am I mad at Ricoh, myself? A little disappointed, but not mad because
the cards were a tremendous value for the money and the software
really was horrid.

-- 
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
-- 
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