Abstract: A portable interactive data storage device includes a disk drive, a microprocessor, a USB port, and a data storage card slot. The device also includes a small liquid crystal matrix display and a small number of user controls. The device is configured for data storage, rather than as a small general purpose computer, and preferably does not include a keyboard. The data storage card slot is configured to accept small data storage cards, such as flash memory PC cards or CompactFlash cards through a PC card adapter. The disk drive has a substantially larger capacity than the data storage cards. A user loads data onto a data storage card using a portable electronic device, such as a digital camera. The user then inserts the card into the storage device and uploads the data to the disk drive. The card can then be repeatedly reused in the digital camera by uploading the data to the storage device after each use.