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Samsung confirms availability for its 2021 TV lineup
Samsung has confirmed its full range of 2021 TVs including high-end Micro LEDs, Neo QLEDs, more Frame TVs, and new gaming and smart monitors.
Samsung offers actual paint to complement its artsy QLED TVs
Samsung unveiled “LivingColour,” its first paint collection in six colors including “Frame Beige” and “Sero Navy Blue” to complement the Serif, Sero and Frame TVs
Amazon's Echo Frames put Alexa on your face
Soon, it'll be impossible to avoid Alexa. Amazon unveiled a slew of new Echo devices today, but it also launched an array of unexpected products that also feature the digital assistant, like a new microwave (ahem, smart oven) and earbuds. Most surprising perhaps, are the Echo Frames and Echo Loop -- glasses and a ring respectively. These are the first of Amazon's new "Day One" edition products, where the company puts out new devices in limited volume to get feedback and will double down to mass-produce them if people respond well.
Samsung adds QLED screens to its artsy Frame and Serif TVs
Samsung designed the Frame and Serif TVs to be stylish additions to your home, like some sort of art piece that you can also use to watch movies. So, it's not surprising that the tech giant has announced an upgrade that's supposed to make them look even better: The 2019 versions of the two models will come with QLED screens.
Samsung updates its stylish Frame TVs with more features and artwork
Samsung's classy Frame TVs have returned, enhanced for 2018 with more art and four magnetic bezel cover options to ensure the expansive 4K Frames fit into the decor of even more homes. The new TVs come with an updated, improved artwork UI, making it easier to browse art collections by color scheme or art medium, if, for example you were only looking for photography to jazz up your lounge. (Samsung has added 30 iconic pieces of photography from The New York Times, in that regard.) Frame 2018 owners can also save a personalized art collection that the TV will shuffle through when on standby. There's no 43-inch model this time, so you'll have to decide between the 55- and 65-inch options.
Framed gesture-controlled digital canvas debuts on Kickstarter, starting at $399
It's shaping up to be a big month for digital art displays. Electric Objects popped up on Kickstarter with its successfully funded 23-inch LCD for $299, and now a familiar face has turned to the funding site with its own rebooted version. Framed 2.0, an update to 2011's overpowered 40-inch model, includes integrated WiFi, a 720p front-facing camera and motion sensors, so you can interact with the frame using gestures. There's also a companion smartphone app, for purchasing and swapping art, creating schedules and adjusting settings. The first 250 backers can take home a 24-inch 1080p screen for $399. A 40-inch version will be available for $1,500, while a "super limited" 55-inch model will go for a whopping $10,000, including dinner with the design team in Tokyo. All three frames are available for pre-order on Kickstarter now, with select models shipping in November.
GoPro's new Blackout housing is ideal for shooting those covert operations
Still mounting your GoPro on a helmet? Get with the times. There's like, a zillion other ways to mount that thing. Your choice is getting even bigger, too, as the action-cam behemoth has just announced a new "Blackout" housing ($49). As the name suggests, this is all about stealth filming. The dark, matte-finish case not only hides the shiny silver camera, but it also conceals all the LEDs, making it ideal for situations where lights or reflections can ruin a shot (such as startling wildlife). Bonus: It's also waterproof to over 130 feet. If you prefer to show your GoPro off in all its glory, then maybe the updated "Frame" housing is your thing ($39). As before, it's a minimal frame-like housing, but with the ports exposed for easier access. A new latch mechanism also makes it easier to lock in and release the camera. Lastly, remember that funky dual-case that allowed two Hero HD cameras to be combined for 3D footage? Well, a new version of that is incoming too, updated for the Hero 3 and Hero 3+ models. No price and date on that, but hopefully you'll have enough time to save up for a second camera to go along with it.
Google pulling the plug on Chrome Frame plug-in
2009 was such an innocent time. Barack Obama was in the White House, we were all enjoying the latest Star Trek movie and the world's browser usage left a bit to be desired. So much has changed in those intervening years -- enough to cause Google's engineering team to put Chrome Frame out to pasture. Introduced way back in those heady days of the late aughts, the plug-in was intended to help devs bring the latest web-based technologies to users still rocking ancient versions of Internet Explorer. Thanks to a decline in the usage of old browsers, as well as browser auto-updating, Google's retiring Frame in January of next year, ending support and updates for the service. Those still clinging to old browsers will see a prompt to upgrade to something newer in the place of the old Frame redirect.
Padcaster iPad shooter frame debuts at NAB
The Padcaster, which we told you about in March, showed off this week in its public debut at the NAB show in Las Vegas. As expected, the rigid mounting frame for the iPad makes it easy to use Apple's tablet on a tripod or with other film accessories like lights, microphones or 35mm lenses. An interchangeable insert in the frame will permit the use of iPhones or other tablets as well. Proud Padcaster papa Josh Apter of NYC's Manhattan Edit Workshop shows off the device in a video on the Padcaster page, and also showcases a "padumentary" short film shot with the iPad and the Padcaster. While it may seem like a lot of effort for a tripod mounting solution (and a good bit of money; pre-ordered units will ship for $199), the ability to shoot and screen in high-def with a firm mount -- then to edit and upload from the same device -- may give some would-be iPad filmmakers a few new ideas. The gang at The Verge did a nice hands-on video with the Padcaster; check it out below.
Snap and send photos from your iPhone to Ceiva the networked picture frame
Right now for about a hundred bucks, you can buy a Ceiva picture frame. This device allows you to email pictures to a physical photo frame, allowing you to connect your digital lifestyle to your loved ones. If you have parents or grandparents who don't spend their days hunched over email and Facebook (or even if they do), the Ceiva provides a solution that brings your photos away from your computer and into the living room. What's more, if you have siblings, you can all share a common photo email address and send images from your phones no matter where you are physically located. For families living in today's reality of widespread home life, that can help parents connect with their kids, whether they're at college, summer camp, or with their own families in far-off states. Hardware and connection options Ceiva units work using a home's Wi-Fi network but they're backwards compatible as well. Owners who don't connect directly to the Internet can use a standard telephone wall plug with the Ceiva's built-in modem. The unit calls home to Ceiva during the night and pick up new photos. So if your family member is in, say, assisted living, the Ceiva can sit on a table and use phone calls instead of Wi-Fi networking. When you cannot access a local number, you can pay an additional $16/month for toll-free number access. (Ceiva has about thousands of numbers nation-wide plus in Canada and Puerto Rico) Ceiva was kind enough to send over a review unit that I've been testing for a couple of weeks. I have it set up using Wi-Fi, so the response time is very good. I don't have to wait until morning to see new pictures. They typically show up within minutes. I was out at the barber shop with my boy a few days ago, and our pictures got home before we did. The screen is bright and clear, although it is not huge. It seems to run about 8" diagonal, although I did not measure it myself. That number comes from the Ceiva website. It is embedded in a fairly plain black frame that will fit most decors. A built-in slot accommodates a remote control, hiding it and giving it a convenient place to live. Service and setup If I have any complaints about the equipment and the service, it is this. First, I'd love to be able to pay a little more upfront and decouple the frame from the monthly/annual fees. I have several of my own domains, and with Wi-Fi, my unit need never take advantage of the Ceiva phone access service. I'd love to be able to set it up with its own email address at a given domain, and then use it indefinitely, decoupled from the Ceiva web services. Second, I found setup to be unnecessarily complicated. The unit ships with numerous preset images. Once the device is registered, those images should have automatically been deleted rather than having me delete them at the website. Finally, it was a little complicated to discover the unit's email. (Hint: Go to ceiva.com, sign in, select Members > My Account > CeivaMobile Addresses.) Their website really could use a major redesign to reflect standard usage patterns. Final thoughts Once set up the device is super easy to use. Just add the ceivamobile.com email address to your phone's contacts and shoot off emails with attached photographs. If you're using the iPhone, make sure to send at least "Medium" resolution images. "Small" images aren't big enough to display full screen. All in all, Ceiva provides good value but it doesn't come cheap. Fees start at $9.95/month after the first year, go down to $8.95 if you pay for an entire year of service in advance, and end up at $6.95 if you pre-pay three years. Payments allow your frame to continue operating with the Ceiva service, but also cover a basic insurance plan. If your frame dies during covered service, Ceiva will replace or fix the unit.
Hack your monitor and 3D glasses, ensure ultimate privacy
You've always wanted a bit more privacy with your monitor (porn jokes notwithstanding) and if you're willing to tear apart a spare LCD monitor and a pair of 3D theater glasses (thanks, Dreamworks and Pixar!), you'll get it. In lieu of a thicker tinfoil hat, Instructables' dimovi suggests removing the LCD's frame, cutting out its polarized film with a utility knife before removing the screen's film adhesive with a combination of cleaner and paint thinner and reassembling the monitor. Once complete, grab the glasses, cut out the lenses and combine them with the plastic film removed from the monitor before inserting them back into their frames. The result is an LCD monitor that displays a white screen to anyone not wearing the customized glasses, your actions being confidential, no matter what they might happen to be. Check the how-to video embedded after the break, or hit the source link for full instructions
miFrame makes your iPad picture perfect
I usually don't review iPad stands, but the people from Striped Sail sent me a miFrames for iPad 2 to try out, and I found it quite clever. Unlike traditional iPad stands, the miFrame doubles as a picture frame enclosure. Most people aren't going to buy an iPad just to use it as a digital picture frame, but those who use that feature (perhaps photo studios or graphic design offices that want to show off their work, not to mention grandmas) the miFrame is a nice choice. The frame/stand comes in black or silver precision-machined aluminum and can be positioned in portrait or landscape orientation. A five-foot USB cable runs from the base and can be plugged in to a power source, like an Apple USB charger, to keep the iPad charged. The long cable provides plenty of reach for positioning the stand just so. The miFrame doubles as a traditional picture frame. You can slide an 8x10 printed photograph into the frame which will be displayed when you remove the iPad. That way the frame is useful when it's holding an iPad and when it's not. One of the few drawbacks about the miFrame is that you actually have to snap the frame's border off to get the iPad in and out. It's easy to do and doesn't take too much time, but it would be nice if you could slide the iPad in without removing the frame. Also, the miFrame can't be hung on a wall, which some users might find limiting. The miFrame is available for the iPad 1 or 2 and costs US$79.99. You can purchase it directly from Striped Sail or through Amazon.
Flickr gets iPad-friendly with slideshows
Flickr has announced some improvements to its photo-browsing/sharing website for iPad users. The new light box photo viewer (aka slideshow) enables you to view photos from Flickr's website in a larger format on a black background, similar to what happens when you click on a photo on Flickr's website from your desktop browser. To enter light box mode on your iPad, simply tap on a supported photo on Flickr's website. In light box mode you can move between photos with the swipe of your finger, perfect for showcasing your latest antics to your buddies gathered around you and your iPad. If you're looking for something a little more feature-fancy when viewing your Flickr snaps on your iOS device, it might be worth checking out a third-party app like Flickr HD or Flickit Pro.
Kodak adds Quick Comment option, activity sensor to refreshed Pulse digiframe
We've been talking a lot about second generation hardware at CES this year, but it's not just Intel and AMD who are unveiling their next iterative step toward consumers' pockets. Kodak has disclosed plans to update its Pulse digital photo frame -- you know, the one that can receive images via its very own email address -- with a new Quick Comments feature plus an activity sensor that switches the display off when no humanoids are moving about in front of it. It doesn't seem like you'll be able to author your own comments when responding to the sender of your latest pic, though you will be able to communicate via a selection of gorgeous pre-canned proclamations like the always popular "OMG!" and the ever-versatile "LOL!" The new Pulse will be arriving in the spring, costing $130 for the 7-inch variety or $200 for its 10-inch SKU. Skip past the break for the full press release.
Image Framer creates digital frames for all your holiday pictures
Actually, you can create great looking frames for all your digital images, not just your holiday snapshots. I've spent part of the day playing with ImageFramer 3 from Apparent Software, a Mac utility that allows you to create frames and mats to give you just about any style you can imagine. If you don't want to choose from the more than 400 that come with the program, you can create your own using patterns you make in a photo editor like Photoshop. Or you can modify any of the frames that are already in the library. There are some really thoughtful features, like allowing you to change the color of the workspace you you can visualize what the image would look like hanging on a wall. You can also create shadow effects that make the frame look like a physical object interacting with directional light. I tested the pro version, which sells for US $69.95. It's not priced for the casual user. but it is very powerful. I was able to create a variety of compelling frames and mats without ever having to consult the help file. Once your frame is created you can save it out as a JPG, TIF, or PNG file. %Gallery-108686%
TUAW's Daily App: Flickr HD
Flickr HD (or flickr hd, as it's styled in the App Store) just got a nice update recently to version 6.0, and it's quite an excellent way to browse and view the popular photo-sharing site Flickr on an iOS device. The latest version brings a feature called "Instaswitch," which will automatically change the picture shown on the app every single minute, right on the minute (I guess it loads up in the background). The app can also display a clock and the photo information on the screen, so you can use your iOS device as a digital photo frame and bring shots in directly from your Flickr account, public photos from someone you know or even Flickr's own favorites feed. An update early next month is set to bring even more options into the app, including being able to adjust the time that each picture changes. If you spend a lot of time looking at your iPhone or iPad's battery charging screen and would rather give it a little something better to do while sitting in a dock or a stand, Flickr HD is a nice app, and it's on sale right now for just US$1.99.
Digital photo frames top list of least-wanted holiday gifts, better find those receipts
Finished your holiday shopping already? That's good news, but if you've made any purchases from the following list of goods you might just want to think about just going ahead and taping that gift receipt right to the bottom of the box. A survey from the British Video Association shows that digital photo frames are the least-wanted holiday gadget among those who consider themselves worthy of receiving gifts this year, beating out all-time flops like foot massagers, electric shavers, and those poor bread makers destined to make a single, crusty loaf before being permanently relegated to their box. Granted this was a survey of British holiday folks and so Ma and Pa Apple Pie may have somewhat different desires, but a quick poll among Engadgeteers confirms that digi frames do indeed fall squarely in the "no, really, you shouldn't have" category. Oh, and if you're wondering what you should get your loved ones this holiday season, we can help.
Panasonic MW-20 is a digital photo frame, iPhone / iPod touch stereo, and money burner all in one
If you're the sort who fancies a digital picture frame and a stereo dock for your iPhone, Panasonic's new MW-20 might just be the thing to converge and satiate those needs. The 9-inch frame can display pictures via SD card, 2GB internal memory, or an iPhone / iPod touch via the bundled dock -- and if you've got the device connected, you can also play music video via the frame's internal stereo speakers (there's no indication of any audio out for using your own speaker system, however). Additionally, the MW-10 successor has a touted 15 different display patterns, including some calendar and clock functionality. Pictures taken with a Lumix camera? The MW-20 has a function that'll group photos by style (i.e. all nighttime scenery). Look for it during your haze of Christmas shopping in late November for -- and here's the part that's gonna sting -- just one dollar shy of $250. Don't say we didn't warn you. Scenes from the CEATEC show floor below. %Gallery-104354%
PYNK smart system could make those Kodak print kiosks useful (video)
Just because film is dead doesn't mean that companies are at a loss for schemes to profit in the digital age. Take Kodak's PYNK smart print system as the perfect case study. Consumers buy PYNK branded photo frames and mats at $15 and $4 a pop, respectively. They then scan the goods into one of Kodak's 100,000 imaging kiosks and the machine will print photos (at further cost) into a perfectly cropped, sized, and aligned collage suitable for framing. A pretty smart solution for craft-less dummies like us.
Light painting in stop motion with the iPad
This is about the coolest thing done with an iPad since, well, the iPad itself was created. A firm named Dentsu London has used an iPad to create a series of stop motion shots assembled from sequential long exposure light paintings. They created a set of 3D graphics and then programmed the iPad to show a set of cross sections, frame-by-frame, of those graphics. The cross sections were "painted" into the air with long exposure photographs, and then the photographs were all put together into a stop motion animation. The end effect is just amazing -- don't just watch the beginning on how they did it, make sure you stick around for the film itself. It's a beautiful piece, as well as an ingenious way of using the iPad to create something exceptional. If you're really interested in these images, the creators have also put together a book featuring some of the best stills from the video. It's quite an impressive piece of work. [via TDW]
