digitalpictureframe
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A Living Picture's Momento WiFi photo frames with SideShow
Man these digital picture frames are coming fast and furious. After making its debut at WinHec back in May, the Vista certified, SideShow-capable Momento photo frame from the awkwardly named A Living Picture, is now up for pre-order on Amazon and others. So whatcha get? Starting with a choice of either a 7-inch (model 70) or 10.2-inch (model 100) TFT display throwing a 800x480 resolution, each frame delivers built-in 802.11b/g WiFi, a multi-format memory card reader, USB jack, RF remote control, an audio output with support for WMA and MP3 (and presumably video) formats, and appears to be Windows Media Connect / UPnP capable to stream content off your PC or other compatible device. You can even pickup a frame for befuddled relatives and update it with your snaps over the 'net via a subscription to Momento Live. What's more, and perhaps the most interesting feature is support for Windows SideShow allowing the frame to run all kinds of XML-driven "gadgets" making the frame capable of displaying your auto-refreshed stock portfolio, current weather, TV schedule, event calendar, etc. That makes for an interesting choice between the $300 Momento model 100 or the $380 RSS-enabled DigitalSpectrum MF8104Premium with similar specs but 0.2-inches more screen and 96,000 more pixels. [Via I Think Therefore I Thought, Thanks Long Z.]
DigitalSpectrum's MF8104Premium: a WiFi digital photo frame for Vista
What's IP addressable, runs Windows CE 5.0, plays MP3/WMA audio or WMV/MPEG-4 video, brings integrated stereo speakers and 3.5-mm audio jack, 64MB internal storage, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g WiFi with WEP/WPA, and can grab media from CF/SD/XD/MMC/MS memory cards, attached USB devices like your digicam or MP3 player, or streamed over the air from your PC or other UPnP capable device? No, we're not talking 'bout the latest PMP out of Korea, these are the specs for the DigitalSpectrum MF8104Premium digital picture frame. This 10.4-inch, 800x600 pixel TFT LCD frame is available in a variety of colors and styles for mounting on the wall or tabletop to display your family snaps stored in JPG/PNG/BMP/TIFF formats. Oh, and did we mention it ships with a remote control for navigating the embedded HTTP web server and RSS feeds from your fave photo sharing sites like Flikr? Well, it does. Hell, Microsoft's Vista will even autodetect the frame and automatically feed photos from the Vista Pictures folder. Thing is, for $380, you'll wish it did more. Available for pre-order off the biggie consumer electronics websites (hint: Amazon) with shipment expected mid-January.[Thanks, dpf insider]
Smartparts' DPF56N 5.6-inch digital photo frame
With a name like Smartparts, it's gotta be good, right? While we can't judge the quality per se, the intriguingly-named company has crafted a sleek, classy digital picture display that looks more like a frame and less like a futuristic decoration. Sure to garner grandmother's approval, the DPF56N sports a 5.6-inch LCD, wireless remote, and slots for SD, MMC, and CF cards. After popping in any supported flavor of flash media (since there's no integrated storage), it automatically strikes up a slideshow for the whole family to enjoy, and can channel the fun to your TV set via the video out port. Smartpants also throws in two colored frames (black or silver) to suit those swinging moods, while offering a walnut wood alternative (DPF56E) for the naturalists; these digiframes are priced to move, too -- just $129.99 for the colorful duo or $99.99 for the woody.[Via Photography Blog]
Philips lands the 9-inch digital PhotoFrame
This being a digital picture frame, we're sure you don't need much introduction. What's new is that Philips is trumping their previous 7-incher with this new 9-inch PhotoFrame, giving you that much more LCD real estate for displaying embarrassing childhood memories and too-cute family moments. The frame also ups the ante with dual card readers, we suppose to allow for intense memory card hot-swap action. There's also a little bit of internal memory if you want to be boring about it. The frame comes in a "Modern" and "Classic" design (we figure we're looking at the mod version here), and both can of course be wall mounted. No word on price or availability, but we're sure you'll be able to get in on the action soon enough.
New digital picture frames from Smartparts and Siren
Couple of new digital picture frames to bring you courtesy of Smartparts and Siren, cause you know we just can't bear to let one slide by. Smartparts looks to be trying to de-emphasize the digital aspects of its frame (pictured above), slotting an 8.4-inch LCD into a genuine wood frame with a walnut finish (hey, not everyone's into the quasi-futuristic look). It'll handle just about every type of memory card, of which you'll need at least one spare cause it doesn't appear pack any storage of it's own -- it does come with a handy remote though, and will set you back about $200 US. Siren's frame (peep it after the break) has a smaller 5-inch display available in your choice of black or brown frames, and packs a welcome-but-paltry 32MB of built-in memory, in addition to the requisite line up of memory card support. No remote on this one though, but look for it to be available in Japan later this month for ¥17,800 (just over $150 US).Read - SmartpartsRead - Siren
MediaStreet's Pure eMotion 128 digital picture frame
So we've got digital photo frames that can play MP3s, connect via WiFi, understand your cellphone, create mosaics on the fly, and some that do nothing but show pictures, but MediaStreet has a new digiframe on the market that displays musical slideshows autonomously. While fancy schmancy picture frames aren't unusual, the Pure eMotion 128 is touted as being able to "present musical slideshows without the aid of a computer or other playback device," which sounds like a nifty feature, but probably not as revolutionary as it's made out to be. On par with basically every other digital frame out there, this one supports SD, MMC, MS, SM, and CF cards, as well as hosting 128MB of internal storage. The 7-inch LCD is surrounded by a white border and glass frame (much like another we've seen), and comes with an Infrared remote, tabletop and wall mounting hardware, a USB cable, and oddly enough, a set of headphones -- presumably for use with those slideshows that are best kept under wraps. While the feature set here sounds admirable, there's no mention of how the frame composes the slideshow, nor how you're supposed to actually get specific music clips to correspond with certain photos, so it's really anyone's guess as to how this thing actually works. Nevertheless, if you're willing to stick your neck out and hope for the best, this musical slideshow frame can be snapped up for $129 later this month.
Microsoft demos SideShow-enabled products at WinHEC
Microsoft seems to have big plans for their SideShow auxiliary display technology -- besides the laptop and remote control implementations we've been expecting, they're also using the software for products that we didn't even know we needed, such as digital photo frames that overlay the picture with IMs and Outlook data. The frame, which is being manufactured by a company called A Living Picture, was one of three devices that Microsoft's senior project manager for Windows Client Greg Graceffo showed off at today's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), along with a modified Logitech G15 gaming keyboard and a universal remote from Exceptional Innovations. EI's remote, which will launch at the same time as Vista (whenever that is), looks particularly promising, as it allows the user to view program guides, RSS feeds, and other infoswag on the same gadget that can control both home theater equipment and home automation devices. As for the keyboard, well, keep reading if you're interested in seeing what an Outlook appointment looks like on a three-line LCD...
