DigitalPhotoFrame
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AMEX Digital's SR-7 / SW-7 digiframes do more than show slideshows, induce naps
We've seen the future of the digiframe, and it's... well, less boring than what we've been forced to deal with previously. AMEX Digital is acting rather proactively by outing two newcomers with lots of extra functionality bundled in. 'Course, it remains to be seen if you're even interested in those extra goodies, but you can appreciate the effort regardless. The SR-7 includes a 7-inch 800 x 480 display and doubles as a radio controlled clock (with dual alarms) and a digital indoor thermometer; as for the SW-7, it includes most of the same features but throws in weather forecasting to boot. There's no price or release date to share on either, but we get the impression AMEX will be willing to let these go pretty cheap.%Gallery-43578%
The byd:sign digital photo frame with 1Seg: like a TV, but way, way smaller
If you've been getting tired of the steady stream of ho-hum digital photo frames hitting the market lately, maybe the DP-1001DW is your density... er, destiny. The new pic-viewer from Japanese maker byd:sign has one notable feature that really sets it apart from the unruly riff-raff of the digiframe world... a 1Seg tuner. While you get a 10.2-inch, 800 x 480 display, a contrast ratio of 300:1, support for MPEG, XviD, and MP3 files, as well as a totally attractive choice of a white or black bezel, you also have the totally orginal option of... watching TV. So, really, it's more like a 10.2-inch television. That only works in Asia. In all fairness, it does appear to sport an alarm clock as well. No word on price or release date, but we don't plan to budge until this is nestled tightly in a corner of our home... being viewed by a tiny human or small animal.
Isabella Products intros cellular-connected Vizit photo frame
There's certainly no shortage of internet-connected digital photo frames out there, but those looking for a truly out-of-the-box experience may want to keep an eye out for Isabella Products' new Vizit frame, which ditches the usual WiFi and Ethernet in favor of a more convenient (and more expensive) cellular connection. Unfortunately, Isabella Products doesn't seem ready to get too specific with things just yet, with it only saying that the frame boasts a "high resolution" 10.2-inch touchscreen, and that it'll be tied to the as yet non-existent Vizitme.com website, which promises to let users share photos and engage in a whole host of other social networking activities. As you might have guessed, you'll also have to fork over an unspecified monthly subscription fee, but the frame itself is at least a reasonable $299.[Via LetsGoMobile]
Samsung / Chumby prototype digiframe hands-on
The Samsung / Chumby digiframe was on hand at CES in a very, very early prototype form. In fact, the demo units didn't even have a back plate covering up the innards. We were told that Samsung's contribution is the processor within, and plans are to release it to market before the end of '09. Our early impressions? The widgets were liquid smooth and lookin' good; the video playback, however, was less than acceptable. Have a glance below for an early look.%Gallery-41417%
Smartparts introduces four new new digiframes from 2.4- to 19-inches
Smartparts is really aiming to span the full range of things here at CES by announcing four new digital photo frames that range from 2.4- to 19-inches in size. Starting on the small side, we've got the 2.4-inch SP24PC and 3.5-inch SP35PC, both of which tout touch sensitive screens and feature a 320 x 240 resolution. The only difference between the two is the amount of internal storage; the former holds around 50 images while the latter holds 100. Moving up significantly is the 10-inch SPX10WF (800 x 600 resolution) and the 19-inch SPX19WF (1,448 x 880), which tout one-push internet setup, automatic image correction and built-in WiFi modules. All four are slated to ship in March for $29.99, $39.99, $199.99 and $299.99 in order of mention. Full releases are after the break.
Skyla Memoir scanning digiframe caught on video
Remember Skyla's scanning digiframe? This company has managed to market a $219 piece of technology that does something that people have been doing for a hundred years without scanners, screen resolution, RAM or any of that good stuff. And you know what? It's pretty sweet. Pretty, pretty, pretty sweet. Don't believe us? Check out the video and decide for your own self.
ViewSonic goes crazy with nine new digital photo frames
Talk about covering all of your bases. ViewSonic has unloaded a netbook, a 3D LCD and a 3D projector here at CES, but it has somehow found the time to also unload not one, not eight, but nine new digital photo frames. It's adding in the 7-inch VFM735-52M, 8-inch VFM835-52M and 10-inch VFM1035W-52M to its SwifTouch lineup for $129, $159 and $189, respectively, and it's also busting out a full line of 4:3 frames for those still deathly afraid of widescreen. Finally, it's previewing a pair of all-in-one frames with inbuilt alarm clocks and AM / FM radio, both of which are on track for a Q2 release at $99.
IPEVO's Kaleido R7 wireless digital photo frame
Yeah, we know, we're kinda tired of the whole digital photo frame thing too. Usually their styling is a little too classical, too modern, or just too cheap. So, while perusing the halls at the Digital Experience on the eve of CES, we were happy to see something with a fresh, clean design that also offers plenty of functionality: IPEVO's upcoming Kaleido R7. It's a 7-inch, 800 x 480 TFT LCD with 512MB of memory, plus an SD card slot if you're into physically moving your pictures around. The idea, though, is to connect wirelessly, and the frame seems able to sync with any tool you like, whether it's Flickr, Picasa, iPhoto, or just a vanilla RSS feed on a PC or Mac. You can even send pics straight from your iPhone. The frame also can be rotated vertically or horizontally and sports a simple array of controls for navigation. It's a little bulky, and a little funky, but we like it, and though its $199 asking price is a bit steep if you have tons of photos in tons of places and are looking for a solid way to get them all displayed, this could be a good option when it drops in March.
Samsung and Chumby partner on internet-connected digiframes
Looking for candidness? We never thought we'd see the day when Chumby and Samsung were collaborating, but we can't help but dole out a round of golf claps for the effort here. As the digiframe market declines from monotonous to completely boring, these two are hoping to put some spunk back into the sector via the power of the world wide web. Here at CES, the pair is showcasing a reference design built on Sammy's S3C6410 application processor for internet-connected digital photo frames. Essentially, it'll enable frames to not only play back media, but to access social networks, messaging services, games, internet radio, video clips, streaming news, weather information, RSS feeds and all sorts of other web-based content. Strangely, the release (hosted after the break) notes that the design is "available now from Chumby," though it doesn't seem that commercialization is yet within sight.
Sony debuts four new Bluetooth-ready digital photo frames
We know, the digiframe market is just downright saturated with ho hum offerings that offer little innovation and oodles of boring, but Sony's got four out today at CES that are just a step or two above the rest. Kicking things off is the top-end DPF-X1000 ($300; March) and second-tier DPF-V1000 ($250; March), both of which offer 10-inch panels, an alarm clock, auto dimmer, a variety of slideshow functions, an auto orientation sensor and a bit of magic that "auto corrects the white balance" in your photos. The former model arrives with 2GB of internal storage and sports a black / wood-trimmed motif, while the latter fellow gets half the storage and a less striking silver trim. Following those two are the 9-inch DPF-D92 and 8-inch DPF-D82, both of which have a VGA panel, 1GB of memory and would love be wall-mounted.%Gallery-40927%
Pandigital intros PanTouch Clear photo frames
Pandigital's just announced two new digital photo frames (we like to think you can never have enough of 'em!) -- the PanTouch Clear -- which comes in both 7 and 8-inch models. The company's pushing the "floating" image theme with this pair, which boast an 800 x 600 resolution, a 4:3 aspect ratio, 6-in-1 card reader, and touchscreen interface. No word on when they're going to be available, but the 7-incher will run $119, with the 8-inch model going for $139.99.
Eviant introduces 4.3-, 7- and 19-inch digital televisions at CES
Can't say we've ever heard of Eviant, but it's tough to ignore a 4.3-inch television. No, we didn't mistakenly write "television" in place of "digiframe" -- the company is seriously pumping out 4.3-inch (T4) and 7-inch (T7) digital portable televisions, both of which are fully prepared to handle the looming DTV transition. Without any additional hardware, both sets can receive ATSC OTA signals, and there's also a built-in Li-ion battery and inbuilt speakers for good measure. In slightly less amazing news, it's also busting out a 19-inch (T19) digital TV with an integrated ATSC / NTSC tuner, HDMI / S-Video / VGA / composite inputs and a 1,440 x 900 native resolution. The whole trio is expected to ship this quarter for $169.99, $199.99 and $299.99 in order of mention. Read - T4 / T7 releaseRead - T19 release
D-Link's Xtreme N DIR-685 router is also a digiframe / NAS device
Go 'head, D-Link, get down with your bad self. Seriously, we can't remember the last time a router got us all hot and bothered, but this one's just too wild to not get stoked about. The Xtreme N DIR-685 is hailed as an "all-in-one home network router," and we'd say it puts a new meaning to "all-in-one." Aside from handling the normal duties of an 802.11n wireless access point, the device also includes a 3.2-inch LCD for displaying photos and / or widgets. As if that wasn't zany enough, it also supports both UPnP server functions and BitTorrent downloads. How so, you ask? The twin USB ports on the rear enable users to plug in vanilla external hard drives and essentially convert them into NAS drives, making the data on each accessible over the web. Sadly, no price is mentioned for this conglomerate, but we don't expect it to come cheap.
LG Digital Photo Frame TV makes sure there's always something on
Having triumphed over all concerns about what to do while your HDTV is on, LG has turned its focus to what happens when you switch your display off. The 47-inch Digital Photo TV flicks over to a low power idle memory mode, using 10-15 percent the power it would while on and displays a static picture like fine art, vacation pics, or perhaps that picture on Facebook your friend simply won't stop tagging you in no matter how many times you tell them you could get in really big trouble if anyone ever notices when and where it was taken. They're calling this a concept display, but we wouldn't at all be surprised to see televisions sliding into the digital photo frame space sooner rather than later. Check out the full release after the break.
Another pair of infected digiframes promise to ruin the rest of your holiday break
Oh, geez. Not this again. Just months after everyone involved with that virus-ridden Insignia frame finally cleaned things up, here comes two new reports that select frames could indeed be shipping from the factory with malware pre-installed. For starters, the 1.5-inch Mercury Digital Photo Keychain -- which is sold at Walmart and other fine retailers -- seems to have some pretty nasty software loaded on, and Amazon has went so far as to issue an alert that some Samsung SPF-85H frames are leaving the dock with the 32.Sality.AE worm on the installation disc. Something tells us someone in quality control couldn't quite get in the holiday spirit.[Via Slashdot]
iriver's Framee-M digiframe: only tolerable for Mickey enthusiasts
Man, it's amazing the difference a single letter makes. Take the Framee-L, for example -- a stately, classically styled digital photo frame that would do practically any coffee table proud. Now have a gander at the almost frightening Framee-M (above). iriver has evidently coerced Disney to afford it the luxury of producing this here digiframe, which -- sad to say -- looks downright shoddy from here. The unit will be made available in both Mickey and Minnie flavors, with each housing 1GB of internal storage space, a 3.5-inch 320 x 240 resolution display, SDHC expansion slot, a built-in clock and a multimedia player for good measure. It's taking Japan by storm as we speak for ¥9,999 ($111).[Via DAPReview, thanks Michael]
TRENDnet rolls out 7-inch digital photo frame / camera monitor
Well, it looks like the ol' softies and TRENDnet have finally found a way to liven up the family photo slideshow a bit: 'round the clock security camera footage! To make that possible, the company's new 7-inch TV-M7 photo frame connects to your home network and is able to detect any wireless TRENDnet security cameras also connected to the network, which can be displayed on their own or four at a time on the screen. Otherwise, the device looks to be a fairly standard photo frame, with it packing 512MB of built-in storage and a memory card slot for further expansion, along with a remote control, a built-in speaker, and all the usual media playback functionality. As you might expect, however, you won't get this one for the price of your usual 7-inch photo frame, with it running a somewhat hefty $262.99.[Via Chip Chick]
Kairen's DF24B: the tiny digital frame for your tiny digital photos
If you're the sort who laughs at those DSLR-lugging amateurs, deriding their attempts to stay current as the megapixel wars rage on, this may be the digital photo frame for you. It's called the DF24B from Kairen, and is the perfect way to show off those crummy, pixelated shots accumulating on your flip-phone with its vertically-oriented (like most mobile pics) 2.4-inch, 320 x 240 LCD and 2MB of internal storage. Yes, that's megabytes, enough to store 27 thoroughly compressed images according to the manufacturer. Why it has any storage at all is a bit of a mystery, though, since the thing requires a USB connection for power, meaning it might as well just suck those photos straight from your hard drive (unless you're rocking a dedicated USB charger). No formal price has been set, but it's expected to release this month for around ¥6,800, or about $75. That puts it about $5 shy of MIMO's 7-inch mini-display, which is a much smarter buy -- unless you're afraid to blow those pics up any larger. [Via Impress]
Kodak's 7.6-inch OLED photo frame now available on Amazon
We knew it was coming, but Amazon is now listing Kodak's Flickr-compatible OLED 7.6-inch photo frame as in stock and shipping for $999.95. They say a picture is worth a thousand words -- here, that word is "dollar."[Via OLED]
iriver's 7-inch Framee-L digiframe handles multimedia just fine
It's darn tough to pump out a digiframe that's not immediately forgettable these days, but if anybody can do it, iriver can. The subtly beautiful 7-inch Framee-L features a 720 x 480 resolution display, 1GB of inbuilt memory, an SD / MMC card slot, USB port and an alarm feature for waking you in the mornings (or nights, if you roll like that). Furthermore, you'll find a capable multimedia player that can handle photo slideshows, all sorts of audio files and even MPEG-4 AVC / H.264, AVI and Motion JPEG video formats. It'll hit Japan just before Santa takes flight for ¥17,800 ($196).[Via SlashGear]
