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Insignia photo frame virus much nastier than originally thought
Ugh, we were already sick of digital photo frames -- and now it looks those now-discontinued virus-ridden Insignia units from Best Buy and several other models produced in China were carrying a much nastier trojan that we'd originally heard. According to an analyst form Computer Associates, the trojan, called Mocmex, is able to block more than 100 types of security and anti-virus software from killing it, and bypasses the Windows firewall to download files from remote locations, spreading them randomly over your hard drive and any portable storage device you plug into your PC -- like, for example, a digital photo frame. The trojan is apparently set to only steal gaming passwords at present, but CA says it's capable of stealing nearly any information on your machine, and thinks it might be a test for a much worse virus yet to come. Infected frames have come from Sam's Club, Target and Costco, in addition to Best Buy, so we'd say to avoid picking one up until this mess gets sorted out -- or, you know, forever.
Mustek's 5-in-1 PF-D240 digiframe does more than just slideshows
Oh yeah, we've seen multi-purpose digiframes before, but Mustek's latest manages to handle five whole tasks only marginally well. You heard right -- this minuscule device packs a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 panel for showing wallet-sized digital images along with an alarm clock, FM radio, built-in MP3 player and a thermometer. You'll also find an MMC / SD expansion slot for loading up those precious memories, a USB 2.0 connector and a pair of skull-crushing one-watt speakers to boot. No price is listed, but judging by the design alone, we'd say that's probably for the best.[Via CNET]
Best Buy confirms it sold virus-infected Insignia photo frames, no recall in the works
As we noted a week back, Best Buy's house-brand Insignia photo frames are indeed virus-infected, but now it appears Best Buy is doing something about it. Unfortunately, info is still slim at the moment from company lips. Best Buy says it's "connecting with our customers who may have been impacted," and has pulled remaining inventory from the shelves, but there are no plans for a recall of the infected NS-DPF10A, and Best Buy won't specify what specific type of malware we're dealing with. Best Buy seems to think that anti-virus software should have no problem dealing with the old-ish trojan in the frames, and recommends customers plug the frame into a PC and run some current anti-virus software to eradicate the malware. Macs are unaffected, and Apple could be seen on the playground making smarmy remarks about the incident to anyone who'd listen.
AgfaPhoto intros new Linux-based, WiFi-equipped digital photo frame
Digital photo frames have been doing quite a bit more than simply displaying photos for some time now, but it looks like AgfaPhoto's new WiFi-equipped, 8-inch AF5080W model could be among the most versatile yet, especially among those with a penchant for making their "improvements." Leading the way in that respect is the frame's Linux roots, along with the Freescale i.MX31 system-on-chip that device is built around. Of course, even if you're not interested in the tweaking possibilities, you'll still be able to get plenty done with the frame right out of the box, including playback of various video formats (including H.264 AVI), and playback of MP3 and WMA audio files -- and photos, naturally. No word on a price, but you can apparently look for this one to hit Europe before it makes its way over here.
Philips pops out new Digital PhotoFrame lineup
While everybody else is busy sticking WiFi, RSS and other fancy fun in their digital photo frames, Philips is sticking to the basics with its generically-titled Digital PhotoFrame displays. Hitting 5.6-inch, 7-inch and 8-inch sizes, the new frames feature RadiantColor "tech" to stretch the image colors to the edge of the frame and a Collage Effect to display multiple photos at once, but there's really nothing going on here. Prices range from $70 to $140, and all the frames will be out in Q1 2008.%Gallery-12866%
D-Link debuts DSM-210 10-inch WiFi photo frame
We love us a decent WiFi photo frame, and D-Link seems to have a keeper with this here DSM-210 10-incher. The frame can pull photos from RSS feeds, USB drives, flash cards and a special Yahoo Widget that lets you drop an image from you desktop and have it appear automagically on the DSM-210. You can also sync with calendar programs, and various online news and other info via RSS. There's an Ethernet plug in the back if WiFi isn't your style, and the frame also has a rechargeable battery if you're looking to do things completely wire free. The DSM-210 will be out Q1 2008 for $250.
Whirlpool's expansive centralpark system gets new upgrades
At this point it's fairly safe to say the whole concept of technology-integrated refrigerators hasn't really caught on, but certainly not because people aren't willing to drop coin on a nice new cooler. Really, it's got more to do with the fact that you simply can't upgrade anything once you've dropped that first chunk of change. Unfortunately for GE, since it was introduced last year, Whirlpool's centralpark hasn't been much more effective at tackling that problem, despite offering up a common -- but not ubiquitous or open -- interface for fridge devices. But there is that single, revealingly-named Whirlpool GD5VVAXT to connect this year's centralpark devices to, including: Ceiva digital photo frame - 8-inch display, media reader, $250, looks a bit familiar. Brandmotion iPod dock - Guess what it does! Price not yet announced. Clio Vu - Dock and display mount for your Clio NXT, running Oh yeah, you don't have a Clio NXT, because pretty much no one does. Quartet Qnote Message Center - Simple, boring glass note taker with dry-erase markers. %Gallery-12644%
Shogo: the WiFi-enabled touchscreen digiframe
These days, you can't just whip up another me-too WiFi-enabled digital photo frame and expect consumers to swoon. Oh no, you've got add a dash of innovation to grab those hard-earned dollars. Thankfully, it seems that Shogo has received the memo, as its duo of 8-inch frames is apparently the first to be WiFi-enabled and rock a touchscreen. The SG 080 sports 1GB of internal storage while the SG 081a holds just 512MB, but both models share an 800 x 600 resolution panel, a multicard reader and a built-in rechargeable battery. Additionally, ShogoLive users can add photos from popular online image portals (think Flickr, Picasa, etc.) as well as connect to internet radio stations and scroll through RSS feeds. Regrettably, there's no mention of an actual price, but according to the firm's website, these should start showing up at "major consumer electronics retailers" real soon.
Smartparts prepping a 32-inch photo frame, another with built-in printer for CES
The last time Smartparts hit us with CES-related photo frame PR, we pretty much told the company to stop wasting everyone's time and either go big or go home -- and it looks like they decided to go big, because this year we're being treated to the world's biggest digital photo frame, the 32-inch SP3200. The 16:9 frame sports a 1366x768 resolution and Smartpart's OptiPix tech, but until we hear some pricing info we're not going to be convinced that frame sizes haven't hit the point of diminishing returns. Smartparts also says it'll be rolling out the SP8PRT frame with built-in photo printer, but it's not giving up any other details just yet -- but we'll get it out of 'em in Vegas, just you wait.
Polaroid unveils 7-inch XSJ-00750M digital photo frame
Just as soon as Digital Foci introduced a trio of digital photo frames, along comes Polaroid with a 7-incher of its own. The XSJ-00750M rocks a 480 x 234 widescreen panel, 400:1 contrast ratio, 250 cd/m2 brightness, USB 2.0 connectivity and a multicard reader that handles SD, MMC, CF, MS, MSPro and MSDuo. Aside from sifting through your JPEG collection, it also plays back MP3 files, and just in case you've got a thing for varying colors, you'll be delighted to know that this one comes with black, white and wood colored frames. Grab one next month (if you're in Japan, that is) for ¥17,000 ($149).[Via FarEastGizmos]
Digital Foci rolling out trio of new digital photo frames
Some nine months after Digital Foci unveiled the IMT-062, the firm is gearing up for CES 2008 with a trio of newcomers (entire family shown). Up first is the revamped Image Moments 6 (IMT-063), which sports a 5.7-inch 640 x 480 LED-backlit panel, a two-tone polished chrome finish and built-in stereo speakers. Moving on up, we've got the Image Moments 8 (IMT-083), which ups the ante with a 800 x 600 resolution panel and a 500:1 contrast ratio, and just in case that's not enough screen real estate for you, there's the 15-inch IMT-153, which packs a XGA (1,024 x 768) resolution, 700:1 contrast ratio, an AV input, interchangeable frame / mat and VESA mountability. The trifecta includes 200MB of storage, USB 2.0 connectivity and a multicard reader that handles a smorgasbord of formats, and all three should be available in March for $149, $199 and $399, respectively.
Brando offers up 2.4-inch digital photo frame, isn't joking
Generally speaking, we've seen digital photo frames get additional features, boosts in screen size and increases in resolution, but Brando is taking innovation in the opposite direction with its "portable" iteration. After triple checking to make sure this wasn't some sort of sick holiday prank, it looks as if the firm actually is offering up a 2.4-inch frame that touts a 320 x 240 resolution panel, comes with your choice of transparent or heart-shaped frames and gets its juice from a built-in Li-ion / USB port. Heck, you'll even get 16MB of internal storage space -- enough for 32 photos! If you're absolutely sure the novelty won't wear off after 7.3 minutes of use, feel free to cough up $45 and bring one home.
Ality's Wireless PIXXA puts more internet in the photo frame
And we thought we were getting all fancy with RSS-capable wireless photo frames. The new Wireless PIXXA 8-inch WiFi frame from Ality not only works with the likes of Flickr, but syncs with popular online calendars and news sites as well, including a special Photo Messenger feature that allows friends to push embarrassing photos instantly onto the frame and in view of your holiday guests. The 800 x 600 resolution should be plenty, and in addition to the traditional card reader there's 2GB of built-in storage. Ality should be selling the PIXXA in the first half of next year for $299.[Via Born Rich]
Mustek's PF-i700 digiframe rocks an iPod dock
Granted, you may have assumed that an iPod wouldn't be caught dead snuggling with a digital photo frame, but strange though it may be, that assumption has just been proven wrong. Mustek's PF-i700 inelegantly combines Apple's darling with a 7-inch digiframe, giving house guests a perfect opportunity to squint at the iPod's screen rather than focusing on what's really important. Nevertheless, the unit sports a 480 x 243 resolution panel, stereo speakers, a headphone jack, USB port and support for SD, xD, MMC and Memory Stick / MS Pro cards. 'Course, you can purportedly play back videos and photo slideshows stored on your iPod too, but you won't be snagging one until next March when it lands for $129.99.
Toshiba's new Tekbright 7-inch photo frame
We can't help getting distracted by fond memories of Lite-Brites with a name like this, but that toy of yore really has nothing on Toshiba Tekbright's 7-inch 720 x 480 photo frame -- as long as you discount love, rainbows and happiness. The Tekbright photo frame includes 64MB of built-in storage, USB 2.0, plenty of memory card slots, and simultaneous MP3 playback. The 129 Euro pricetag ($190 US) isn't exactly free, and the looks aren't anything special, but we're sure this Europe-only frame will find a home or three for the holidays.
Computer Memories photo frame stores more than a 5 x 7
Although this item doesn't fall into the digital photo frame classification per se, there's plenty of bits and bytes surrounding the 5- x 7-inch photo within. This clever creation features a relatively vanilla wooden frame, a glamorous stock shot of silhouettes on a beach and numerous sticks of random access memory adorning the borders. Yes, this here frame can hold "megabytes of loving memories," but let's be honest, you're buying this for the conversation factor. Or, at least you will when it returns to stock. Of course, we're pretty sure the mildly seasoned DIY'er could assemble one of these without much fuss, so click on through for one more angle if you're ready to roll up those sleeves and get to it.[Via Engadget Chinese]
Emtrace's Photoskins digiframe fits in your wallet
Just in case you weren't exactly keen on buying a new wallet just to get a digital photo frame built in, Emtrace is offering up the perfect alternative. The ultrathin Photoskins PS100 is skinny enough to slide right inside your wallet, and it can also be docked in a cradle and used as a "Widget-Player." Regrettably, that's all the information that's available right now, but hang tight, all the nitty-gritty details you crave should be just around the bend.
EDGE Tech offers up 12-inch digital photo frame
We've got a strange feeling that digiframes are going to be relatively hot this holiday season, but maybe the sudden rash of offerings are just coincidentally launching weeks before Black Friday. Regardless of the reasons, EDGE Tech is hitting us up with a 12-inch version of its own, which features a decent 800 x 600 resolution, USB connectivity, support for AVI, BMP, JPEG, MPEG1/2/4, WAV and WMA files, and flash card inputs that play nice with SD, MMC, Memory Stick, MS Pro, CompactFlash and Microdrive. It shouldn't shock you to hear that this piece also handles automatic slideshows and can even sing back via the integrated stereo speakers, and while there's no option for WiFi here, it'll only run you $129.95 after rebate.[Via DigitalTechNews]
Parrot's DF7700 MMS photo frame -- go ahead, share your creepiness
Man, if you thought drunk dialing and texting was embarrassing, just wait until Parrot releases the world's first MMS photo frame. Due before the holidays are through, the 7-inch, DF7700 display features a SIM card with dedicated call number built directly into the frame. It also touts USB and SD slots for quick image transfer as well as position and light sensors to keep photos upright and looking their best regardless of your own tragic state of disrepair. Sorry, no price or product images (that's their DF7220 up there), but we think we've captured the typical holiday break-up scenario for you above, eh?
cenOmax enters digiframe game with seven-inch F7012A
If you're spinnin' your wheels trying to figure out exactly who cenOmax is, simmer down -- it's only a new spinoff of Lite-On, okay? Now that we've handled that, the firm's first foray into the digital photo frame arena is the seven-inch F7012A, which sports a 480 x 234 resolution panel, 400:1 contrast ratio, a USB port and a multicard reader capable of handling 15 different formats. Furthermore, this one supports MP3 playback through its built-in speakers, allows for automatic slideshows and also includes an integrated alarm / calendar. For Halloween (er, right?), the frame comes bundled with black (shown after the break) and orange clip-on frames, but users can theme it up however they like for a variety of occasions. As of now, this one's available only in Europe for £48 ($98), but we've got enough alternatives here in the US to keep our hearts from breaking.[Via Pocket-Lint]
