Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

I have to give LG credit for at least trying to make the over-saturated digital photo frame market a bit more interesting. Their DP889 unit not only features an 8-inch LCD display but also has an integrated DVD player. So not only can you browse photos that are stored on a DVD or a CD, but you can also use the unit as a portable DVD player with the supplied battery pack providing up to 3 1/2 hours of playback. Other features include audio/video inputs and outputs allowing you to connect other devices like a game console, a 3-in1 memory card slot, a flash drive compatible USB port, built-in speakers and even dual headphone jacks. And while LG lists the DP889 as having an MSRP of $279.95, Circuit City currently has it on sale for $199.99.

[ LG DP889 ] VIA [ Chip Chick ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It’s easy to share a digital photo via email or a public website, but how do you accommodate those family members who haven’t quite embraced the digital age just yet? Well one option is to upgrade your digital photo frame to one of these models from Prinics which feature a built-in 5×7 printer. That way, when your parents are scrolling through baby photos and lamenting about how they’d really love a copy of a particular shot, you can print one out for them right then and there.

The printers use a special, self-contained photo paper & ink cartridge that’s extremely easy to replace, and since the cartridges are completely sealed, they apparently have an unlimited ‘use-by’ date. I’m not sure how much the cartridges cost (which is a factor that could make or break the product) but each one is good for 36 shots. The Prinics frames come in either 7 or 8 inch models and besides the printer they also feature memory card slots, an easy to use GUI, a remote control and even patterned or plain black acrylic frames. Unfortunately the Prinics site is a little vague when it comes to pricing, but if they intend to compete in the 5×7 photo printer market they’ll have to aim for a reasonable MSRP.

[ Prinics Photo Frame Printer ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Besides dropping in price, digital picture frames have advanced quite a bit over the past few years. The resolutions and image quality have definitely improved, and instead of having to rely on a small set of buttons or a cramped remote for navigating through hundreds of photos, they now feature intuitive touch screen interfaces. On the other hand, touch screens usually means your display ends up covered in fingerprints, which is why Kodak’s latest model, the EasyShare P520, features something they call the ‘Quick Touch Border’ which is basically a touch-sensitive strip that runs around the perimeter of the LCD. The UI can be navigated using just the touch border, and like the iPhone, it even allows you to swipe your finger across the bottom to easily scroll through your photos.

Other features include a USB port and dual SD card slots for expanding your storage space (I’m not sure how much memory the frame actually comes with) a 5-inch LCD color screen that uses ‘Kodak Color Science’ for “vibrant colors and crisp detail” and your choice of silver, red or white frames. It should be available sometime in September for $79.95.

[ Kodak EasyShare P520 ] VIA [ Gear Live ]

By Luke Anderson

Digital picture frames are nothing new, however, the guys over at RedPost are taking the idea a little bit further than most companies. Rather than selling a puny 7-inch screen with an SD card slot, they’ve got their RedPost Sign (beta) which has a lot more to offer. First, it has a nice 19-inch screen, which not only is great for viewing pictures but also makes it great as signage for business purposes. On the inside you’ll find a tiny PC with a 1.5GHz VIA C7 CPU and 1GB of RAM running a custom Linux distro. Now that’s my kind of picture frame.

I’ve actually had the opportunity to test out one of these Signs, and I must say that I never actually thought about purchasing a digital frame until I saw this. One of the first things you have to get past is the fact that it is big and heavy. The frame itself is around 3.5” thick, (4.5” if you count the Wi-Fi antenna sticking out the back) and while I didn’t have a scale handy, I would guess that it would take more than two swallows to carry one of these (even if they were African swallows). The size and weight are due to the fact that they are building them by hand out of industrial materials, and they’re packing a small computer on the inside.

If you’re the kind of person that loves Linux, you’ll love the Sign. Your storage device is actually a flash drive, which not only makes it easy to upgrade, but it makes installing a new OS quite simple. Just pop it into your desktop and install. If you’re more into Windows, you could always put on a copy of TinyXP or something similar to suit your needs. You can read my entire review after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Luke Anderson

I’m something of an animal lover. No, not the “save the whales” or “carry my dog in a purse” kind of guy (or a guy that carries anything in a purse for that matter), but the kind that enjoys seeing animals and loves his pets. That being said, I’m completely creeped out by this digital picture frame. Why? Because it holds the ashes of your dead pet.

I get that some people really love their animals, but holding onto their ashes is just a bit weird in my eyes. Then to take things a step further and enclose the remains in a digital frame is just too much for me. For those interested, you’ll be able to hold 256MB worth of pictures (I’m sure you’ll have no problem filling it up) and view them on a 7-inch screen. The price is a bit salty at $249, but who cares? Nothing but the best for your pet, right?

[ Pet-Urns ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Luke Anderson

If you’ve ever purchased a digital picture frame for someone, chances are that you went ahead and opened it to upload some photos for them. If you don’t do this and you’re giving it as a gift to someone that isn’t very tech-savvy, then they won’t likely know what to do with it. Well Kodak is now giving you the option to pre-load the pictures before it is even shipped out of the factory, how handy is that?

While some people might want to actually upload the pictures themselves, this sounds like a pretty handy option. All you need to do is upload 100 pictures to a Kodak Gallery account, and they’ll stick them on an SD card, which will be shipped along with the frame. While I’m not sure that it will be widely used, I think it’s awesome that Kodak is giving us the option. Mind you, this service isn’t free, it’ll set you back $20, but at least that includes the price of the SD card.

[ Kodak ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Pandigital primarily makes digital photo frames, so it’s not surprising to see the company doing all it can to get you to buy one for everyone room in your house. Their latest effort is the Pandigital Kitchen HDTV/Digital Cookbook/Digital Photo Frame which could probably have been shortened into a more marketing-friendly name. It’s a 1280×720 15-inch LCD display that includes ATSC & NTSC tuners as well as s-video, component and HDMI inputs allowing it to be used as a TV. But it also comes pre-loaded with a large collection of recipes that are stored in its 512MB of internal memory. More recipes can be added by the user, though I have no idea what format they’re in. Not surprisingly it also serves as a digital photo frame and has an integrated 6-in-1 card reader supporting SD, XD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro/Duo, CF and MMC cards.

Because it’s designed to be used in the kitchen, the display is sealed in glass protecting it from splattered ingredients and making it particularly easy to clean. It includes a remote control that can be safely tucked away when the food starts flying and has a touch screen interface that can be used even when your fingers are dirty.

It should be available sometime in June with an MSRP of $399.99.

[ Pandigital Kitchen HDTV/Digital Cookbook/Digital Photo Frame (PDF) ] VIA [ Digital Trends ]

By Luke Anderson

If you didn’t know, Polaroid recently announced that they will no longer be producing the instant film that made the company a household name. However, someone has created a concept gadget that would keep it alive forever.

This may look like an unusually thick Polaroid, which is exactly how it is meant to look. However, it is a digital picture frame with a small whiteboard underneath. It would have a built-in stand in the back and a memory card reader in the bottom for loading pics. If this were priced reasonably enough, I think it could sell well, if only for nostalgic reasons.

VIA [ Ironic Sans ]

By Andrew Liszewski

As digital photo frames become larger, at what point do you draw the line between a dedicated photo viewer and an LCD TV/monitor? I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure there’s a technical standard somewhere that says once you put a tacky faux-wood frame around the outside edge, the LCD has to be sold as a digital photo frame. And that’s how you end up with this huge 32-inch model from Smartparts (which I’ve typed as Smartpants at least 10 times now.)

Besides the size, there’s unfortunately not much else to be impressed with. It has a resolution of 1366×768, which is perfect for displaying your 1 megapixel photos, and includes just 256MB of internal memory. As for file support, it can load JPG files off of an MS, SD or CF card, and also supports various video formats like MPEG, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, WMA and AVIs. I will give it credit for also supporting PDF and PowerPoint files, making the display a bit more useful for office environments.

I’m not sure when the SP3200 will be available (it could be already) but it will supposedly come with an $899 price tag.

[ Smartparts SP3200 ] VIA [ I4U News ]