High-End Frames Living Large
By Greg Scoblete -- TWICE, 6/18/2007
NEW YORK — Three frame vendors announced new, high-end models with large screen sizes and wireless capability to entice the tech savvy.
Digital Spectrum Solutions' 10.4-inch MemoryFrame 8104 is Wi-Fi enabled and supports Windows Media Connect and Connect Now functionality. It features 256MB of internal memory, digital music and video playback, a memory card reader and USB slot.
The wireless frame is capable of viewing images stored on photo Web sites such as Webshots, Flickr, Windows Live Spaces and Digital Spectrum's "My Memory Frame" page.
The frame is shipping now for a suggested $349.
MediaStreet will ship a Bluetooth-enabled digital photo frame to dealers this month. The 7-inch eMotion Bluetooth digital picture frame can accept images from Bluetooth camera phones and store them on the unit's 256MB of internal memory. It features a 234 by 480 resolution screen, memory card slots for the popular formats and a USB port for accepting images from flash drives.
In addition to JPEG and BMP images, the frame supports MP3 and WMA audio and AVI and MPEG-1/-2/-4 video playback. The frame will retail for an estimated $149 and includes a remote control and interchangeable frames.
According to the company, a Wi-Fi-enabled frame will be introduced later in the summer.
Smartparts announced its first 15-inch mode, offering a 1,024 by 768 resolution LCD screen with 256MB of internal memory and a card reader.
The unit will be bundled with the firm's OptiPix Pro software for finding and optimizing images for transferring to the frame. It can also load PowerPoint slides, PDF files and graphic files onto the frame.
The frame can play back MP3 files through built-in speakers and ships with a remote control. According to the company, Circuit City, Staples and B&H Photo have picked up the model. It carries a suggested retail of $299.
