Inbox:Digital photo frames are becoming more common as people gradually realise that they can't possibly print out all the photographs they take. One answer is simply to load photographs into a digital photo frame and enjoy the flood of pictures and videos without having to boot up a PC, writes Mike Butcher.
The Linx Ality digital photo frame (about €186) is stylish and a tad more affordable than many previous incarnations of this type of device. The slim, eight-inch model is packed with features and has stereo speakers in a svelte black finish. Perhaps the most fun aspect of the device is that an internal battery means you can pick it up and walk around with your pictures.
Touch-sensitive controls allow options to view video, audio and photographs from files stored either on the 512MB built-in memory or an inserted SD memory card. There is also a remote control.
However, the lack of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is limiting. A clock/calendar display and a scheduler for setting up slideshows at specific times comes in handy, though, while an AV-out socket means you can send music, video and photographs directly to a TV or stereo.
The Parrot Photo Viewer Bluetooth digital photo frame has a seven-inch screen and can do many of the same functions as the Linx Ality, but it is expensive, at about €229. The difference here is that the Photo Viewer is Bluetooth-enabled so it will accept photos from any Bluetooth camera phone. This suddenly turns it into a very interesting device. Why? Because we are gradually taking fewer photos with normal cameras, and more with camera phones, which are usually Bluetooth-enabled these days.
It also means that the digital photo frame can become a way of "editing" your shots and putting them into a form that you can view every day.
Photo Viewer is easy to use, with a simple on-screen menu and three buttons at the rear of the frame. But the features are simplistic, only allowing you to view either single photos at a time or a slideshow.
In addition, only 32MB of built-in memory is included and this cannot be upgraded. And, unlike the Linx, it has no internal battery, so the unit needs to be constantly hooked up to the mains.
The Parrot Photo Viewer is a good idea, but I'd wait longer for someone to really execute this idea well.
The Philips 9FF2M4 digital picture frame has a nine-inch display and comes with a set of coloured magnetic frames that enable you to change its appearance to suit the room's decor.
It takes most modern memory cards and has 20MB of built-in memory.
Photos transferred to it are resized to a smaller size, meaning you can squeeze in more photos. The frame's screen has plenty of features such as rotating pictures and special effects, but the ability to control sequence and frequency is more useful day-to-day. Unfortunately, it has no USB port (you have to load photos via a PC) or Bluetooth support.
Ultimately, digital photo frames remain a luxury item until prices come down to a more everyday purchase price, and they will.
However, one thing I was concerned about was the amount of power these things suck up, since in theory they are supposed to be on all the time. That's not good, given the new global emphasis on going "green".
