Anybody used a photo frame?

[Doctor Q]

I'm considering recommending a digital photo frame, like this 5.6" one from Westinghouse, for a lady who has no computer or iPod (yes, there are such people), likes displaying photos of her family, but has run out of display space. Currently, she has an end table crowded with small photo frames, so that some of them block the others, and she is out of space to display any more.

Her budget is small, so I think a digital photo frame might suit her exactly, even though an iPod nano could do so many more tricks. All she wants is a way to keep her photos on display.

I figure I can take a small compact flash card (the one that came with my camera and which I immediately replaced with a much larger one), fill it with her family photos (which I can get from her relatives), and she can put it on the end table to replace one, many, or all of the current frames.

Even though an iPod could do so much more for a reasonable price, a photo frame better matches her simple requirement and has no learning curve (good for somebody who has trouble changing the VCR clock).

She'd just plug it in and it would cycle through all her photos. Then I can update the collection for her once in a while.

Has anybody purchased one of these? Any specific recommendations?

 

[CanadaRAM]

I recommend this one from Zenith

Actually, I have a unit here somewhere that cost $50 and takes a CF card, and then outputs any jpg's thereon to any TV with video inputs.

 

[rosalindavenue]

I have not used one but I have been watching the category for a while. I have an 87 year old grandmother who would not consider touching a computer. I gave her an iphoto book of my children and she is beside herself with joy; I want to give her more. The one you found is $129 at Best Buy; LINK.
The cheapest one I had seen before was $250. I am going to see her between Christmas and New Years and if I dont find a better one I will get her one and report back to the forum.

 

[balamw]

Seems like a good deal, though I would hope for at least VGA resolution on a 5.6" screen... QVGA is fine for a 2.5" screen like on the iPod 5G, but this seems a bit weak.

B

 

[Doctor Q]

Seems like a good deal, though I would hope for at least VGA resolution on a 5.6" screen... QVGA is fine for a 2.5" screen like on the iPod 5G, but this seems a bit weak.

I hadn't noticed that. I guess I'll need to see one in action before I get over my "commitment jitters".

 

[balamw]

I hadn't noticed that. I guess I'll need to see one in action before I get over my "commitment jitters".

Maybe it's not that bad. Works out to about 75 dpi...

B

 

[iDM]

I'm usually not one of those people quick to say "Oh my god i was wondering about ****** the other day," but I actually thought how cool it would be if in my new apartment i were to get one of these pretty weird this was a thread when i got up this morning!!

 

[iDM]

I recommend this one from Zenith

Actually, I have a unit here somewhere that cost $50 and takes a CF card, and then outputs any jpg's thereon to any TV with video inputs.

CanadaRAM you pointed my in the right direction with my ram purchase but I think this recommendation is a little off, Doctor Q would really have to do alot of cutting and cropping to make the pictures work with that small of a screen.

 

[Sunrunner]

Your not looking around enough. I have bought a number of these suckers for people, and the one that I think really is the best deal is HERE.

The price is right and the quality is good on this model.

 

[Applespider]

I'd love to get one for my godmother but in the UK, they seem to still be at the £250 mark for a 7x5" one!

Good luck finding one; I'm sure it will be much appreciated!

 

[Sunrunner]

I'd love to get one for my godmother but in the UK, they seem to still be at the £250 mark for a 7x5" one!

Good luck finding one; I'm sure it will be much appreciated!

See my post above

 

[Applespider]

See my post above

But since I'm in the UK and that will come with a US phone socket, US power charger etc, it's not really going to help.

Also not particularly the done thing to add your Amazon referrer code to the link...

 

[Sunrunner]

But since I'm in the UK and that will come with a US phone socket, US power charger etc, it's not really going to help.

I never really realized that the UK had different phone sockets. I knew the power was different, but not the phones.

 

[Doctor Q]

Your not looking around enough. I have bought a number of these suckers for people, and the one that I think really is the best deal is HERE.

The price is right and the quality is good on this model.

Very slick product. Downsides: You have to put the frame near a phone line, and you have to pay $6.95/month for the PicturePlan service.

 

[balamw]

I never really realized that the UK had different phone sockets. I knew the power was different, but not the phones.

Don't forget the $9.95/month for the Ceiva service you get locked into with this device? [Check their website it is now $9.95 for a monthly plan!] They do have a broadband adapter though which would allow you, together with a WiFi bridge, to move it away from a phone line.

Anyhow... I was wondering if any of the portable DVD players might be a good alternative here. A 5x7 frame corresponds roughly to an 8" diagonal screen and those players are ~$200 (or less) right now. They all seem to support some kind of JPEG slideshow and the media is straightforward and cheap (CD-R or DVD-R.)

B

 

[Doctor Q]

I found a 10.4-inch MemoryFrame, but it costs a bit more.

Anybody know what types of digital picture frames Bill Gates has in his home?

 

[Roy Hobbs]

I would buy this one.....

I'm considering recommending a digital photo frame, like this 5.6" one from Westinghouse, for a lady who has no computer or iPod (yes, there are such people), likes displaying photos of her family, but has run out of display space. Currently, she has an end table crowded with small photo frames, so that some of them block the others, and she is out of space to display any more.

Her budget is small, so I think a digital photo frame might suit her exactly, even though an iPod nano could do so many more tricks. All she wants is a way to keep her photos on display.

I figure I can take a small compact flash card (the one that came with my camera and which I immediately replaced with a much larger one), fill it with her family photos (which I can get from her relatives), and she can put it on the end table to replace one, many, or all of the current frames.

Even though an iPod could do so much more for a reasonable price, a photo frame better matches her simple requirement and has no learning curve (good for somebody who has trouble changing the VCR clock).

She'd just plug it in and it would cycle through all her photos. Then I can update the collection for her once in a while.

Has anybody purchased one of these? Any specific recommendations?

I would buy this one in a heartbeat, but Best Buy doesnt appear to have them in stock. Any one have any idea where to get this model??

 

[atszyman]

Very slick product. Downsides: You have to put the frame near a phone line, and you have to pay $6.95/month for the PicturePlan service.

Ceiva has it's uses. I bought one for my mom last year after our daughter's birth. Since she's in WI and I'm in TX it's nice that I can just email the pictures to an address that will upload them to the frame at night. This way she can get picture updates without ever having to log into the internet. Of course we've also been subsidizing the service as x-mas, birthday and mother's day gifts. However the backlight went out recently and it is currently in for service.

 

[m-dogg]

Thanks Doctor Q! You just gave me the perfect gift idea for my grandparents. I'm going to try checking out the Westinghouse modela @ Best Buy this weekend.

EDIT - D'oh! I just realized they don't have any available there...

 

[balamw]

I found a 10.4-inch MemoryFrame, but it costs a bit more.

Anybody know what types of digital picture frames Bill Gates has in his home?

They have 5.6 and 8" models too. Here's a link to the new 8" 640x480 for $199. The 5.6s have the same 320x240 is resolution.

http://www.pacificdigital.com/products.asp?gpcid=6&cid=34&scid=140&ItemID=791

I'm sure Bill Gates' frames put the one CRAM suggested earlier in the thread to shame.

B

 

[Lau]

Dr. Q, I like the first one you linked to because it looked more like a traditional photo frame. Some of the other look more like mini computer screens, and I would have thought someone non-techie might appreciate it looking classic, like the first link in brown or black.

 

[balamw]

Some of the other look more like mini computer screens, and I would have thought someone non-techie might appreciate it looking classic, like the first link in brown or black.

The 5x7 and 8x10 MemoryFrames from PacificDigital take that to the extreme of non-techie-ness. You can provide your own standard size frame.

B

 

[Doctor Q]

The 5x7 and 8x10 MemoryFrames from PacificDigital take that to the extreme of non-techie-ness. You can provide your own standard size frame.

Links:

PacificDigital 5x7 MemoryFrame $250

PacificDigital 8x10 MemoryFrame $450

And what's really cool -

PacificDigital 8x10 MemoryFrame, wireless version! $500

 

[balamw]

Although they're all currently out of stock. Buy.com has good prices on all of these frames.

http://www.buy.com/search/q/loc/273...e/electronics/dcii/2/mfgid/27871/showall.html

The 5.6" (5x7) ones are $129 and $199 while the 10.4" (8x10) ones are $349 and $399.

I still think the new 8" is a better deal at $199.

B

 

[SmurfBoxMasta]

Anybody know what types of digital picture frames Bill Gates has in his home?

my bro said the last time he was slammin ms. gates in the family room, he noticed that they had 8 or 10 frames made by Philips, she said bill likes them because they looked like small iMacs (clear frame with white accents)