Picture Perfect

Taking digital pictures on your vacation is easy; what to do with them afterward is less straightforward. Uploading those palm tree-and-sunset photos to the computer, burning the files onto a CD, and bringing them to CVS to get them processed is simple enough. As is e-mailing the files to a Web photo shop like Ofoto. But then you’re left with prints, which need to be carefully sorted into photo albums and scrapbooks, if not tossed into a shoebox and hidden in the closet forever.Since one of the purposes of electronic files is to do away with the whole wood-pulp mess, I suggest putting digital photos in a digital picture frame. The new models from Epson, Digi-Frame, and Wallflower, let users upload the pictures and then display them on a screen that can be placed on a coffee table or hung on the wall. Users can set up a rotating slide show, or leave the display set to one picture. On top of this, the new models can run videos and play sounds.Where the new models stand out, though, is with their wireless Internet capability. Whereas in the past users had to take the frame down and connect it to a network hub, or at least run a long wire from the frame to a computer, now digital pictures can be beamed directly into the frame over a WiFi connection. So once that 17-inch frame is perfectly aligned on the wall above the fireplace, it need never be moved.Which frame to pick depends on your needs. Digital frame viewers are essentially flat-screen LCD monitors with large hard drives (20 gigabytes on up) and networking capability. They all typically have high quality displays, so price differences come down to size.The Digi-Frame DF-1710 is a 17-inch screen that comes with a CD-drive, a 20-gigabyte hard drive, and both wireless and wired network capability. It slides into a 16-by-20-inch frame of your choice and hangs on the wall. It even shows movies and plays sounds. The retail price, $1,999, is a bit steep for what it is, but since it should receive minimal wear-and-tear, it should last for many years.For $599, the Wallflower 2 provides similar functionality in a 12.1-inch monitor that sits on a desk or table, and has a 40-gigabyte hard drive. The Wallflower also comes with the ability to send and receive e-mail. If a user e-mails a photo to the Wallflower’s address, it will automatically take the photo and put it in the rotation. Imagine e-mailing a photo from Paris, and having it appear on your parents’ display at home. The Web-based interface makes putting photos into the rotation, or taking them out, pretty easy.The lone drawback of digital frames, aside from price, is the power source. Though they’ve cut the Internet cord, the frames still require an unsightly power cable. Someday electronic engineers will come up with a long-lasting battery source for gadgets, but until then interior decorators will have to find a way to conceal the wires.

Picture Perfect

Picture Perfect

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