eStarling update from ThinkGeek
Our eStarling wireless digital picture frame did arrive prior to Christmas as promised. Thanks to ThinkGeek and eStarling to making sure it arrive prior to the holidays!
Our immediate reaction to the frame is that the 7 inch screen display is impressive. Photos look crisp and clear on the frame and it’s industrial design is nice (although we could do without the large eStarling logo on the front). It did take a few hours of mucking around with the settings to get the frame connected to the wireless network but after some playing we were able to have it pull pictures from a Flickr rss feed which is pretty neat. We are working on a more thorough review of the frame now along with some tips to get it up and running quickly as we learned a lot from our first days with the frame but in general our congratulations to eStarling for launching the frame, the first wireless frame we’ve seen in the affordable price range ($249 on ThinkGeek and sure to drop in 2007 as more wireless frames emerge).
We did get this note from ThinkGeek to eStarling owners. It is early in the space so it is not surprising that there are a few issues but it is great to see companies like ThinkGeek and eStarling taking the initiative to get this right. Here is the note from ThinkGeek:
Hi Fellow Smartmass,
Thanks for your purchase of the eStarling Wi-Fi enabled photo frame. We want to make you aware of an issue with the eStarling that manufacturer PF Digital has brought to our attention. Apparently the Wi-Fi range of the eStarling is reduced due to a lower amperage power adapter that was incorrectly packaged with the unit. This causes the eStarling to only function properly when it is within 20 – 30 feet of the wireless hub. Obviously this short distance limits where you can place the eStarling in your home or office.
ThinkGeek is coordinating with PF Digital to remedy this problem and we will be mailing out replacement power adapters to everyone who ordered an eStarling at no additional charge. These new adapters will restore the range on the eStarling to that of a standard Wi-Fi enabled laptop (around 200 feet … but this of course will depend on your Wi-Fi network configuration). We hope to have these replacement power adapters shipped out to you within the next week. The replacement adapters will be sent to the same address where we originally shipped your eStarling. If you ordered more than one eStarling you will get the appropriate number of adapters. No confirmation or action is required by you to receive the replacement adapter.
In the meantime we want you to be able to experience the cool Wi-Fi enabled features the eStarling offers. You can certainly use your eStarling frame right now, but keep in mind that when you configure the eStarling for the first time it must be within 20 feet of your Wireless hub. If it is not close enough, you will get an error message about the eStarling not being able to connect to the Internet.
Please reply to this e-mail if you do not understand this notice, or have any other questions, comments or concerns. We want you to be happy geeks, not sad or angry geeks. Thanks!
