Computex 2009 Conference Includes Pandigital Partner Fugoo

Microsoft’s OEM Division Corporate Vice President Steve Guggenheimer was a keynote speaker at Computex 2009 this past summer, and among other things, he revealed that Windows 7 would become generally available in October 2009, and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be broadly available at the same time. Included in this would be the Fugoo platform:

Another bid to create a useful class of consumer devices is Fugoo. The Fugoo platform uses a version of Windows in conjunction with widely available Web “widgets,” which publish everything from the time and weather to currency exchange rates and horoscopes.

Fugoo’s prototype devices integrate that software functionality into home appliances to create dynamic displays in clocks, picture frames and even coffee makers.

At Computex, Fugoo is announcing that its first commercially available product, a digital picture frame launched in partnership with Pandigital in the U.S., will be available on the market this summer.

The frame is Web-enabled and can download photos from social networks or online photo services. It also allows users to download photos directly from a PC or digital camera.

The full article may be read on Microsoft’s webpage. It’s from last June, but the article’s “predictions” came to pass just the other day!

PanTouch Clear Floating WiFi Digital Picture Frame: OUT OF YOUR CAMERA AND INTO YOUR LIFE

Imaging Insider has posted the press release for the new Pandigital PanTouch Clear 8” digital floating digital photo frame:

With photography considered one of America’s top hobbies, it’s no wonder millions of digital cameras are sold in the U.S. every year, 27.7-million in 2008. And, millions of images have been taken with those digital cameras too. Despite these huge numbers, people have had little choice in how they could display their pictures. The satisfaction of instantly being able to see the picture taken was quickly negated by the archaic and time-consuming method of still having to own an expensive computer and/or photo printer to print their photos. Images were reduced to being shared and shown on a tiny LCD screen on the backs of digital cameras or impractically being stored in a computer.

To create the floating effect, the new PanTouch Clear frame features an eye-catching 800×600 high-resolution display that appears to be floating in the surrounding glass.

In addition to the new styling, the PanTouch Clear frame is incredibly easy and enjoyable to use. You can view your photos and control the frame’s functions with easy-to-understand icons that can be touched directly across the entire glass surface of the frame.

To accomplish this, the frames feature leading-edge touch technology, which “prints” invisible circuits on fingerprint-resistant, clear glass. The benefit is that you can now enjoy intuitive full touch-screen capabilities while still enjoying the premium home décor-style look of the glass on the Pandigital Digital Photo Frame. This is unlike frames using capacitive-touch technology that require the consumer to directly touch the LCD panel, which prevents the use of glass.

You’ll never use a remote control again. You control the digital photo frame with the touch of a finger. The PanTouch 8″ digital floating frame uses a true photo 4:3 aspect ratio like most digital cameras, which means no stretching, cropping or distortion. The PanTouch 8″ digital floating frame plays both digital video and digital audio giving it more versatility to accommodate the broadest range of media formats. There’s no need to turn on the computer. Simply insert your memory card into the appropriate card slot and a slideshow of all the photos on the memory card will start immediately. And, there’s no software required. Use the included USB cable to connect the digital photo frame directly to the computer to begin dragging and dropping photos onto the digital photo frame’s internal memory. That’s all there is to it.

The PanTouch 8” stores up to 6400 images on 1GB of internal memory and features a clock, calendar and alarm. You can transfer images, audio and video from memory card via 6-in-1 card reader or from your PC with included USB cable. It’s also WiFi/Bluetooth compatible. MSRP $129.99.

This digital photo frame will move your images out of your digital camera and into your living room for all your friends and family to see and admire.

The new Pandigital PanTouch wireless digital photo frame is only $99.00 on the Pandigital website!

Pandigital Introduces Touch Clear Line of Wireless Photo Frames

From Image-Acquire comes this post about the new Pandigital Touch Clear line of wireless digital picture frames:

Pandigital is pleased to announce the launch of its PanTouch Clear line of digital photo frames that has a dynamic new design. This line of slim photo frames comes jam-packed with features despite being just 0.3″ thick. The frames are available in two sizes – 8in and 10.4in.

Some of the outstanding features of both the frames include an eye-catching 800×600 high-resolution LCD display and a 4:3 true photo aspect ratio. The 8in model includes 1GB of storage and a 6-in-1 digital media card reader while the 10.4in model offers 2GB and has a 5-in1 digital media card reader.

Other addition features of the PanTouch Clear frames that make them enjoyable to use include wireless and Bluetooth compatibility, programmable on/off times, clock and calendar functions. Users can view JPEG photos, play video and MP3 music files as well.

The Pandigital PanTouch Clear 8in and 10.4in digital photo frames have a recommended retail price of £109 and £149, respectively. For more information, please visit http://www.pandigital.net/.

Digital photo frames to get connected

John Walko at Video Imaging Design Line gives us some very interesting statistics about silicon providers for digital picture frames:

Courtesy of EE Times Europe

LONDON — The total silicon opportunity for digital photo frame suppliers will exceed $550 million by 2013, according to market research group InStat.

Microcontrollers are said to represent the largest opportunity in non-wireless enabled devices.

In a major study of the sector, InStat also found that the bill of materials for a wireless 8-inch digital photo frame will fall below $36 by 2013, with the LCD, the wireless module and the enclosure being the dominant cost items.

The researchers predict worldwide unit shipments for all types of digital photo frames will reach 50 million by 2013.

However because of the trend to purchase digital photo frames as gifts pre-loaded with pictures, most units shipped still lack advanced features such as wireless connectivity to the Internet. Nevertheless, wireless-enabled photo frames are a key growth driver as they will grow at twice the rate of overall digital photo frames in 2010.

“Prices for connected frames will continue to decline, and as manufacturers educate consumers about these devices; the mass market will become more comfortable using the Internet services connected frames support,” says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst.

Ethier adds applications such as sharing and downloading pictures over the Internet, as well as streaming Internet radio and video from online sites like YouTube, will be the main drivers in the sector.

Some of the major digital photo frame vendors and their silicon providers are said to include HP, Kodak, Pandigital, Philips, Samsung, Sony, RMI Corporation, Marvell Technology Group, and Samsung Electronics.

** Separately, Conexant said Tuesday (June 30) it has started sampling a range of SoCs targeting the connected photo frame and interactive display appliances market.

The parts integrate integrate Internet connectivity and touch-screen technology. The CX92735 supports streaming media content, MP3 audio playback with slideshow functionality, and Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet connectivity.

The device integrates an ARM9 processor with a vector floating point unit and a dedicated image processor, which simultaneously processes streamed content.