iGala Wi-Fi Linux Based Photo Frame

ThinkGeek put the word out about the new iGala Wi-Fi Linux-based photo frame!

Unlike other digital photo frames that just accept memory cards and show photos, the iGala has a brain inside its rectangular head. Use the touchscreen interface to configure the iGala to connect to your wi-fi network, then the iGala can do all kinds of smart things like login to a Gmail account and display any e-mailed photos on its hi-res 800×600 screen.

Of course the iGala can pull your photos automatically from Flickr and you can connect to Windows Live FrameIt or FrameChannel if you’re looking for a free web based interface to automatically push photos, news and traffic to your frame. No PC is required because the iGala is essentially a mini touchscreen computer running Linux.

FrameChannel or FrameIt?

The iGala frame comes in two models, one for FrameChannel service (http://www.framechannel.com) and one for Windows Live FrameIt service (http://frameit.live.com). They are both customizable web service platforms to manage the intelligent delivery of personalized content to wireless digital picture frames.

You are not required to use either of these two services. The iGala is perfectly capable of receiving photos sent via e-mail and handling Flickr RSS feeds of photos all by itself.

FrameChannel offers a library of hundreds of channels of content, all optimized for viewing on wireless picture frames. These include text based channels that are converted to images such as news headlines, live weather forecasts, sports scores, and horoscopes as well as image content from sources like National Geographic, AP Images and other galleries shot by the top photographers from around the world. This content is then married with each user’s personal photos that can be uploaded to FrameChannel or pulled from a variety of supported photo sharing sites including Flickr, Picasa, Webshots, Facebook and others. Each user selects the channels that interest them, sets the rules for each channel and FrameChannel applies its rules engine to create a unique content stream for each user that is updated continually. The iGala frame also features a simple One-Click setup for FrameChannel service.

Microsoft’s Windows Live FrameIt service lets users customize a content feed that is delivered via RSS which is similar to FrameChannel. Users can customize weather data, news sources and their own photos via Live Spaces or SmugMug. Once users customized the channel on FrameIt website, they can input its Collection Name on iGala to display its content.

The main difference between the two services is the scope of their image content collections. iGala users will be able to switch between FrameIt and FrameChannel services by performing an easy firmware refresh on the iGala frame.

Product Features

• Wi-Fi enabled photo frame can pull photos from Gmail and Flicker and has touch screen interface for network configuration
• 8″ 4:3 800X600 Digital LCD
• No PC Needed for Setup, No Subscription Fees for Online Use
• Full Screen Touchscreen Interface
• No PC Needed for Setup
• Linux based operating system
• Wifi 802.11b/g with WEP, WPA and WPA2
• 1GB Internal Memory Stores over 5,000 images
• Auto Synchronization with Flickr Photo Sets
• Access to Flickr Private Photos
• Email Photos to Frame
• Windows Live FrameIt or FrameChannel Support for Photos, News and Weather
• Insert SD media card to display photos from the card
• USB Mass Storage Connectivity
• MP3 Support to Play Music
• Auto Power Saving
• 110V/250V AC Adapter
• Clock and Alarm Function

PhotoVu Wireless Picture Frames: 150,000 Digital Photos in Your Slideshow!

PhotoVu announced, last Friday, that it had released new software that will support a person’s entire photo collections – 150,000 pictures or MORE!

Whether you are a fan of PhotoVu’s wireless digital picture frames or its digital signage displays, this news is remarkable!

Mark Van Buskirk, partner, Photovu, tells us that “As our customers’ photo collections continue to expand, we are pleased to offer this new and exciting, almost limitless capability.  As always, PhotoVu displays an entire photo collection on teh wall in high resolution, so our customers never get tired of seeing just a small subset of their photos.  PhotoVu is unique among all wirelesss digital picture frames in its ability to play 150,000 or more photos in a single slide show.”

PhotoVu products – wireless digital picture frames and digital signage – are “made in the USA,” and can access pictures stored on any windows or Mac computer.  Customers can see slideshows of their pictures almost no matter where they’re stored: iPhoto, Flickr, FrameChannel, MobileMe, Photobucket, Picasa, Web Albums, SmugMug, Webshots, and Windows Live FrameIt.

Edge Tech’s 8″ Wireless Digital Photo Frame: Just In Time For The Holidays!

Edge Tech’s new 8-inch wireless digital picture frame has so many fantastic features, it’s hard to know where to start!

Therefore, I’ll start with the feature I personally like best:  Edge’s new wireless picture frame has built-in FrameChannel!!!!!

FrameChannel is by far the very best content provider, and it’s so easy to make an account for yourself and get started.  For your new Edge frame, just go to FrameChannel and follow the very simple directions.  FrameChannel can integrate easily with most photo services, including Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, Webshots, MAC, and MSN Live Spaces.  You can use FrameChannel with your Facebook, as well!

Edge’s new wireless frame has an 8-inch active matrix LCD screen with a resolution of 800 x 600 and an aspect ratio of 4:3, so your pictures are going to look really good.  You can view your pictures via the wireless connection, or you can also use almost any memory card or flash drive.  With 256 MB of internal memory, the Edge wireless frame can also hold several hundred pictures.

Having company and want to dress up the frame and the wall a little?  Unplug it and tuck the cord away for a few hours; the built-in battery will give your guests up to 80 minutes of viewing time before you have to plug it in again.

With the Edge 8″ wireless digital photo frame, you’ll also get a one-year warranty and toll-free tech support.

Remember, with FrameChannel, you can see far more than just pictures and videos on your Edge wireless digital picture frame; you can also subscribe to ANYTHING that has a feed!  That includes sports, weather, news, business information such as stock quotes, horoscopes, CNN, MSN, Fox news, ESPN, and many others.  FrameChannel has dozens and dozens of channels you can subscribe to, all of them absolutely free.

You can listen to your favorite Mp3’s with your wireless Edge frame, too.

The price for the wireless Edge frame is amazing, too: ordinarily, it’s around $180.95, but Edge is offering a $40.00 rebate right now and you can get this 8″ WIRELESS digital picture frame for only $149.95.

The new Edge wireless digital picture frame will ship next month – just in time for the holidays!  You can pre-order yours right now at the Edge website.

Giant’s InTouch: Versatility in a Wireless Digital Picture Frame

The International CES isn’t until January 8, 2009, but already the electronics companies are giving us glimpses of what to expect there!  Giant’s booth is one you won’t want to miss.

Jacqueline Emigh, of BetaNews, gives us several peeks into some new gadgets, including Giant International’s InTouch wi-fi-capable web access and audio-enabled photo frame.

Emigh tells us that “. . . priced at $349.99, the gadget contains a 7-inch touch TFT LCD display with 800 – by – 480 resolution, along with 128 MB of internal memory, built-in stereo speakers, and a USB port.  It also accommodates SD, CF, MS, MMC, and XD-Picture cards.  A power adapter is included, but the frame will also run on rechargeable batteries for about 90 minutes.”

The main menu contains icons for photo, media, tools, and RSS news feeds.  The feeds can be set up with the use on an on-screen QWERTY keyboard.  Giant also holds deals with vTuner for Internet radio and Web video access, and with FrameChannel for end user tools for managing content from Picasa, Flickr, Webshots, Facebook, and other Web sites.”

I’m always excited to hear about a wireless digital frame that is compatible with FrameChannel!

Giant’s sales director for new products, Thomas W. Silveria, tells Emigh in the article that one of Giant’s upcoming products is a system which adds phone functionality to the existing frame.