Digital Picture Frame Review

Digital picture frames: A mixed bag

Despite their huge popularity as gifts, digital photo frames haven't caught on with the mainstream. Professional reviewers and owners alike express skepticism about these one-trick-pony devices and disappointment in their display quality, aesthetic appeal and, above all else, ease of use. The best reviewers of digital frames cover a large number of models from a wide array of manufacturers; they compare different models to determine superiority and cement their findings with objective ratings or rankings. CNET, PCMag.com and niche site DigitalPictureFrameReview.com meet all of these criteria and consistently deliver thorough, balanced and nicely comparative evaluations. Smaller technology publications such as TrustedReviews.com, DigitalTrends.com and MacLife also do admirable jobs analyzing digital frames, though a smaller frame of reference (due to turning out fewer reviews) limits comparative value.

Owner-written reviews at Amazon.com and TigerDirect.com offer the best insight into real-world setup and usability issues with digital photo frames. Since many people are looking at digital picture frames as a way to share photos with aging parents and distant relatives, easy setup is a particular concern. The aggregate of digital photo frame reviews from all of these sites reveals one consistent theme: that digital frame technology, while it's much improved from a few years ago, still has a long way to go.

As with many consumer electronics, experts don't always see eye to eye. For example, the Sony Vaio WiFi VGF-CP1 (*Est. $300) earns an Editors' Choice nod from PCMag.com, but in the only other professional review we could find for this extravagant and expensive frame, MacLife's Zack Stern gives it a big thumbs down. Stern hones in on a "worthless" RSS feed, "sluggish" response time, clunky integrated Web browser and bugginess when downloading photos from online photo sharing sites. "Sony's Vaio frame offers style over substance," concludes Stern. While PCMag.com's Zach Honig is an enthusiastic fan of the Sony Vaio, recounting its aesthetic appeal and "superb" image quality, he, too, notes that the browser often causes the frame to freeze, response time can lag and menus are poorly designed. The difference between Stern's and Honig's conclusions boils down to extra features. Honig says the Vaio's shortfalls are "not severe," while Stern is reluctant to accept such hurdles in a high-end frame.

Buyer beware: Smartparts digital photo frames

PCMag.com's wireless frame runner-up, the Smartparts SPX8WF (*Est. $120) wins favor for its reasonable price tag and super-easy set up. However, Smartparts ceased operations in March 2009 and experts, including the CrunchGear blog, warn against buying their remaining products. One source reports that Wynit Inc., a distribution company, is taking over tech support and selling the remaining inventory, and their site indeed carries Smartparts products. Oddly, the Smartparts website mentions none of this, but DigitalPictureFrameReview.com has a short news piece.