Great Gift: Digital Photo Frames Preserve Memories

You’ve probably seen digital photo frames showing off someone’s pictures in a home or office. In addition to lending a high-tech look, these gadgets can showcase your favorite pictures and provide continuous viewing pleasure with a number of useful options.

Even though digital photo frames often look like expensive versions of old-fashioned picture frames, many models are actually very inexpensive. On Amazon.com, for example, you can pick up a ViewSonic 8-inch digital photo frame for as little as $30 from US stores. 

International shopping tip: Use the shipping cost calculator to estimate how much it will cost to ship these digital frames to you.

For this price, you get an ultra slim digital frame with an 8-inch display capable of showing sharp, clean photos at a resolution of up to 800 x 600 pixels. The ViewSonic frame includes an LED backlight, so it will use little energy while displaying your precious memories. A built-in light sensor allows the frame to automatically dim in low light conditions, and it can even automatically turn itself off to save even more energy.

The $30 ViewSonic 8-inch digital photo frame does not have any built-in memory, but you can insert the memory card directly from your camera to start showing photos right away.

For a little more money, the NIX X08D 8-inch hi-res digital photo frame delivers an equally crisp display with even more features. For just $80, this frame features a motion sensor that allows it to turn itself off when no one is around to see your pictures. Even better, this model can automatically rotate your photos so they display correctly, and can split the screen to show two photos at once. It also supports video and can even play music!

The NIX X08D offers an 800 x 600 pixel display with LED backlighting. In addition to the memory card from your camera, you can also add photos to the frame using a USB stick or portable flash drive. This frame includes a remote control so you can adjust the picture display at any time.

High-end models like the ViewSonic VFM1536-11 include larger displays and even more features. For about $150, you can get a 15-inch display capable of showing high definition photos at resolutions of up to 1024 x 768 pixels. This frame also features high brightness and a 600:1 contrast ratio.

High-end frames like the ViewSonic VFM1536-11 support a variety of different video types, including MPEG and M-JPEG formats, and can accept a number of different cards and flash drives for transferring pictures. This model features 256 MB of internal storage, so you can continue using your camera’s memory card after transferring pictures. Some other high-end models feature up to two gigabytes of internal storage. This model also features a remote control.

High-end digital photo frames usually sport a different style, as many companies design these frames to look more like traditional picture frames than modern media players.