I think the best one out there is still the Pandigital 15"
. I've seen the slightly smaller version (not sure what size) sold at Costco for about $140 plus tax, which was still way above my price range for something I didn't know too much about technology wise. I still think this model is the King of digital photo frames. Amazing size, highest resolution (1024 x 768) in a reasonable aspect ratio I've seen out there, a ton of internal memory, plays music and video.The only feedback for this item on Amazon is unfortunately not so spectacular, but I truly think it's one of those instances where the one person who had a problem felt the need to rate this product negatively, though they admitted the ease of getting a replacement one from Amazon immediately without even having to return the old one first.
I happened upon the 10.2" Polaroid photo frame
on Woot! for $50 plus shipping and snagged one immediately before reading all the specs (because we all know what Wooting is like!). Resolution is actually the same as the Pandigital in a different aspect ratio (1024 x 600) as the Polaroid is just in an overall smaller size and extra wide. The LCD is very bright and clearly high quality, but the packaging of the LCD is just cheap. Was a matte aluminum frame really necessary?? But despite this, Polaroid somehow used an LCD that makes the colors really jump out at you, expressing your photos to their best potential. Drawbacks are 1) you can't play music or videos 2) it doesn't display pictures in portrait very well - it ends up cutting off a bit of the top and most of the bottom of the picture. Granted, most of us take pictures in landscape but that's definitely an annoyance that could be a dealbreaker to some. The buttons on top also feel a bit cheap and there's no remote. But I have to give it to Polaroid, this is probably the best value for the money out there and I absolutely LOVE mine.Again, I was a little worried due to the ratings on Amazon, but I've had mine for over 2 months and there are no problems. I don't run this photo frame 24/7 though. Maybe only 8 hours a day.
But of course, in my ever unsatisfied quest to get the best product for my money, I bought a SECOND photo frame - again on Woot! for $35 plus shipping for an 8" one from HP
. This one plays music and video, has very good resolution for its size, a very expensive look and has a remote that definitely makes your life easier when changing settings or wanting to do anything from across the room. Also has a calendar, alarm, and a few other bells and whistles. But after looking at my large, over 10" Polaroid frame with its superior brightness and gorgeous colors for over 2 months, this little one just didn't cut it. Shame, as it's really beautiful and decent quality. I probably would have loved it if I didn't lay my eyes on the Polaroid one first. But for $35, it's a well thought out piece of technology and beauty (and without the layout problems of the Polaroid): a great present to give someone - even the packaging is sleek and stylish!I just got this frame today, so I'll test out the audio and video at a later time and report back on its quality.
If you're even thinking about getting a photo frame, this is probably a pretty good time to get one. There are a lot of them deeply discounted to equal the cost of a couple of hardcover books. I imagine many of us are probably getting to a place where we have tons of beautiful pictures that we'd love to display without cranking out paper photos (don't even get me started on inkjet printer cartridges) or having our limited mantles covered with mismatching frames. Cycling through the 500+ "best shots" that I've taken over the last 6 years is such a treat. I never get tired of glancing over and seeing hippos up close or the color of the water in Cancun, or a macro photo of ripe grapes on the vine in Porto and remembering a beautiful piece of my very charmed life.
