Kodak releases first ever OLED Wireless Frame
I really don’t like digital photo frames. In fact, as a rule I try never to have them on Tech Digest because I think they’re one of the worst inventions ever and come the revolution, their creator will be the first up against the wall.
But, today Kodak has put me in a quandary. They’ve just announced the first ever wireless OLED digital photo frame for release before Christmas. See, I hate photo frames but I love OLEDs.
Ok, reasons I hate digital photo frames:
1) They don’t look as good as real photo frames; not even half the character.
2) They need to be plugged into the wall, you get an unsightly lead and one less socket free. This is not an issue in old school frames.
3) If you don’t plug them into the wall, you need to use batteries.
4) In a world of eco-awareness, how, oh how, can we justify the use of power-sucking, purely decorative and largely superfluous gadgets?
Reasons I love OLEDs:
1) Oragnic Light Emitting Diodes require no backlighting to work, unlike LCDs, so they a) use less power and b) can be much, much thinner.
2) They have beautifully high contrast displays, in this case 30,000:1.
3) They offer 180 degree viewing angles.
So, what we have here is wonderful technology on a terrible product genre and, therefore, I am torn. So, what I have to do here is put my personal feelings on photo frames to one side. I appreciate that many people out there buy photo frames. They like them. So, I’m going to write about the Kodak OLED wireless frame because if you’re going to get one, you may as well get a good one.
The screen of the Kodak OLED measures 7.6-inches corner to corner and displays at a resolution of 800×480 in 16:9 widescreen. It’s got a 2GB internal memory – enough to store around 10,000 photos – and it has a USB port as well as a built-in card reader for whatever photos and videos you want to transfer.
Most importantly, though, it’s Wi-Fi enabled so you can fire whatever images you like directly about your wireless network at home between your computer and your frame or from your frame to your printer or whatever you wish.
In fact the only problem with the Kodak OLED wireless frame, apart from being a digital photo frame in the first place, is that it’ll cost £599.99 and therein lies the downside of OLEDs. They’re bloody expensive.
Kodak
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3 comments
I’ll be back.
..I’m going out to buy a photoframe.
I do actually really like the idea of these electronic photo frames.
With the digital age, I’ve so many photos that I never look at that I’d really like some gadget cycling through my photos in my living room reminding me just how much fun I used to have in the good old days [in the same way that iTunes on shuffle reminds me of tunes I love, but forget to play].
After all how many times do you end up getting mesmerised by your photo screensaver on your laptop? Go on, admit it.
I also think these things are a few steps away from those awesome media walls they have in Total Recall…which is actually what I want truth be told.
However…I totally agree that these things are gash. The wire plugged into the wall thing is a massive bumhole…and why oh why do the manufacturers always make sure that they look like a piece of shit?
I guess what I really need is a TV that will do the same thing.
Dza
Actually, that image recycling screen saver is awesome. You’re right.
The manufacturers should offer a screen that can be re-house in whatever kind of frame you chose. So, for example, you could hang and mount it in some kind of gold leaf ornate thing on your wall until you’re sick of that and fancy a change. The OLED on this one is so damn thin, it shouldn’t be a problem and the day they remove it from that thick old base will be a much happier one for all.
Those Total Recall screens are completely brilliant too but I reckon we’ll be there or nearabouts a lot sooner than you think. Now getcha ass to Mars, getcha ass to Mars, getch ass to Mars…
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