According to the cashier at my local Kohl’s department store, digital photo frames are the hottest buy this Mother’s Day. (The woman in front of me in line was purchasing one for her mom hence the info from the store employee.)
I believe it. In fact, I wasn’t at all surprised by the claim given that just this past Sunday Circuit City held digital photo frame demonstrations at its stores nationwide. And it’s not just Mother’s Day. People are snatching them up to give as graduation gifts, for Father’s Day, birthdays and as wedding presents.
So what do you need to know about these picture perfect devices before you shell out your hard earned cash?
For starters your options are seemingly endless. These days manufacturers are making frames that have touch icons, as well as models that do double duty. I’ve seen some with speakers and space for an iPod, while others come with built-in printers.
Second, digital photo frames are getting bigger in size. A year ago I couldn’t find a frame larger than 7 inches (which is about the standard size), but now I see store shelves packed with 8- and 10-inch digital photo frames. Obviously, you are going to have to fork over more money for bigger frames (the 7-inch ones are generally priced between $60 and $100), but when it comes to buying a gift for the woman who sacrificed her life to make sure yours was as good as it gets, well, can you really put a price tag on that?
According to Consumer Reports, Kodak and Pandigital were the No. 1 and 2 brands, respectively, in the digital frame market for the first quarter of this year. They were followed by Coby, Westinghouse and Smartparts, Inc. (in that order). However, keep in mind that there are more than five-dozen companies that manufacturer digital photo frames and each is trying to set itself apart from the competition.
For example, both Kodak and Pandigital are now offering touch controls on their newest frames. The touch option eliminates the need for a remote control or fiddling with buttons on the top or back of frames. In my next blog I will discuss the advantages of purchasing digital photo frames with touch borders and reveal which company is offering WiFi on some of its frames.
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