Digital Spectrum MemoryFrame 8000 Premium U-40100 8-Inch Wireless Digital Frame Review

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(More customer reviews)Now that I've gone digital, I actually look at my photos even more than when they were stored in bulky albums and shoe boxes. Screen savers are nice, but I usually have a browser, my mail program, and a host of other stuff on my screen, so all I'd see would be strips and corners. My camera is digital. Why shouldn't my picture display be digital?
The Digital Spectrum MemoryFrame 8000 Premium U-40100 is a pretty sophisticated piece of work. To start with, it is not ugly. It contains a Windows CE computer that can support WiFi, USB, memory cards and Bluetooth, which is better than some laptops I've owned. The WiFi works pretty well. It's up on my WPA2 Apple Extreme/Express network. I had to enter the password with the remote control to get it started, but it is now a networked computer. I tested it out with Flickr, and it could download my photos and take advantage of Flickr's new photo "sets" folders.
I tried it with a Bluetooth dongle and set it up as an "other" device with no password / pairing code. Send file works. The image I send from my Apple laptop pops up on the picture frame nicely, but I cannot browse the frame's internal storage. In fact, once I try to browse, I can no longer send.
I hooked up a USB cable to my computer and was able to access the frame as a disk drive. That was pretty neat, but I would prefer a wireless solution. I haven't tried camera memory cards or a direct camera connection because I store my photos on my laptop. Since I backup my laptop, that means I back up my photos. I can't imagine why anyone with a home computer would care about this feature except for carrying photos to someone without email without burning a CD.
Supposedly, the frame can grab pictures from Windows machines running Windows Media Player 11. I don't have a Windows machine, so I couldn't test this. I do know that the current version cannot display photos shared using iPhoto's sharing mechanism.
If you want an easy to use, flexible, wireless digital picture frame, I'll recommend the Digital Spectrum MemoryFrame. It's not completely wireless. It needs a power cord, but, as I noted earlier, it's not ugly. With a bit of camouflage, it's a great way to enjoy your pictures.
Of course, Chez Kaleberg, I like to push the technology a bit, so I took advantage of push technology, and here we see one of the frame's weak points. It really wants to pull. If you hook up a USB cable, you can mount the frame as a disk and load whatever pictures you want into it, but it cannot be mounted as a disk using WiFi. I tried a port scan. The only ports were for a web site server, 80 and 443. This frame is actually running Apache, if that means anything to you. What I was hoping for was an Windows SMB service, or better yet, an FTP socket. That way, I could just load in the pictures I wanted to show.
Instead, I took advantage of another feature of the frame, it's ability to display pictures from an arbitrary public RSS picture feed. Since I have my own web site, I could just store a feed there and tell the frame to bring in any pictures I wanted from the internet in general or from my local network. That means I can show webcam images from national parks, personal photos, website photos, business charts and weather reports. What a neat toy! I would have given it five stars, save for the lack of an FTP server.

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D-Link DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage Router and Photo Frame, 2.5" Drive Bay, 3.2" LCD, Draft 11n Review

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(More customer reviews)As a database administrator and programmer, I tend to enjoy tech toys. I have a D-Link DIR-825 Xtreme N Dual Band Gigabit Router sitting on my desk, and was excited to be offered the D-Link DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage Router as a more visually appealing and versatile router.
The D-Link DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage Router offers high speed wired and wireless n connections. Wireless connections can be managed by zones including guest connections. Unlike most routers, the DIR-685 includes network-attached storage (NAS) capabilities and a digital picture frame.
The initial set-up was simple to complete, however testing revealed the network didn't set up correctly. My PC can connect directly to the network, but cannot access any wireless networked devices even though I can ping them. I called customer support, only to be given the run around by people who didn't understand my problem. I asked my other half who is more familiar with networking to speak with customer service. This is when they admitted they didn't understand the problem and escalated to a specialist who would call back later. When the specialist called, the result was basically since I can ping the devices it's not a router problem. So I'm stuck with a network which doesn't work properly and have no clue how to fix.
The router frequently freezes up and drops connections. Freezing is obvious thanks to the digital picture frame as the images just stop rotating. It is not uncommon for me to unplug the router three times a week or more to unfreeze. Meanwhile there is no telling when this unstable router will drop a connection. Since the router sits on my desk, it's easy enough to disconnect and reconnect the network cable, but I'm tired of listening to my other half's constant valid complaints.
The digital frame is a nice touch; however it is way too small. For proper viewing the router would need to be pretty close to the viewer. This may cause a conflict between viewing and placing the router in an appropriate spot for wireless connectivity. Anyplace with too much distance makes the photos too small to distinguish.
I really enjoy using the frame channel with the digital photo frame. Setting up an account at the frame channel website was simple. I was able to sign up for news, weather, sports, stocks, and magazine sites as well as images from my facebook friends.
With the digital picture frame, the router includes an intuitive menu selection for showing stats and settings. The NAS drive (hard drive not included) was also simple to install and put to use.
As a techno-geek I was excited to try out this router. However my network isn't working properly, while D-Link customer service was unwilling to help resolve the problem. The router freezes and drops connections regularly. If I weren't having connectivity and freezing issues, I'd be willing to invest more time determining the networking issue. This problem is huge for a router and overshadows the digital picture frame and NAS system. This router has potential to be a fun versatile device, but I cannot recommend purchasing an expensive product which fails at its primary purpose.
PROS:
Frame channel
Intuitive on-board menu display
NAS (network-attached storage) system
CONS:
Never got it to work properly
Customer service not helpful
Digital frame too small
Regularly freezes and drops connections

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At first glance, D-Link's Xtreme N Storage Router might be mistaken for a basic digital photo frame. Take a closer look, and you will find that this 2009 winner of the prestigious Red Dot Product Design Award is more than a photo frame. It's also a high-performance router that lets you create a wireless network in your home, so you can share high-speed Internet access with multiple computers, game consoles, and media players. You can also use the Xtreme as a network-attached storage (NAS) device that stores your files and prints and shares photos, iTunes libraries, and more.
High-Speed Connection and Full Wireless Coverage for Ease of Use With an integrated 802.11n high-speed band and a 2.4GHz signal, the D-Link Xtreme lets you experience full wireless coverage throughout your network. The powerful MIMO antennae are internal, which means that you can enjoy faster speed and longer range without sacrificing the router's stylish appearance.
The Xtreme also includes Ethernet Gigabit ports for file transfer rates up to 10 times faster than the standard 10/100 Ethernet ports. And thanks to the router's touch-sensitive buttons that let you easily add devices to your network, multiple computers, printers, and even game consoles will be available at your fingertips.
Network-Attached Storage for Easy File Access High-speed connectivity is only the beginning. The DIR-685 can also double as a network-attached storage device (NAS). It has the ability to hold a compact 2.5-inch hard drive. Simply pop open the cover and slide in the drive (sold separately), and the router's built-in NAS functionality will do the rest.
With the Xtreme N Storage Router, you can safely store files on your home network and access them wherever you go. Take your laptop with you, connect to the Internet, and then retrieve your files from the Xtreme using the router's built-in FTP server.
BitTorrent Support and Video Streaming for Versatility The Xtreme includes the latest BitTorrent software support, so you can access and store digital media directly from the Internet without the need for your computer to be turned on or connected. For extra large files, you can get the download process started and then walk away with the confidence that your video clips or songs will be on the system's hard drive when you return.
The built-in Universal Plug-and-Play server allows you to easily stream video files through a compatible media player onto your television. You can even stream files from your Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 gaming systems.
Digital Frame Lets You Share Photos, Print Photos, and More The Xtreme also includes FrameChannel software. Once you set up a free account, you can begin sharing your latest photos with family and friends using Flickr, Picasa, Facebook, and other popular photo sharing sites. With two USB 2.0 ports, you can even connect to a printer to print your photos.
Better still, you can use the Xtreme to subscribe to your favorite RSS feeds. Get the latest news, stock updates, sports scores, time, date, weather conditions, and more--all directly from your frame.
What's in the Box Xtreme N Storage Router, CAT5 Ethernet cable, stand, power adapter, and CD-ROM with Installation Wizard and product documentation.

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