The low cost and improved quality of LCD panels has allowed them to become featured in products in almost every facet of our daily lives. While once just an expensive wish list item for a computer upgrade or for the home theater enthusiast, they're now just about everywhere.
One type of product that has been around for a while, but has recently gained in appeal due to lower prices, is the digital photo frame. This gadget puts a high tech spin on an extremely low tech idea by replacing that one static photo with an LCD panel that allows the owner to display a slide show of their favorite images. And just like traditional photo frames, these are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, and styles intend to match the tastes of would-be buyers out there.
This review is going to take a look at the
Rosewill RDF-670B, a 7" inch widescreen frame that features a wood grain frame with black "matting" shown in the promotional image above. Before taking a look at the RDF-670B 7" Widescreen Digital Photo Frame provided for review, let's take a look at some published data taken from the
Rosewill website...
Features:
» 7" Widescreen LCD With 4MB built in Memory support 20 photos
» Supports SD, MC and Memory Stick Flash Memory Cards up to 2GB
» Built-In Speakers
» Card Style Remote Control
» A/V Input/Output Jack
» Brightness Adjustable
» USB input Jack for Plugging In Your USB Flash Drive (Not for PC or Digital Camera)
» Last Memory Function
» No Distortion
» High Speed Decoding
» Media Auto Gathering and Sorting
» Slideshow Mode
Specifications:
» File Compatiblity: JPEG, MP3
» Power Source: DC: 9V 12 Watts
» Resolution: 480 x 234 pixels
» Dimensions: 8.98"(W) x 6.77"(H) x 1.77"(D)
» Weight: 1.05 lbs
» Accessories:
» AC Adaptor
» Remote Control
» Instruction Manual
» USB Cable
A few things that caught my eye include the fact that you can store images to memory on the frame itself, or you can use a variety of flash memory cards / drives to access your photos. While this definitely provides flexibility and adds to the convenience, I already see one feature that I was hoping for is not available. It would have been extremely convenient to have a USB connection that would allow files to be transferred in a batch directly from a PC, but the USB port is apparently only for flash drives.
Another item of interest is that the frame has built-in speakers and can play MP3 files. It will be interesting to see, or hear, whether the audio quality on a device like this can make it a feature that is actually worth using.
