Which WiFi-enabled Digital Photo Frame?

August 26, 2011 6:58 AM

I'm looking for a digital photograph frame for my parents that will connect to their WiFi network and which I can upload photographs to.

Ideally I'd like something without a "contract" arrangement - a frame that uses Flickr, or that can pull photographs from my server is preferable.

Any recommendations? What should I be looking for, or looking to avoid?

posted by alby to computers & internet (8 answers total)

I've set up a Kodak Pulse frame for a couple family members. It has an email gateway, so everyone knows to simply send the cute grandkid pics to a specific address. This is easy for the non-technical folks to do straight from their smartphones. I think it also can pull from Flickr, I've never used that.

Biggest concern would be Kodak pulling the plug on the service.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 7:28 AM on August 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

I've been trying to find a good answer to this for my parents for years, and have yet to like anything I find. Once I get to $100 or so, I say "why not get them an AppleTV, which includes this functionality as a bonus?"

YMMV, since my parents have Macs, so there may be Windows-only options that wouldn't meet my needs.
posted by Mad_Carew at 7:49 AM on August 26, 2011

All digital picture frames have some kind of "hook," which two years ago amounted to "ads, or account signup." I went with Kodak and an account. It's free, and it's super convenient to be able to just email pictures into the frame for my mom. You have to manage the pictures on the website, but the interface is easy enough. Unless ThinkGeek has found something in the meantime, there is no simple RSS-based (or whatever) DIY digital frame.
posted by rhizome at 8:39 AM on August 26, 2011

Ymmv but we got my wife's parents a pretty nice digital frame, loaded it up with pictures and they pretty much never use it. I don't know why but it is never plugged in and turned on.

I think it has something to do with their age and their general level of comfort or discomfort with tech.
posted by fenriq at 8:40 AM on August 26, 2011

Digital photo frames are the present nobody wants. Are you technically inclined? If so, you can get a cheap Android tablet -- or even a used 1st gen iPad -- and set it up to do everything you want and tons more (including flickr integration). If they never take it off its stand, fine. If the DO take it off its stand, they have something wonderful.
posted by The Bellman at 9:22 AM on August 26, 2011

Ymmv but we got my wife's parents a pretty nice digital frame, loaded it up with pictures and they pretty much never use it. I don't know why but it is never plugged in and turned on.

This is pretty much my biggest concern. I'd really like a good E-Ink frame, but I don't think they really exist yet.
posted by alby at 9:40 AM on August 26, 2011

Another decent feature of the Pulse is that you can set it to turn on and off at given times - perhaps if it's only one for a couple hours in the late afternoon, your family will be less likely to turn it off.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 10:21 AM on August 26, 2011

I thought about buying one of these for my mom, but it's pricey, and they always seem to be out of stock: iGala.
posted by Bron at 4:49 PM on August 26, 2011