frame

Easy frame-up

There are more photo frame programs out there than you can shake a memory stick at, but Ace Photo Frame stands out from the crowd because it really is easy to use. You can add a variety of frame treatments to your photos and enhance them with clip art and text, which also makes it easy to produce your own personalized greeting cards. Changing the frame is as easy as clicking a new selection. When you're finished, you can click to save, print, or e-mail your creation, or set it as wallpaper.

The interface relies heavily on visual selections … Read more

Mozilla VP: Chrome Frame is the wrong answer

Mozilla and Microsoft don't always see eye to eye when it comes to browser technology, but they agree broadly on one thing: thumbs down for Google Chrome Frame.

Chrome Frame is a plug-in that puts Google's browser engine under the hood of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and Google argues that it can modernize IE versions 6, 7, and 8 with faster page loading and JavaScript performance. It kicks in only on Web pages that Web developers have labeled with a specific tag. After Google announced it, Microsoft criticized it as creating a potentially increased risk to browsing security. … Read more

Microsoft bashes Google's Chrome-in-IE plan

Microsoft on Thursday lashed out against Google Chrome Frame--an Internet Explorer plug-in that supplants IE's rendering engine with Google's.

The software maker, in a statement, said users are better off moving to a later version of Internet Explorer if they want the latest technology as opposed to using Chrome Frame.

"With Internet Explorer 8, we made significant advancements and updates to make the browser safer for our customers," Microsoft said. "Given the security issues with plug-ins in general and Google Chrome in particular, Google Chrome Frame running as a plug-in has doubled the attach … Read more

HP DreamScreen: More than just a photo frame

HP has one big request for when you're talking about its new DreamScreen product line: don't call it just a digital photo frame.

Fair enough. The DreamScreen can display your photos effortlessly, but that just scratches the surface of what it can do. Available in 10.2-inch and 13.3-inch versions (both 800x480 resolution), the DreamScreen offers 2GB of onboard memory, plus slots for all standard flash media card types as well as USB storage. If loading your digital media via flash memory is too old-fashioned for you, the DreamScreen can also connect to your home network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and--according to HP--the included software lets you drag and drop the files you want to move to it via the network.

Beyond photos, the DreamScreen can also play videos (MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, H.264) and music (MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV) through its built-in speakers (or you can use the headphone jack to connect to an outboard stereo); it can also play music in the background while displaying a slideshow. But if you don't have a single audio file, you can instead opt for one of thousands of Internet radio stations or Pandora's streaming audio service instead.

But wait, there's more!… Read more

Gadgettes 153: The Gun Show Episode

How on earth are you going to install that gun rack in your track if you don't have properly buffed guns on your arms? That's right, it's all about fitness tech. Now, Jason has to take a run around the block to catch a cab.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 153

Wii Fit Bulks Up

Sandisk Sansa Clip+ mp3 player looks pretty, plays awesome

Vivian Tam MP3 Player

Ultra-thin Sony VAIO X laptop weighs just 1.5 lb

Webcycle doles out internet speeds as fast as you’re pedaling (thanks, Morely!)

What would James Bond use? The Japanese pistol camera

What the hell!? Really Snowing Picture Frame Makes It Winter Anytime

Pink Watch Barbie’s gadgets

PRETTY (Bugatti Edition!) Tea kettle of the future from Bugatti

Swarovski crystals and Italian leather for your Bugatti Diva

Why Didn’t I Think Of That? Buttcam makes jeans shopping easyRead more

Sony breaks $2,000 barrier for full-frame dSLRs

News of the A850, Sony's full-frame follow-up to the Alpha DSLR-A900, surfaced on the Web weeks ago--Sony itself accidentally leaked the entire manual, for pity's sake--but the most important aspect of the product, the camera's price, remained only speculation. Without that context, one really didn't know what to make of the subtly stripped-down version of the A900. Now we know it'll cost $1,999 for the body, making it the least expensive full-frame dSLR currently available. That makes it newsworthy, but does that automatically make it droolworthy?

It's worth taking a step back and considering the benefits--and drawbacks--of a full-frame dSLR; that is, a camera with a sensor that has the same active area as a frame of 35mm film. In comparison, typical consumer dSLR sensors are anywhere from two thirds to half that size. Since larger sensors are generally better for cramming a lot of pixels in without losing ground to an excessive amount of image noise, full-frame sensors are commonly accepted as the best choice for high-resolution and/or low-light photography (without opting for the significantly larger and more expensive medium format option). It's also easier to build wide-angle lenses for larger sensors.

A big, low-noise, high-resolution sensor: what's not to like? Well, for one thing, big sensors mean big cameras; they require lenses with larger circumferences than the smaller sensors, larger viewfinders, larger bodies, and so on. And all of that costs more. The A850 is still $1,000 more and 10 ounces heavier than its newly minted 14-megapixel little brother, the A550.… Read more

Fast frame creator

Frame Maker Pro lets users customize their digital photos with a variety of frames. With simple execution and excellent results, users will love adding these to a picture.

The program's interface is organized so that users will not need the Help file. With all of the commands laid along the right side, users are always only a few clicks from creating a frame. First, users select a photo from their collections. Do this pastes a large image of the picture on the screen, and then users work through the menu to customize their frame. Frame designs run from cartoonish … Read more

Clunky photo editing

Dream Photo Editor allows users to create photo collages with a variety of special effects. Unfortunately, the program's clunky interface and sometimes tacky content hinder its effectiveness.

Upon opening the program, we were met with several error messages right off the bat. This was followed by two nonsensical screens with unlabeled buttons. We clicked a couple of them at random, got a couple more error messages, and then the program opened. Nice. The program's interface is somewhat cluttered and not particularly attractive. The functions aren't bad. Users can start with a blank background or use one of … Read more

Toshiba hits U.S. with Digital Media Frames

It's not surprising when a TV or monitor manufacturer decides to enter the digital photo frame market. It's already got its hands on the panels, designers, and brand recognition, so why not throw something out there and see if it can sell some units? So again, not shocking that Toshiba announced Monday one 10-inch and two 8-inch Digital Media Frames (especially since its dabbled in this market outside the U.S.).

Toshiba's not calling them photo frames, because they do more than just display pictures once you connect them over Wi-Fi to the Internet. A partnership with … Read more

Surf the Web with SilverPac's digital photo frame

OEM manufacturer SilverPac has announced its latest digital photo frame, the SilverFrame, at the Computex tradeshow in Taipei, Taiwan. Before you brush this gizmo aside as "just another digital picture display," stop right there.

The 10.1-inch touch-screen-operated SilverFrame is probably the most advanced digital photo frame we have seen. It runs Windows CE 6.0 R2 with 512MB of RAM and supports Microsoft applications such as Windows SideShow and Live FrameIt. This means you can also surf the Web and access instant-messaging clients such as MSN.

As it is Wi-Fi-enabled, the SilverFrame (PDF) can view pictures and videos stored on social-networking sites such as Facebook, Flickr, and Picassa. It also has Bluetooth to receive images sent from your mobile phone, which can be stored in the 1GB onboard memory. As with most other digital photo frames, the SilverFrame has a multicard reader and micro USB/USB ports to import images from cameras.

According to SlashGear, the SilverFrame is on display at Microsoft's booth at Computex. But since SilverPac is just an OEM manufacturer, the company is now waiting for other firms to pick up the design.

Other noteworthy features: … Read more