Your Guide to Digital Photo Frames

Digital photo frames are the perfect companion to a digital camera. Sure you can view your digital photos on your computer or print them out, but how do you view them in any room of the house, without having a pile of bulky albums, display more than one or two photos on your desk at work, or share priceless memories with friends and relatives, especially those who don't have a computer?

Digital photo frames are the perfect answer.

The typical digital photo frame is the size and shape of an ordinary picture frame, in fact it's hard to tell the difference except that a digital photo frame has an LCD screen. You can scroll through the photos, often with a remote, or watch them as a slide show. But there's a large selection of digital photo frames to choose from, made by well known companies like Polaroid and Kodak as well as less well known ones such as Ceiva and Pandigital. They come small enough to be a key chain fob or as large as a 24" wall-mounted unit that can display works of art. While they have some basic features in common, there are a lot of options and choices to be made.

• Photos can be transferred to your computer via USB connection, memory cards (CF, SD, MMS), or even by Wi-Fi.
• Prices range from $30 - $1,200, though most are under $100.
• While most digital photo frames are powered by a 110v AC adapter that plugs into the wall, some may feature a rechargeable battery so there are no unsightly cords.
• All display photos (JPEG, GIF, BMP), while some can display multimedia files such as movie clips recorded in your digital camera's movie mode, MPEG video files, MP3 audio, even text files.

With the bewildering number of manufacturers, screen sizes, features, and options, figuring out which one fits your needs isn't easy. We can make that choice easier.