Digital Picture Frame

Now people with no computer, no digital camera and even no computer skills can enjoy the same great pictures as people who do have these things. This is due to the new invention of a digital picture frame. This picture frame contains an LCD screen that displays multiple photos in a slide show format. This frame connects to the internet via a phone line so that new pictures and information are displayed on the screen. The idea behind these frames are that the person who does have a computer, a digital camera and computer skills will buy the frame, set up an account and then passes it on to family or friends.

An account will have to be set up by the person using the computer and photos are then uploaded to the Web site. The digital picture frame uses the phone line to connect to the internet and the servers each night and downloads any new pictures that are available. The new pictures automatically show up the next morning, showing up in the slide show rotation.

Not only are the photos uploaded from the website, but the settings controlling the frame are accessible here as well. Some settings available are the time the frame turns on and off, the slide show interval and the dial-up phone numbers.

The digital frame is actually a very simple computer, containing most of the same components as a desktop computer. The frame has a central processing unit or CPU that is similar to the ones used in small, headlined games. This CPU is used to download the pictures from the Web site. The frame also has ROM memory to store the operating system as well as flash memory, which contains the pictures, settings and some other operating software. No data will be lost if the frame is unplugged. The frame connects to the internet using a 33.6 Kbps modem and the display is 640 x 480 pixel liquid crystal display or LCD with a viewing area of 5x7 inches. The pictures are displayed in 12-bit color, meaning that about 4,100 different colors can be presented on the screen. The frame has two buttons used to control it. There is a black button, which adjust the brightness of the display and a white button that turns the frame on and can also be used to manually dial in. The operating system used by the frame called PSOS, is designed for devices such as PDAs and other small devices.

To create a photo gallery, the frame has to be plugged into a phone line and a power outlet. The frame will start to display the pictures originally stored on the frame after the user presses and holds the white button on the back of the frame to dial up and connect to the internet. This connection to the internet is used only to download photos and setting to the frame and nothing else. Once connected to the internet, the frame logs on to the servers then the frame compares the pictures already on the frame to the ones waiting to be sent and downloads any that are new photos as well as any new settings. When the frame is finished downloading, the phone line is hung up and the frame starts displaying the new photos one after another.