Internet connected digital photo frames : Samsung Electronics, the world’s leader in advanced semiconductor solutions, and chumby have teamed up to provide a reference design built on Samsung’s award-winning S3C6410 application processor for Internet-connected digital photo frames (DPFs). The new Samsung / chumby reference design provides developers with powerful Web – connected digital photo frames that offer drag-and-drop photo and video sharing, social networks, multimedia messaging, games, Internet radio, animation, video clips, constantly streaming news, weather information, RSS feeds and much more.

Chumby photo frames
With chumby’s embedded technology, these DPFs provide access to a variety of chumby services and content, including over 1,000 Internet applications or “widgets” in 30 different categories ranging from news and entertainment to videos, music and sports, as well as tens of thousands of Internet radio stations, streaming online video clips and much more. “Accessing Web services and content anytime, anywhere is the promise of next-generation consumer electronic devices,” said Richard Yeh, marketing director for Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.’s System LSI Business. “By partnering with emerging market leaders such as chumby, we have an opportunity to dynamically change the way people view and share information in real-time via the Internet.”

Digital photo frame market
As the digital photo frame market embraces wireless connectivity, the Samsung / chumby reference design offers developers to build innovative DPFs with interactive Web capabilities. Rather than just a simple picture frame that only displays a limited number of photos from camera memory cards, the DPF can now become a connected Internet appliance where users can create and share content with friends and family, easily connect to top Internet photo-sharing services like Photobucket, Facebook and Flickr, integrate photo sharing with audio, and enjoy their photos and music alongside the rest of their favorite parts of the Internet. Users can view and share photos from multiple sources including camera cards, memory cards, and the top Internet photo sharing sites in one slideshow, and use the touchscreen to navigate through over a thousand chumby widgets.

Internet connected photo frames
“Our vision is to bring the Internet to connected screens everywhere, and digital photo frames are an ideal platform for delivering chumby technology and content to millions of homes,” said Stephen Tomlin, CEO, chumby. “Through our partnership with Samsung, we are taking the digital photo frame category to an entirely new level — bringing the best of the Internet coupled with chumby’s ease of use and unique capabilities to digital photo frames.”

Chumby photo frame
To be the centerpiece of the connected home, a DPF requires a high-performance, multimedia processor with an optimized feature set that includes interfaces for easy connection to wireless networks, a LCD display controller, advanced memory interfaces for both embedded and card memory, an ADC for touch screen control, advanced graphics capabilities and support for high-level operating systems. Designed using Samsung’s high-performance, cost effective S3C6410 application processor, this new reference design leverages an open source network based on a Linux operating system.

Photo : Internet photo frame

Source: www.letsgodigital.org

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PanTouch Photo Frame : Pandigital, a big name in the U.S. digital photo frame market, debuts its new PanTouch line of digital photo frames that greatly simplifies and enriches the way customers enjoy their digital images. The cornerstone of the new PanTouch line of frames is its user-friendly, touch-operation interface. Clear, convenient icons on the screen direct customers where to touch and swipe on the surrounding matte for completely intuitive control and access to digital images, MP3 and video clips. Plus, the touch-operation matting resists fingerprints in the viewable area, so the frame always looks great. Each of the Touch screen photo frames also comes with a remote control, so the frames can be controlled from a distance.

Pandigital Touch screen picture frames
PanTouch frames feature touch and slide motion controls, allowing customers to quickly and simply tap or swipe icons to access digital content and functionality. For example, photos can be viewed as if they were pages in a photo album with a convenient page turn effect by simply using a forward or backward swipe motion on the touch matte. Pandigital has patents pending on the touch sensor that works through multiple mediums and on the page turn effect in its PanTouch line of frames.

Pandigital PanTouch Photo Frames
“Our goal in designing the new PanTouch line of frames was to make them so simple to use that the consumer would never have to refer to a user manual,” said Dean Finnegan, CEO and founder, Pandigital. “The new PanTouch user interface is incredibly intuitive and user-friendly. It’s the perfect complement to the frame’s sophisticated, upscale look, incredible image quality and popular extra features such as ample internal memory, multimedia support and WiFi compatibility.”

Photo Frame features
Pandigital’s new PanTouch line of touch screen picture frames is comprised of three models that all tout leading-edge multimedia features and innovative extras to deliver more value to customers. The frames utilize unique software that optimizes the image resolution of photos copied onto the internal memory, so more photos can be stored on a frame while maintaining excellent image quality.

Bluetooth and WiFi compatible
In addition, Pandigital’s new PanTouch line of touch screen photo frames are WiFi and Bluetooth-compatible, so consumers can simply insert their WiFi or Bluetooth adapter into the USB 2.0 port, then download photos to the frame via a WiFi connection from Google’s photo sharing site, Picasa Web Albums. Also, customers can sync their Pandigital frame with a Bluetooth-enabled device, such as a mobile phone or PDA, to enjoy even more images.

Source: www.letsgodigital.org

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Digital Foci is launching three new digital photo frames at CES 2008 (held January 7th-10th). The Image Moments 15 frame (pictured) has a large 15-inch screen and 16.2 million colors. Image Moments 8 offers an 8-inch screen with leading technology LED Backlight. Image Moments 6 comes with a 5.7-inch screen and the highest pixel density display available on the market. Image Moments 15 (IMT-153) is priced at $399, Image Moments 8 (IMT-083) is priced at $199, and Image Moments 6 (IMT-063) is priced at $149, all available from March 2008. 

Digital Foci Press Release

DIGITAL FOCI LAUNCHES NEW LINE OF HIGH-RESOLUTION“IMAGE MOMENTS” DIGITAL PHOTO FRAMES AT CES 2008

“Image Moment 15” Large 15-inch Frame with 16.2 Million Colors
“Image Moment 8” Features Next Generation LED Backlight Technology
“Image Moments 6” Boasts Highest Pixel Density Available on the Market

Los Angeles, CA, December 27, 2007 – Digital Foci, Inc. (http://www.digitalfoci.com) will introduce 3 new digital frames to its line of popular “Image Moments” digital photo frames at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held January 7-10, 2008 in Las Vegas.  The new models include “Image Moments 15” with a large 15-inch screen and 16.2 million colors; “Image Moments 8” with an 8-inch screen with leading technology LED Backlight; and “Image Moments 6” with a 5.7-inch screen and the highest pixel density display available on the market.  These new digital frames feature 200MB of internal memory and built-in memory card slots to let you display and share photos in sharp, vibrant colors on their high-resolution digital LCD screens.

“Image Moments 15” & “Image Moments 8” with Limitless Custom Framing Options
Image Moments 15 (IMT-153) features a 15-inch high-resolution XGA (1024×768) digital LCD screen with 16.2 million colors and a high contrast ratio of 700:1.  Image Moments 8 (Model IMT-083) features an 8-inch high-resolution SVGA (800×600) digital LCD screen with 500:1 contrast ratio.  Both models feature Digital Foci’s unique proprietary Adapter Ring design that supports limitless custom framing options—even your own custom creation.  The frames also feature an interchangeable mat with 3 color selections; a hinged memory card door to hide the cards from view for an elegant finish; and an easel leg for alternating between landscape and portrait positioning to make changing your home or office dГ©cor a snap. 

“Image Moments 6” with Highest Pixel Density Available on the Market
Next Generation LED Backlight Technology
Image Moments 6 (Model IMT-063) displays photos on its 5.7-inch VGA (640×480) digital LCD screen with the highest pixel density available on the market for superior image clarity and detail as compared to similarly-sized digital frames. The frame also features leading technology LCD with LED backlight, which provides deeper color pallet reproduction over previous technologies, and uses environmentally friendly materials with lower power consumption design.  Image Moments 6 is a smaller, lower-cost version of the Image Moments digital frame with a contemporary design, perfect for compact places, like a bedside table or office desk.  With its brushed chrome facade and polished chrome highlights, Image Moments 6 matches perfectly with any living room or office dГ©cor.

Advanced Playback Options
All Image Moments digital frames feature a “Photo Slideshow Mode,” which automatically displays your photos with options for random photo play, transition effects, and slideshow intervals.  You can create unique slideshows by selecting specific photos from multiple memory card sources to view.  Image Moments lets you search your memory card contents easily in the “Folder View Mode” and browse through photos in “Photo Thumbnail View.” Play videos or photo slideshows with music from a variety of music file formats to personalize your experience.  Sophisticated file management features are also available, including copy, rename, delete files, sort files by name or date, and create new folders. You can also create, edit, and sequence multiple playlists on Image Moments and select a specific playlist to playback.

Automatically Rotates Portrait & Landscape Photos for Correct Display
In Image Moments, portrait and landscape photos are automatically rotated to display correctly according to the orientation of the Image Moment through the built-in auto-rotate orientation sensor.  In addition, Image Moments also reads image EXIF data, to determine the correct photo orientation.  Other great new features include an automatic on/off timer with three schedule settings, which can be set to activate or turn off according to your schedule.

200MB Internal Memory for 1,500 Photos!—Supports All Digital Camera Memory Card Formats
Image Moments is now equipped with 200MB of internal memory, so it can store as many as 1,500 photos.  Photos can be copied directly into the internal memory from any memory card you place in the device’s memory card slot, completely eliminating the need for a computer.  For additional memory, photos can be viewed from all popular memory cards – CompactFlash, MicroDrive, SD/HC card, MMC, Memory Stick, MS PRO, xD-Picture Card, and even MS Duo/MS PRO Duo, directly without the need of an adapter.  For those who wish to transfer photos back and forth from the computer to the Image Moments, there’s also a USB slot to support computer connection.

Image Moments 15 Features:
15” XGA (1024×768) digital LCD with 16.2 million colors and high contrast ratio of 700:1
VESA 100 mounting brackets
Video and Audio input for displaying external video sources
Hinged memory card door hides memory cards from view
Unique interchangeable frame & mat design

Image Moments 8 Features:
8” SVGA (800×600) digital LCD with high contrast ratio of 500:1
Leading technology LCD with LED backlight
Hinged memory card door hides memory cards from view
Unique interchangeable frame & mat design

Image Moments 6 Features:
5.7” VGA (640×480) digital LCD with high pixel density of 140 PPI
Leading technology LCD with LED backlight
Elegant two-tone, mirror-polished chrome finish
Small footprint allows for versatile placement

Image Moments Line General Features:
Screen and Sound Quality:
High-quality stereo speakers with frequency response range of 300-20K Hz, resulting in deep and rich sounding audio.
Audio output to external speakers for special events.

Memory Sources: 
200MB internal memory.
Built-in memory card slots provide native support for: CF, MD, MMC, SD/HC Card, Memory Stick, MS PRO, MS Duo, MS PRO Duo, and xD-Picture Card (also supports mini-SD and RS-MMC with adapter).
Copies photos directly from memory cards to internal memory without needing a computer.
USB 2.0 connection for transferring photos between your computer and device.
Memory Source Select allows concurrent selection of a single or multiple memory sources for playback.
File management features: Organize, copy, delete, rename files; sort files by name or date; create new folders; copy between memory cards and internal memory.

Playback Options:
Selective playback: Navigate and select specific photos and videos to playback from all available memory sources. 
Versatile playback modes: Select playback by photo only, video only, both photo and video, or photo with music.
On-device playlist management: Create, edit, and playback unique playlists of favorite photos in desired sequence directly on the device.

Advanced multimedia format support: 
Image: JPG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, RAW image files from a wide selection of DSLR cameras.
Audio: MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, WAV.
Video: MJPEG, MPEG-4SP.
Automatic photo orientation based on EXIF data: Photos will be automatically rotated to the correct orientation based on the EXIF data captured by the camera.
Landscape and portrait positioning with auto-rotate orientation sensor: Photos will automatically be displayed in the correct orientation according to landscape or portrait positioning of the device.
Automatic photo slideshow with adjustable time intervals, multiple transition effects, and random option.
Multiple photo viewing options: Zoom, pan, rotate photos, view EXIF, and view photo thumbnail.
Automatic on/off timer for scheduled operation with 3 available schedule settings.
Versatile control options: Operate device by onboard joystick and buttons or wireless remote control.

Physical Design:
Tension hinged easel leg allows users to choose optimal display angle.
Brackets for easy wall-mounting in both landscape and portrait orientation.
Lanyard fixture for tethering down device in public areas to prevent theft.

Image Moments 15 (IMT-153) is priced at $399, Image Moments 8 (IMT-083) is priced at $199, and Image Moments 6 (IMT-063) is priced at $149.  All digital frames will be available at Digital Foci’s online store at http://www.digitalfoci.com starting March 2008. 

About Digital Foci
Digital Foci helps consumers manage and enjoy their digital content collection easily.  The company enhances people’s lives by allowing them to seamlessly move digital photos, video, and music from one place to another. With Digital Foci products, consumers are able to enjoy any of their digital content on any device without ever worrying about format compatibility.  Digital Foci products include digital picture frames, photo displays, storage devices, and card readers for transfer, storage, and management optimized for any setting where you choose to enjoy your digital content. 

Digital Foci (pronounced “foe-sigh”) is the plural form of the word “focus” and symbolizes the many distinct points where light and sound converge and diverge.  It is at these digital focus points (or foci) where you view and share your digital pictures, watch your digital video, listen to your digital music, and access your digital files. 

Source: feeds.feedburner.com

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