D-Link DSM-210 10in wireless photo frame

As one would expect from D-Link--a company known for its networking products--its picture frame (US$210) is Wi-Fi-enabled. This 800-by-480-pixel, 10-inch frame comes with a snap-on white border, but I preferred the all-black, modern look. The D-Link doesn't really resemble a traditional picture frame; it looks far more techie. But sadly, some of this frame's limitations will be problematic for techies and nontechies alike.

First off, I checked out our test photos in slideshow mode. Images transferred very slowly to the frame's 1GB internal memory, because the DSM-210 allows you to copy them only one by one (the only way to copy multiple images is by using a downloadable Yahoo widget--a bit of a burden). Once there, the displayed pictures had a slightly desaturated look with a cool cast. The screen is bright and can be viewed from different angles without losing image visibility, but no brightness or contrast controls are available. The slide show ran smoothly, and you can choose from multiple transition effects, but the frame has limited slide-interval adjustments. Also, it cannot handle nested folders, or run images from multiple cards and internal memory into one show.

The DSM-210 allows you to stream photos (but unfortunately, not video) through FrameChannel, an RSS utility. Oddly, the default settings are limited to a meager five photos. It's as if D-Link were conspiring to limit the number of pages in your virtual photo album. In addition, as with the multimedia cards, the frame cannot stream content from more than one channel at a time (meaning only Picasa, or only Flickr, or other service). This may not be an issue for those who don't use more than one image-sharing network, but it is another unexpected limitation.

One pretty cool feature on this frame is motion detection: The device will power off when no one is around, thus conserving energy and the frame's lifespan. I also liked that you can receive pictures via e-mail on the frame. But at its asking price, and even at its 10-inch size, the D-Link frame's limitations would be enough to put consumers off.