Impact7 Digital Photo Frame Review

Nov 24 2008, 12:00am CST | by Shane McGlaun

Today we are checking out the Impact7 digital photo frame from eStarling. The frame has lots of nice features that you don’t commonly see at this price range. A digital photo frame will make a great holiday gift for someone on your shopping list so read on for all of the details.

Gallery

5 images

Benchmarks

Specifications
The Impact7 digital photo frame has a 7-inch screen with a resolution of 480 x 234. It offers integrated Wi-Fi with 802.11b/g supporting encryption with WEP64, WEP128, WPA1, and WPA2. A multi-card reader is built-in to the top of the frame along with a USB port. Onboard storage is 256MB and the frame has a remote control. Other features include automatic shutdown and support for high-speed JPEG format.

Setup & Use
Setting up the frame typically requires you to connect it to a wireless network. Like a notebook, the frame has a built-in Wi-Fi finder that will automatically search for local wireless networks. You can also connect to a network manually if yours has a hidden SSID. Setting up the connection is easy and requires you pick the security type and enter your key.

Once connected the frame gives you a code needed to set the frame up on a website called Seeframe that is the software behind the scenes. Once set up at the website you can automatically subscribe the frame to RSS feeds for images form places like National Geographic and more. Support for social and image hosting networks is included like Photobucket, Flickr, and Facebook. Oddly, there is no support for MySpace, which is the most popular of the social networking sites.

Those who have a Facebook site or have friends who have a Facebook site can have images posted to the frame automatically when posted to the social network. This allows you to send new images to friends and family that will be displayed directly on the frame. Images are grabbed ever half hour 200 at a time. A full complement of slide show controls allow users to set the time the images are displayed before changing and transition effects.

Those without a wireless network can enjoy the Impact7 digital photo frame as well. The onboard card reader is located on the top edge of the frame next to the USB port. The problem is that when you plug SD cards into the slot they stick up over the top of the frame about a quarter of an inch. This greatly detracts from the looks of the frame. The card reader needs to be positioned on the back of the frame or in a recessed slot to keep the clean looks.

A wireless remote is included and has a built-in dock on the stand of the frame. I have tested frames at much higher price points that didn’t offer a simple dock for the remote, so that is a welcome feature. If you don’t want to use the remote, all controls for the frame are built into the right side. When not needed the touch-enabled controls are invisible.

When you touch the right border of the frame, the controls illuminate in blue light and allow you to navigate menus and change photos, as you desire. The screen has decent quality, not the best I have seen but certainly not the worst.

The screen has slight banding of images, but you have to look hard to see the banding. Colors are bright and skin tones look natural and correct on the display. If you want better image quality you will need to step up significantly in price to match the quality offered by the Impact7 digital photo frame.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

Wi-Fi built-in
Remote control
Touch navigation

Cons

SD cards protrude over the top of the frame
Screen has slight banding on images

Verdict
The Impact7 digital photo frame is a very good photo frame that may lack slightly in screen quality, but makes up for it with tons of features not typically seen at a $99 price point. This will be a great digital photo frame for gift giving.

8.5

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Shane McGlaun
Leading our review center, Shane knows technology inside out. His extensive experience in testing computer hardware and consumer electronics enable him to effectively qualify new products and trends. If you want us review your product, please contact Shane.
Shane can be contacted directly at shane@i4u.com.