Digital pictures frames, despite being around for several years now, suffer from many limitations. They’re expensive, require electric power, and can often be frustrating to set up.  It usually tends to be cheaper to make a good paper print and then just slip it in a frame.  Ceiva, with their newest lineup of digital frames (the LF4007 is the 7 inch model and the LF4008 the 8 inch one), aims to reduce that frustration.  Instead of simply loading files from a memory card (though this frame can do that), you can add photos to your slideshow in a myriad of ways.  Through a phone line, a broadband connection, or even wifi (these are the first frames to have that capability).

Ceiva does this by way of their Pictureplan service, located on their website.  This site, not unlike Photobucket or Flickr, allows you to maintain an online album (or albums) of your photos.  With Pictureplan, you (or someone else you’ve given access to) can upload photos to the website, which are automatically sent to your frame.  Each night the Ceiva connects to the internet (via one of the three aforementioned methods) and updates the album, displaying the new photos automatically.  This is a very fine idea, and in theory is truly innovative.

However, this is not so easily accomplished.  Like an action figure advertised on Saturday mornings, the good accessories are sold separately.  The frame only comes with a phone cable to connect it to the internet (it dials out, old-fashioned style).  If you want to link it via broadband or wireless, you have to buy the appropriate adapters (you cannot use an off the shelf USB adapter, you have to use theirs).  The wireless method, which is what I tested, is less than perfect in itself.  Setup is a bit mind-numbing (typing in a wireless network key using only arrow keys is not fun), and the adapter’s receiver is less than stellar.  At my mother’s house (I wanted her to see and use this product, she loves showing pictures of her dog), where her desktop computer gets perfect wireless service, the Ceiva cannot receive a signal in much of the house.   When you have to spend additional money to access the product’s most noteworthy feature, one would think it would at least work well.

The Pictureplan service is also a bit deceptive. The frame’s purchase price only includes one month’s service (dubbed a “trial”).  Again, to use this heavily advertised feature, you have to (guess what?) pay more.

While the frame does have a USB port (where you plug in the network adapters and flash drives for software updates), this cannot be used to link the frame to a computer or even load photos from a thumb drive.  Computer connectivity would make setup a breeze, and also give people a way to easily connect the Ceiva to Pictureplan (just plug it into your PC to update the photos).  It would seem that Ceiva would rather you shell out more cash for their network adapters and live with that.

To avoid sounding too negative, the frame’s screen is quite good, with a nearly flawless viewing angle (photos look great even if you’re not looking at them from a 90 degree angle).  The onboard controls are reasonably intuitive (could be better, but definitely usable), and navigating photos is not difficult.  It also comes with both a standard black as well as a fancy wood-grain frame (obviously to make it look more like a traditional picture frame) which actually is not tacky.

To summarize, the Ceiva is a tremendously good product on paper.  However, with all the additional costs just to use the features that make it special, as well as the frustrating setup procedures, I just can’t see it being worth it.   The whole thing just seems unnecessarily complicated.  If it came with more accessories, or at least allowed a user to use regular USB network adapters, it would be a lot better.  It’d be even better if it could be connected to a computer, which would remove a myriad of headaches.  As before, GI Joe just isn’t that fun unless you fork over the cash for his accessories.

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Dear Olympus Stylus 1030SW,

What luck I’ve had in meeting you! Where have you been all my life? Our time together has been nothing short of magical. You are beautiful, fun, and easy to be with.

I’m sure you know that you’re not my first digital camera, but you are by far the best. My other cameras have been too bulky, their LCD screens too narrow, too dim. The pictures they take nowhere near as clear. You truly excel at everything you do.

Most digital cameras prize function over form, flitting around town decked out in ugly gray rectangles. Not you! Your case dazzles with vibrant colors! Your viewscreen is a thing of beauty, large and vibrant. When I gaze into your 2.7” HyperCrystal™ II LCD viewscreen, I know exactly what the picture will look like when I upload it onto my computer or print it out.

And speaking of printing out, you are one of the most accommodating cameras I’ve ever known. Your USB cable interface does not need that I load your software before transferring. You’ll also connect directly into PicShare equipped photo printers for the times when I just don’t want to bother with my computer. With a resolution up to 10.1 MP, the pictures come out looking stunning, and with a 3.6x Wide-Angle Lens, I don’t miss a single thing in my shot.

For all your beauty, you’re so strong inside. You can handle a drop from over 6 ft. in the air! Waterproof to a depth of 33 ft. for underwater photography! Crushed under 220 lbs. of pressure! You can even be frozen to 14 degrees Fahrenheit! Your rugged design makes you a perfect traveling companion. There’s no fear of you breaking in the great outdoors!

Alas, all is not perfect  in our interactions. While I try not to judge my companions on the company they keep, I am shaken by your insistence in associating yourself with an XD-Picture card. Yes, I’m aware that you will accommodate other formats, with your included XD-Picture to Micro-SD adapter, but in order to use your advanced features (like auto-stitching panoramic photography, or a 3D effect) I must compromise my own data card setup and purchase a new format. How can you be so unyielding?

In close, I must say that you are simply the best point-and-shoot digital camera that I’ve ever used. Your high resolution, clear viewscreen and wide angle lense take beautiful pictures and your sturdiness ensures that we’ll be taking photos together for a long time to come.

Much Love,

Amazing Tech Guy

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