Digital picture frames are so ubiquitous these days that there is little for us to report on in the segment. But every once and a while there is a product that clearly differentiates itself from the pack even in a crowded segment like this. Album's US$199 portable picture frame clearly stands above any of the display devices we've seen so far.
A picture says a thousand words, so check out the gallery of shots that we took at PMA 2009. This portable frame device features a very impressive 7’’ 800x480 pixels LCD display, 4GB of internal memory, SD card slot and USB interface to import pictures from most digital cameras. Construction is stylish and high quality and its 7.7” x 4.45” x 0.55” footprint and 0.9 pound weight lives up to the portable tag.
Dave Weinstein
Below is the company's press release from PMA:
ALBUMteam | ALBUM - FIRM’S PILOT PRODUCT DESCRIPTION | 01 | 05 | 2009
ALBUM – YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOS ANYWHERE, ANYTIME
You are familiar with these situations: When travelling, you need to take a quick look through a few photos to refresh your memory, but switching on your laptop would take too long so you decide against it; or you are away from home with no access to the photos saved on your home desktop and you know about that perfect image that would support your argument. You can easily avoid these sorts of frustrations with ALBUM, because with ALBUM you don’t need a computer to display photos. Taking photos and sharing them can now happen at the same time and on the go, because you can upload all your photos to ALBUM, a device with the size of a slim diary and the weight of a fresh apple, directly from your camera and keep them with you all the time.
ALBUM features the highest quality display and a great design with the right balance of simplicity and function
If you want to show off your exotic vacation photos to your friends you generally need a computer, a specific television screen, or at least a high quality printer. However, this equipment is not always readily available, or using it would interrupt the flow of events. So rather than jamming your audience into your study, to view the show on your desktop, you may decide against it, and the photos you were once so eager to share will likely never be seen. Perhaps you can show the photos on your camera or your mobile telephone, but browsing through photos on a small low-resolution screen is far from ideal.
Fortunately there is a new solution – one which is much more convenient, and self-contained. We’re not talking about a travel case for your laptop, but about ALBUM - “the” practical digital photogallery. Thanks to ALBUM you can take your pictures anywhere without having to carry a heavy laptop or remember cables to connect your camera to another viewing device or wait till your laptop powers up. The cutting-edge postcard sized display and the instant on system enable portability and spontaneous action. ALBUM stores up to 40,000 photographs so you can have all your photos at hand - since you never know which one you might want to show off with.
i-Pod has brought music back to our lives - ALBUM is doing the same for photos
So what sets ALBUM apart from any other device with a screen? Firstly, it was not designed for map navigation, playing games or sitting passively on a coffee table. ALBUM was created specifically for sharing photograph on the go.
Secondly, the photographs can be downloaded directly from digital cameras, memory cards, flash drives, other ALBUMs without an intermediary computer, so viewing and sharing them is as spontaneous as it can get.
Thirdly, sharing photographs with your family and friends is only one of many ways to use ALBUM. It can also be a crucial business tool - storing images of travel destination for travel agents, properties for realtors, products for sales and marketing reps for business meetings or for that crucial elevator pitch.
With ALBUM, photographs are viewed on the state-of-the-art postcard sized display (7”) at a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels (130 DPI). The internal memory (4 GB) can hold up to 40,000 photographs at ALBUM optimized resolution. One battery charge lasts for an entire dinner party (3 hours). ALBUM is compatible with any type of USB device, including other ALBUMs, and also has a built-in SD memory card reader.
ALBUM’s genuine leather case protects the display and also serves as a support standALBUM is truly portable. It is no larger than a slim personal diary (7.7” x 4.45” x 0.55”), it weighs no more than a fresh apple (0.9 pound) and its screen is protected by a stylish leather case, which also serves as a support stand when viewing slideshows. ALBUM is launched in elegant black and red, or a sportive natural leather and silver.
ALBUM is the perfect gift for Christmas, for birthdays, for wedding anniversaries, or for lots of other occasions. It will delight children and adults alike.
To support the idea of sharing photographs ALBUMteam developed a simple “SHOW-OFF” application. SHOW-OFF makes it possible to send your favorite photos to anyone, anywhere. A fully customizable SHOW-OFF photo collection can be added to a new ALBUM or sent alone. SHOW-OFF photo collection makes for an original gift that surprises and delights friends, family or colleagues.
SHOW-OFF makes it possible to send your favorite photos to anyone, anywhere
SHOW-OFF is currently available exclusively on the ALBUM website www.album-life.com. There, users can securely create multiple photo collections of up to 100 photos each. These collections are saved for 1 month and can be accessed and updated during this period with a unique login details. Once the user is satisfied and the collection is complete, ALBUMteam mails the photo collection stored on a memory card. The recipient insert the card into an ALBUM and the photos are automatically downloaded for an instant viewing.
Basic technical specifications of the ALBUM:
Size: 195 mm x 113 mm x 14 mm / 7.7” x 4.45” x 0.55” (Fits in a lady’s handbag)Display Size: 7’’ 800x480 pixels (Larger than a postcard)Weight: 408 grams / 0.9 lbs (Weight of a fresh apple)Capacity: 4 GB Internal Memory (More than 40,000 digital photographs)Compatibility: USB Device & USB Master, SD Cards (Connects to most cameras,PCs and memory cards)Battery Life: 3 hours (Duration of a dinner party)Accessories: Genuine Leather Case, USB Cable, Universal Charger with Replaceable Plugs (Can be charged anywhere)Certification: CE, FCC (Reliable and safe)
ALBUM was designed in the Czech Republic, and is produced in Taiwan and China