Remember digital picture frames, those LCD screens that displayed peoples' snapshots? They're still around, but their low resolution has relegated many of them to garage sales and closets. Well, Frame is like a digital picture frame on steroids. It has a 50-inch 4K screen, and its accompanying app allows users to download works of visual art for ultra high-definition display.
Designed by San Francisco-based startup Depict, Frame features a handmade natural oiled maple frame that's available in natural, black or white color choices. The device's circular wall mount allows it to be rotated 90 degrees, so it can be easily switched between landscape and portrait modes, depending on what it's displaying.
And yes, if you don't want an unsightly electrical cord hanging down from it, you would have to mount it over an existing AC outlet.
The app lets users access a curated collection of 4K digital artwork created by over 100 "established and emerging" artists – some of those works are stills, while others are animated. Prices for those pieces start at US$10, although it's also possible to receive new works via a monthly subscription.
Users are additionally able to buy and trade pieces with one another, while contributing artists earn money for each sale via the company's monetization system. It's also possible for users to display their own work.
Frame isn't the first large-format digital art frame to reach production, with other examples including Meural and the similarly-named Framed, although it's certainly one of the first 4K models we've heard of. It's available for preorder, priced at US$1,800. Shipping should begin this fall (Northern Hemisphere).
Source: Depict