Wi-Fi frames also boast gesture control and facial recognition tech
Digital picture frames are so old-hat that they have actually been around longer than their analogue equivalents. But while that’s definitely not the case, what is true is that the digital frame market has become saturated with cheap-as-chips-nasty-ass products that have given the whole genre a bad rep.
Step forward Aura Frames, whose two new smart frames, Stardust and Slate, use machine learning to choose the best photographs of the people that you love the most.
The smart frames, which both pack in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, sync up with a dedicated smartphone app (for iPhone and Android) allowing you to constantly update, in real time, the pictures that you want displayed on the frame.
Those pictures should be super clear and bright thanks to the (not-quite-Ultra-but-not-far-off) 2048 x 1536, 9.7 inch display – the same specs as the latest iPad, fyi.
You can use facial recognition to teach the frames who the most important people in your snaps are – think family and friends that are likely to feature prominently – and the machine learning skills also extend to selecting the best shots you take, so you shouldn’t see and blurry images on show.
If you don’t like a picture that’s displayed then you can simply swoop your hand at the frame to skip to the next one – no need to actually touch the screen – and, if you’ve shared access with friends and family to update the selection of pictures on offer, you can also wave at a picture to let the taker know that you like the photo.
Both Stardust and Slate are designed to sit on a surface rather than be mounted on a wall and the power socket allows for both portrait and landscape modes.
They cost $299 – which is actually less than the previous Aura models – so you’re getting more bang for your buck and they are on sale now direct from Aura Frames.