Smartparts SP800W 8-Inch Digital Picture Wood Frame

I purchased this for my mom for Christmas. I was unhappy to begin with because the description said it was genuine dark wood. It's genuine black plastic. Just got it out of the box and plugged it in. Worked great for about 15 minutes. I was copying pictures from her camera memory card. It went black and couldn't get it to turn back on. I then unplugged it and the plug unit was hot and literally melting.

-s:This was an ok product. However, the only way I could download pictures was from the computer. It claims that one can download directly from a picture card or USB port. The directions were clear and concise, but on the product I received there was no option to do this. This was disappointing as I wanted to give it to someone who does not own a computer (exactly why I chose this product in particular.)Also, when switching the power on, it sometimes takes a few tries for the product to actually go on.+s:The picture quality was good and the directions are clear (very helpful if the product actually worked.)

Model reviewed: SP800W.Date of review: 2008 DEC 16.Time owned: 3 hours.Purchase price: $89.99 at OfficeMaxPrior experience with digital photo frames: none.Intent of purchase: gift for parents (out of state, age ~60); a "starter" frame - if they really like the concept & function of a digital frame, they can upgrade to a more feature-rich one at a later date.PROsPicture quality is very good. I am no "photophile", but the screen looks great to me, even with the optimized pics (~30 to 75 KB).Solid construction (not flimsy at all).With USB connection, self installs as a drive letter (WinXP). Allows for standard drag&drop and copy/cut&paste functionality to load/offload pics.Optional conversion software (OptiPixPro) optimizes copies of pics for upload to the frame. I.e., it reduces resolutions unusable to the frame, auto-rotates vertical pics for proper viewing.Included remote is handy for pause/go-back/go-forward/zoom during slideshow.Quality wood outer frame.Handy stand holds frame at a nice viewing angle.2nd extra SD/MMC slot hidden behind a cover expands "on board" storage capacity while still leaving the main memory slots open.CONsNo ability to modify presentation order of photos (and I am unclear what determines the order). I.e., it is always the same order each time through the set; (e.g. no shuffle, no date order, no alphabetical, no consistent folder grouping, etc.). According to SmartPartsProducts.com website, this is a limitation of the OptiPix line of frames (vs. their SyncPix which come with software that allows more control over presentation order.)Only 3 discreet speeds for slide show (4, 7, or 12 sec).JPEG is the only photo format that it supports.Warranty only 90 days. (Based on other the scores of reviews that I read regarding multiple digital photo frames, quality and reliability seem to be weak points across all vendors. As such, I bought the 2 extra years of replacement warranty for $20 at purchase).Not designed for wall mounting.No battery (power cord must be connected). This precludes the option of passing it around the room like a photo album.Menu is not intuitive (2 out of 5).No touch screen, nor Wi-fi connectivity. (Not expected for $90).UNTESTEDvideo playback.audio playback.large capacity (>1 GB) storage cards.storage cards with large (> 200 photos).Customer support system of vendor, nor manufacturer.BOTTOM LINEGreat value. Rating 8 out of 10 (for my/my parents needs). Based on my assessment of reviews of multiple competing products in the $50-125 range, this is a very good digital photo frame. I am very satisfied with this purchase and expect that it will be a wonderful gift. I will update this review after 6-12 months of use.I hope that you find this review helpful.

I ran this one's predecessor for 8 hours a day for 5 days a week for 7 years. It finally went out and I replaced it with this one. Easy to slap in the flash card and all your pictures immediataly start popping up.

The digital photo frame was simply defective. Would not turn on. I purchased an identical frame a few months earlier as a gift and it worked fine. I have to say that the process for returning the frame was painless.

This is an excellent product at an amazing price at Amazon. The picture quality is truly great. I loved it and would definite recommend.

It has died already. I think lightening got it along with a couple other things in my house.

I bought this frame because I got a good deal on it. I didn't even search reviews because I have another SmartParts picture frame that's been going strong for about 3 years now running 24/7. After I placed my order I decided to look at some Amazon.com reviews and I immediately got a little concerned.Well fortunately my concerns were unfounded. Some reviewers that said it has a black plastic frame did not get the right frame or are reviewing a different one. This one has a VERY nice all wood frame. It's a very classy dark stain. The craftsmanship (I'm sure it's made by a machine) is excellent. Very surprising for an inexpensive picture frame. The matting also looks very nice.Another thing in some of the other reviews that's not correct; you do not need a computer to display pictures. I took my SD card from my camera and inserted it and the slide show started immediately. To copy pictures from the SD card to the internal memory just push the setup button once you are in the main menu and it will give you the option. I also wanted to try the USB port so I plugged one of my thumb drives in; I had a folder with music and a folder with pictures. Well the slide show started displaying pictures and at the same time started playing my music. Now that was very cool. I need to try that with my other Smartparts frame.All in all; it does what it says it will do and does it very well. The picture is quality is excellent with good viewing angles. The menu is OK. When plugged into a computer it shows up as a mass storage device, so it's very easy to load pictures. I don't use the included software (which is good to use if you use the internal storage because it will compress the files to just the right size). The only thing I think it needs is a headphone jack.If I can find another one at the price I paid I will definitely buy it. Highly recommend (if the price is right).