Can Aura Frames Curver deringardize digital photo frames?

A ghost in the lens. Fifteen years ago, the digital photo frame was the must-have of techno gifts: nearly 100,000 were sold in France in 2006! Often offered to seniors, the device in which we slipped photos using an SD card or a USB key even made its revolution in 2008 thanks to Bluetooth.

But … as soon as we went to grandpa and grandma, we had to explain to them again how the framework offered at Christmas worked and which they did not understand. And it was also necessary to reload the device with new photos, and delete old ones, the internal memory of the frame remaining limited. As a result, the digital photo frame quickly lost its appeal.

SD card and USB stick in the hatch

Some, like society Aura Frames, have not decommissioned and are now trying to bring this type of equipment up to date. How? ‘Or’ What ? With Carver, for example, a wifi photo frame that can be controlled from an application and that 20 minutes was able to test.

In appearance, the device, which plugs into the mains, looks like a traditional photo frame. Its 10.1-inch screen is the size of a conventional digital tablet and its display quality has largely been improved. upgraded. Displaying 1920 x 1200 pixels, it goes beyond Full HD.

Its resolution of 224 pixels per inch is also well suited. Above all, we forget the slot for SD card and the socket for connecting a cable or a USB stick. Carver just needs to be plugged into the mains and connected to the home wifi network. The rest takes place through an application.

Pictures wherever you are

And that is the secret of its simplicity. Exit tedious handling and… face-to-face! It is through the Aura application that it is now possible to feed the frame with photos. To do this, simply select the desired images in the gallery of your smartphone, optionally crop them, then press “Send”. That’s all.

In addition to the flexibility of use, the interest obviously lies in the fact that these shipments can be made from anywhere. Whether you are at home or on vacation at the end of the world, you can always “take control” of the Carver photo frame as long as you are connected to a telephone network or wifi.

Even more, it is possible to invite others to share the application and also to send photos to the frame. Families are likely to appreciate… On the other side of the screen, grandpa and grandma have nothing more to do than enjoy the last images sent, which can also be scrolled at the desired speed.

Unlimited cloud space

In use, Carver is therefore simplicity itself. The internal storage memory of old frames disappears in favor of space cloud unlimited. We found that while photos sometimes took a little slow to load when sent in batches, it didn’t take more than five seconds between sending a single snapshot and viewing it.

The quality of the screen is also at the rendezvous: as long as the original photos are not missed, the images appear detailed, bright and contrasted.

What’s more, the frame screen has very wide viewing angles. Result: the view of the pictures is excellent, even if you are on the side of the frame. Downside, however: it only works in Landscape mode and not in Portrait mode.

If they are not previously cropped, the height photos will therefore be displayed with large black borders on the sides. The frame can also display two vertical photos side by side, thus filling this gap.

Smartphones have been there

Still, the digital photo frame that fills up with images from a distance is not entirely new. The brand Familink offers one rather dedicated to the elderly which works in 3G / 4G (therefore with a subscription). But with Carver, which is sold for 169 euros, simplicity and quality are adapting to new uses. In 2006, when the first digital photo frames were launched, the iPhone was not yet born …