Sony VAIO CP1 Wi-Fi Digital Photo Frame Review
There was a time when on asking for a digital photo frame, you got ‘a digital photo frame’. With Sony at the helm of the consumer electronics bandwagon, when you ask for a digital photo frame, you get one with a radio tuner, a built-in MP3 player and a real-time RSS reader. Yes, that’s exactly what Sony’s VAIO CP1 digital Photo Frame boasts of.
Displaying its edge over other similar products, Sony is all set to launch its CP1 digital photo frame with Wi-Fi technology that has the capability of streaming an assortment of pictures without end. Moreover, these pictures are not limited to the unit’s memory; they can be shared with friends and family over the World Wide Web.
The 17” attractive LCD screen can display images at a resolution of 800 x 480 with over 16 million colors. Whatever the 16 million colors are doing on a mini screen like that, Sony can be trusted to deliver well. Attractive slideshows can be organized using the three different templates: Slideshow, Flow and Dissolve. Slideshows can be fun to watch with special effects and cool transitions. All data can be stored in files called “frames” for easy organization and retrieval.
With most traditional digital photo frames repeating the same old pictures, pleasant memories could become monotonous, losing their special touch. The CP1 moves beyond showing the same photos all over again. Although it has an internal 128MB hard drive memory designed for the purpose, the CP1 can wirelessly access all photos from a Home PC and display as many pictures the PC hard drive can store.
In addition, it has slots for Memory Stick, Secure Digital and Compact Flash memory cards, expanding the viewing options. Now, those special moments can be relived while avoiding the boredom of seeing the same old photos all over again. The memory slots enable the viewing of recently taken digital SLR shots without a computer. This feature could make the CP1 the professional photographer’s delight.
To add to the variety, up to four web albums from Google Picasa can also be accessed and displayed along with real-time updates from Picasa. Photos can also be uploaded on to a Google Picasa album. What’s more, a musical touch can be added to the slideshows using the built-in MP3 player and stereo speakers. If the MP3 collection gets too familiar, free streaming music from internet radio can be bombarded across the speakers, always bringing unlimited music to the ear.
Current events freaks can stay in touch with what’s happening in the business as well as the entertainment world. The RSS reader can display regularly downloaded newsfeeds from the web. The CP1 visually alerts you when new Picasa or RSS feeds become available. Also, an auto sensor automatically dims the screen whenever the lights are switched off, thus saving energy.
The CP1 also dons a desk clock which quietly sits on the upper left corner, as music and images continue to stream along. The CP1 which may hit the markets around the second week of October, is expected to retail at $ 299.99.
Since the Sony VAIO CP1 is compatible with Sony VAIO computers running the VAIO Media 6.0 software, one wonders how it could affect the choice of non-VAIO users.