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I think that's the point of this being e-ink -- it doesn't look like a video display, it looks like a picture. BUT, I would really want to see this in person. I bought a color e-reader a while back and had to return it because the display contrast was not great at all without tons of backlight. Interested to see if this one has better display tech.

Also skeptical of the cloud back end. I bought a couple family members digital photo frames so we could upload kid pictures regularly. They love them, but the maker (Nixplay) started dramtically limiting photo galleries without a paid subscription. So the frames basically are held hostage to a yearly rental fee. Don't love it.

What *really* needs to happen is for stuff like this to use open protocols so you can plug it into whatever cloud service, NAS or whatever. But not holding my breath as the rent-seeking continues.
Yes I would love to see it in real life. I guess I’m scarred from the nasty digital photo frames of twenty years ago 😁
 
“It is meant to show just one photo per day, and more frequent updates will impact battery life. Photo transitions take approximately 30 seconds.”

Looks like you still have the option to change it like the other frames it just isn’t recommended as it’ll hurt the battery.
Imagine how many times per day it will scare the hell out of oldies when it changes from one person to the next as they walk past.

Maybe someone will make sounds to go with it so that it sounds like those scrolling bus shelter ads haha 😝
 
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aura is a very reliable company.
many of its photo frames use its cloud based server to show new photos for a fixed duration of time.
the best thing about aura is that family can email a photo and, through the cloud, that photo show on that picture frame, automatically, without the end user doing anything.
so a family with kids emails photo(s) to their senior citizen parents and the parents see it automagically.
its a great service.

now, apple could be duplicating this and building it into the upcoming home pod....
so far, apple has been preventing shared photo albums to have this kind of service (a shared photo appearing automatically on a remote iPad that is viewed as a picture frame.
apple could make this kind of service in a heartbeat if it wanted.

and i have been waiting years for apple to do this.

i am sure the e-paper aura display is great. muted colours etc. long term battery, great typical aura after service, etc etc. they are the best, and they price their services accordingly !

come on, apple make it just work, using a shared photo album's photo appearable automatically on a remote iPad.
just do it, even making a widget on the iPad set to that shared album and ready to display the last uploaded photo.
 
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It bums me out that people aren't impressed by technology anymore. So depressing. I've been waiting for this tech since the digital camera became mainstream; some way to display photos on a "digital canvas" without a backlight and without the need for constant power. We're SO CLOSE! In another iteration or two, you won't be able to distinguish a print from a display. Incredible. I'll take one for the team and buy one, just so that all the cheap, unimpressed consumers in the world can have their boring, mind-blowing tech for $39.95.
I like the idea too. It will look more real than The Frame does.

But most people are complaining about the subscription, where you will get the privilege of paying monthly until the company goes under and you have a worthless item.

Why can’t you load your pics on an SD card and manage it from a web page on your local network (like a local printer page, or the web management page for a lot of video and surveillance tech). Or from an app on the phone like home sprinklers or pool pumps or automation.
 
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$500? this looks like such overpriced piece of junk. such a short battery life. for that much you'd expect some kind of a solar panel built into the frame to charge it during daytime, while running on low-power hardware.
 
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I am surprised it doesn't require a subscription
I just saw a different Aura ad for something today...and it was quick to say there was a subscription.
I was just looking at my mother-in-law’s standard Aura frame this weekend and thinking that I would love one but I don’t want another screen glowing in the living room. This is a really neat idea. Hopefully the price will come down once there’s more interest and competitors.
I like the idea too, especially using eInk.
For that price, why not just get an ink jet printer, some photo paper, and a frame? It may not be perfect quality, but it’s got to be better than 1600 x 1200 with 6 colours. Don’t need to charge it, one less screen and less ewaste when the device breaks or support ends.

I suppose some people like to have their photos cycling regularly, but I prefer a bit of permanence.
Yours is not a bad idea.
I think that's the point of this being e-ink -- it doesn't look like a video display, it looks like a picture. BUT, I would really want to see this in person. I bought a color e-reader a while back and had to return it because the display contrast was not great at all without tons of backlight. Interested to see if this one has better display tech.
I have an Amazon reader that just shows black ink. That quality is good. I'll get color one of these days.
Also skeptical of the cloud back end. I bought a couple family members digital photo frames so we could upload kid pictures regularly. They love them, but the maker (Nixplay) started dramtically limiting photo galleries without a paid subscription. So the frames basically are held hostage to a yearly rental fee. Don't love it.
The almighty subscription. We're addicted to them worse than we are to any controlled substances.
What *really* needs to happen is for stuff like this to use open protocols so you can plug it into whatever cloud service, NAS or whatever. But not holding my breath as the rent-seeking continues.
I agree.
It bums me out that people aren't impressed by technology anymore.
It's not that. We just have to be security conscious.
You also know it would’ve been impacted by the AWS outage yesterday.

“Oh hey Chris - nice place! Out of interest, why have you framed a 404 error over there?”
lol!
...On a related note, I wish my TV could somehow have an e-ink to display to show photos too when it's off. I resent having to see a huge black rectangle in my living room throughout most of the day...
There was one of those for sale at Best Buy, I believe.

Yeah, Samsung has a line of these; available at Sam's Club, Walmart, Best Buy, and more. They're QLED TV monitors with a picture frame around them. It doesn't sound like they use eInk for displaying photos, however.
DOA? Maybe. But an important stepping stone.
Agreed!
I’m all set with recharging my picture frames, door knobs, cameras etc.
Don't forget all the tablets, spare iPhones on the kitchen sink, your Apple Watch, laptops, GPS devices, camera/iPhone gimbals, and everything else with a charging port on it.
Does your place hum from the constant charging and cooling? 😁
Mine does! It's a wonder I don't have a perpetual suntan! But the good news is, I can easily toast bread without needing a toaster! :p
 
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First of all, forget the cloud dependency. Just add a 2GB memory and use the USB connector, possibly with an App that conforms photos to the requirements.
Second, 13" frame? But there is a mat, so is that an 8x10 image? Kinda small for $500.
Third, if it uses that little bit of power, can't it be solar charged so you almost never need to plug it in?
 
I bought an e-ink frame from a competitor (Reflection Frame). It only has storage for one photo. When you want to change photos, you load your photo into an iPhone app and hold your phone near the frame. It takes about a minute to transfer the photo via bluetooth, and the image flashes as it changes. You can leave the same photo as long as you like or you can change it as often as you like. It doesn't connect to the cloud or wifi. It has no backlighting or front lighting. It costs $349.

The display is not particularly vibrant. It looks better in brighter light, and some photos look better than others.

If you're interested, you can google it, or simply say the words "reflection frame" within hearing of any electronic device and you'll probably soon see ads for it appearing in social media feeds.
 
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I love the aura frame.


I have several in my family, and you can have people from halfway across the world upload photos to the frame or view the frame's entire photo album.

the app has never failed me and between our frames we've probably have over 12 different phones/iPads connected to our frames and not once has the app ever given anyone problems.
 
Never buying any crap from companies where I can’t control my data.

Also 1.9MP is not enough for a 13.3” print. You want about double that. And I bet the color reproduction is poor since that’s the case with most color e-ink.
 
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I refuse to put another glowing screen in my house, but a color e-ink photo frame right about the size of the framed photo prints on my walls now is something I've hoped to see for some time. Long battery life, no cords, no glowing screen.

$500 is a bit steep, but to be able to automatically rotate through photos on my wall worth it if the quality is good enough…

…but cloud-based? Hell no. Probably wouldn't want it if it was free. It’s a dang photo frame, just give me an SD slot or a couple of GB of onboard storage.
 
How does a 13.3 inch frame fold out to be the 65 inch or so frame in the picture?

How big is that other picture left top? Stamp size? (referring to a "post-stamp" used back in the day to send letters to physical mail boxes)
 
There was one of those for sale at Best Buy, I believe.

Yeah, Samsung has a line of these; available at Sam's Club, Walmart, Best Buy, and more. They're QLED TV monitors with a picture frame around them. It doesn't sound like they use eInk for displaying photos, however.
I vaguely recall seeing one of those, but I'm not keen on the idea of an always on LCD/LED TV due to wasted energy, extra heat in the summer, and I don't particularly want it to emit light. But for that last point maybe software can match the brightness of the TV to the brightness of the room.
 
You also know it would’ve been impacted by the AWS outage yesterday.
Probably only to the possible extent of not switching picture.

Does your place hum from the constant charging and cooling? 😁
That’s not a thing.

If you're interested, you can google it, or simply say the words "reflection frame" within hearing of any electronic device and you'll probably soon see ads for it appearing in social media feeds.
That’s also not a thing.
 
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