Frame of the Future

It may look like an ordinary picture frame, but don’t be fooled. Weave Innovations’ StoryBox does more than display a favorite family photo. It stores dozens of images, sends pix from your nightstand to Grandma’s coffee table, even gives you the latest sports scores and traffic reports — all with the click of a few buttons.

MORE E-FRAMES

Sony CyberFrame:

$899, <www.sel.sony. com/SEL/consumer/dimaging/browse_the_products/cyberframe_ viewer/cyberframe_models/phd_a55/>

Ceiva Internet Connected Picture Frame:

$249 plus $2.99 or $7.99 monthly connection fee, <www.ceiva.com/learn_ more.asp>

Digi-Frame DF-390: $399

DF-560: $599, <www.digi-frame.com>

The StoryBox replaces traditional photographic prints with an LCD screen displaying high-resolution digital photos, either one at a time or in a slide-show format. Buttons on top of the frame let you select images and display modes. It plugs into a wall outlet, and can store up to 36 photos.

Connect its cable to any phone jack and you’re plugged into the StoryBox network, which allows you to send pictures to another StoryBox (no computer required) or to a virtual album on your frame’s Web site. From the site, you can manage and store your photos, share them with family members who don’t have a StoryBox and program your frame to deliver “snapshots” of personalized information, such as weather, traffic and headline news. The StoryBox dials into the network several times a day to retrieve new photos and information. You pick who’s allowed to send you pictures, so your StoryBox is spam-free.

Weave Innovations teamed with Kodak to produce the first frames, which hit store shelves this summer. Look for the StoryBox network on Kodak Smart Picture Frames; they’ll require a one-year subscription in addition to the $299 retail price.

For more information, contact Weave Innovations at (408) 246-9328 or see <www.storybox.com>.

From the October 2000 issue of Family Tree Magazine