Comments on: Review: SmartParts SPX8WF Wi-Fi digital frame

By: Nina

Nina — Sat, 09 May 2009 21:33:10 +0000

I use the estarling frames and their customer support is pretty nonexistent, but if you can get it hooked up to wifi it is sooo simple to email pictures too. I mostly use the iphone app and just send pics to it that way, it automatically adds them into the slide show. it does the same thing however, where you can either see the pictures it has stored online or the ones from a card or its memory, so i just never put ones on it directly and keep emailing them and we love it.

By: Sylviajr

Sylviajr — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:14:31 +0000

Jean, we cannot figure out how to get the CF card into the frame – it doesn’t fit! And while I did find some online instructions, they are kind of generic and don’t quite match the model.

By: Russ

Russ — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:17:26 +0000

Well, an update.

I think I’ve got somewhere, I’ve managed to get the frame to do what it implies it does, however there are caveats and it’s not straight forward.

Firstly, unless a software update comes out the frame doesn’t check automatically for new emails – whyever not?

So, to get it to do that you need to abandon the email option provided by Smartpants and follow the instructions below:

Steps:
1. Set up a Microsoft photo account.
2. Set it up to be able to email photos to. It will have a unique email address (nothing to do with the one from the frame).
3. Set up a FrameIt account.
4. Add the photo album to the FrameIt account.
5. Now the clever bit – you need to use the schedule functionality of FrameIt to force the frame to re-sync with the FrameIt stream.
So if necessary set the same album up twice in the account and schedule the first one to display between 1am and 1pm and then the second to display 1pm to 1am. This forces the frame to check for new pictures.

Caveats:
1.This shouldn’t be required – it’s a workaround for poor out of the box functionality.
2. It relies upon FrameIt which is a Microsoft product in Beta release – who knows what the future holds or the standards of the service.
3. I believe whether the information is sent to the frame via email or FrameIt it goes via SmartPants servers to render/resize the image. If SmartPants as a company or this service goes under – so does your clever photoframe.

I hope this proves of some use to people who are in the same position I was a month ago.

By: Russ

Russ — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:48:05 +0000

I bought the frame for my mother. I don’t mind setting it up for her, but the idea was that I’d email pictures of her grandchildren when out doing things. At the moment it seems I’ll need to ring her and say there’s new pictures, please press the email button and get them. What’s the point in that? I wanted them to show up automatically and surprise her.
I am currently trying other methods and I have left the frame on all evening and it didn’t automatically update! I’ve now asked customer support about the email feature.

I’ll report back if I get anywhere.

By: marty

marty — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:26:28 +0000

I am dissappointed that when you bring pictures in from your PC you cannot put them in a folder. We thought you could bring in 4th of July 2008 in a folder and click on that folder for pictures. No, any picture that is in there is “shuffled” and not necessarily in order. I would hate going thru 2000 pic’s everytime just to see 10 from the 4th of July…
What am I missing here?
And no user manual, that sucks

By: Don Coxe

Don Coxe — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:00:04 +0000

Learning about RSS
Learning about Windows Live
Learning about FrameIt
Learning about …
And I’m a web programmer trying to give a gift to some grandparents.
Shouldn’t be this hard.
SmartParts has a DUMB user interface and no documentation.
Funny, the technology looks impressive.
What a shame
I hope I get this worked out

By: Christopher Connell

Christopher Connell — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:17:05 +0000

Are you kidding me? No user guide? What a royal pain this is on Christmas morning.

By: Dauby

Dauby — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:07:51 +0000

P.S. I was also able to order this from Dell for $116 with free shipping. http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=A2129790&cs=19&c=us&l=en&dgc=SS&cid=30322&lid=680414

By: Dauby

Dauby — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:01:11 +0000

After reading this review and comments, I decided to call tech support at Smartparts. They said (after asking their management) that the SPX8WF can be setup to automatically display photos sent into its e-mail from senders that are on its ‘buddy list’. However, they also said that it takes SEVERAL hours of the frame being powered on for it to automatically check its e-mail for new buddy photos. This fits my usage model, so I decided to order one. I’ll update this (after Christmas) if it is not as advertised.

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:16:07 +0000

According to the product description, you can set up a “buddy list,” allowing emails from specified accounts to “automatically show up on the frame.”

Shouldn’t that do the trick?

By: Jean

Jean — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:08:32 +0000

This frame is very easy to use and I had no problems understanding the user interface and setting up the wifi. If it were any more simple it would have a clap on clap off mechanism for John.

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:35:08 +0000

DITTO !! on John’s comment

By: John Danenbarger

John Danenbarger — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:49:05 +0000

I am SOOOOOOOOOO sorry that this frame has the problems that you point out. I have been looking for a frame to which I could send pictures to my mother. She would never manage the technical side, and my brother and I are far away in different parts of the world. PLEASE let us know when you find a frame to which one can send pictures and is simple.

Thanks.

John