Digital picture frames are a growing category of consumer electronic devices and people choose to replace their traditional static picture frames with dynamic digital frames that show off their digital pictures in homes, offices, and public places. Manufacturers of all types are now producing digital photo frames of all types and endless features, and one such brand that has quickly made a name in the market is Smartparts. Smartparts digital frames come in various types and sizes, mostly in the Optipix and Syncpix product lines, each with key features to consider.

The Syncpix line of Smartparts LCD frames is a more recent product line, and the key feature of these digital frames is the Syncpix software that runs directly on the frame. A key aspect to digital photo frames is transferring them from your camera to your computer and to your frame. The Syncpix software attempts to allow users to eliminate this step by enabling you to plug your memory card directly from your camera to your frame, and allowing you to perform all required steps of preparing a digital photo for display (for example, resizing, organizing into albums) directly on the frame itself. New versions of the Syncpix software can be downloaded from the Smartparts website which keeps it fresh with features. This is a not a mandatory approach, i.e. you can still manage your photos on you computer if you want and transfer them to your photo like you would with most frames, but the Syncpix approach is an interesting one.

Smartparts other main product line of digital photo frames are its Optipix digital frames. This wide range of digital frame sizes and models offer several great offerings. These frames will display digital pictures in crisp, clear colors, allow for various slideshow features, and generally will allow you to display other media such as video and music (great for adding background to your slideshows). As opposed to the Syncpix frames, Smartparts Optipix digital photo frames come with software that runs on your computer, which is used to manage your pictures before transferring them to a memory device that can be used with your Smartparts digital frame.

Regardless of the line of frames you choose, Optipix, Syncpix, or the other Smartparts family of frames, Smartparts gives you a choice of a variety of sizes. Smartparts has good choices in 5-inch, 7-inch, 8-inch, 10-inch, 11-inch, and 12-inch digital frames. You’ll soon ever hear about its groundbreaking 32-inch digital frame, thought to be the biggest yet on the market, and likely to be used for commercial uses like marketing and display (much like you see LCD TVs used in lobbies and restaurants).

Once you decide on a size, the other key features to consider are screen resolution, internal memory, and memory card ports. Screen resolution is closely tied to your screen size, but in general you’ll be safe choosing a Smartparts frame in that they provide an optimal resolution for the size of digital frame screen. This ensures your pictures appear with high quality and clarity. For example, their 8-inch frames are mostly 800 x 600 or 800 x 480 resolution which is great for most uses.

Internal memory defines whether or not you can store pictures directly on your frame, or if you’ll have to rely on a memory card connected to the frame. This varies on Smartparts frames, but for example many of the Syncpix frames come with 256MB internal memory which can store a few thousand pictures (depending on resolution) directly on the frame. Frames without internal memory require you to insert a memory device to the frame (usually a memory card or USB flash device). There are several types of memory cards and Smartparts does a good job supporting various types, and gives you multiple ports for connecting more than one card at a time (also useful for transferring from one device to another).

Another feature not totally unique to Smartparts, but certainly not standard in today’s digital photo albums is the remote control that comes with many Smartparts frames. Also look for an auto on/off capability - why should a frame be on when no one is in the room? This is a good for conserving energy. Some Smartparts frames do this with a motion sensor. Other features found on Smartparts digital frames: internal speakers, digital clock, and built-in alarms.

Digital picture frames are clearly changing how we display pictures. For those in the market for one of these new devices, considering a Smartparts digital picture frame is likely a wise choice.