My i-Mate Momento 70 wireless picture frame
I actually won something woo-hoo.My first competition win since 1982 (so I’m hardly on a roll here). I actually rarely do competitions but texted in to this one that I heard on the radio and had forgotten all about it until I got a phone call on my mobile a few days later and within seconds was live on air. Frightening stuff. Anyway I’d won an i-Mate Momento wireless digital picture frame (I actually had a choice of a wireless Skype phone and a streaming media box thingie that plays computer media files out to your TV and this appealed to me the most).
The i-Mate Momento 70 is a 7″ digital picture frame that takes SD/MMC/xD and Sony Memorystick cards directly or connects to your WiFi network connection (I couldn’t get a connection via WEP but vanilla WPA authentication was easy enough -there really are a large number of nearby WiFi networks in our Close). Apart from the unique feature of the wireless connection it allows other people to send pictures direct to the frame via the Momento website or via email. You can even subscribe to Flickr and Picasa Web album RSS feeds or almost any RSS feed address for that matter.
Now I’m a Mac user so a few features aren’t available to me such as live streaming from your computer and, I presume the ability to create the new Windows slideshow format presentations that this device also supports (and as I’m not likely to swap my computer platform just for these features they’ll remain unused by me). The unit also supports USB memory sticks and can play WMA format audio(yep got loads of those files!) and mp3 audio (OK I’ve got a few of those).
The only fly in the ointment is that in order to keep my only option to use the wireless feature, RSS subscription options etc I’ll have to pay a subscription to continue my MomentoLive account access after the 3 month trial ends. It also looks like proposed future firmware updates would only be available to subscribers (Hey, unfair!). I believe the cost will be $40 (hurray for the 2 dollars to the pound exchange rate) for 12 months. If I used a windows computer then I could try live streaming from the computer over the network. My digital camera takes a compact flash card and is not supported though it looks like I may be able to connect via a card reader or via the camera directly (Mini USB or standard USB).
Oddly for a device which trumpets its Windows and Vista compatibility VERY loudly it’s a peculiarly Mac friendly looking device with the large white bevel and frame not to mention the i-Mate name.
I haven’t had a lot of time to play with the thing as yet. It arrived promptly but I was out most of last week and had to redirect the package to my local post office for pickup today. So thank you LBC for my unexpected prize.
There’s a prior review here via Engadget that covers some of the more Windows specific features that I can’t comment on.
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My i-Mate Momento 70 wireless picture frame « Stuffem-Up the hill backwards
Congratulations!
I won (on behalf of the children) an iZ from McDonalds last year.. not quite so useful, but yet another ‘free’ addition to the gadget collection!
j
iZ? I googled and came up with an interactive speaker-creature. Is that the one? If it is the it looks like an interesting fusions of things. The thing I won way back in 1982 was a top loading (ooh they were all the rage you know) VHS recorder which amazingly still works and sits in my parents back room.
I would like to ask your permission to link back to this post and perhaps quote you, but I can’t find your email address anywhere on your page. Could you please email me, so I can ask your permission?
I´m a user of the Momento as well and let me tell you – all the technical features are exactly how I ever dreamed of them BUT the reality looks a lot different
a) Fact is – YOU HAVE TO PAY TO USE ALL REMOTE FEATURES!
b) No MAC support
c) The user interface is S L O W !!!!
d) The technical/sales support is a joke… (sadly)
e) YOU HAVE TO PAY TO USE ANY OF THE REMOTE FEATURES – ok, I repeat myself, but unfortulatly this will kill the product. Instead of sending a picture directly to the frame, you have to go via their web-portal and they will do the rest – for a price (hello MMS or picture message) Guys, why oh why?
Features I´m still missing:
I. Please no remotes (at least not for everything)
You always HAVE TO HAVE the remote control with you – yes, even for turning the device on! I ´m an early adapter of digital frames and my very first one – THE SONY CYBERFRAME PHD-A55 (5 years ago!!!) – had a very easy and simple way to activate and control the whole thing: a photocell! Just wave your hand and the frame starts a slideshow and turns itself off after 30 minutes.
II. LED technology and / or very low power consumption
Am I asking to much ?
Still waiting for the perfect Wi Fi frame…
Hi Bernd-thanks for your input. As I mentioned I’m a Mac user and so live streaming is not available to me and that many of the features that are Vista specific will be unavailable too. Receiving pics and RSS from the Internet require a yearly subscription but that is at least available via any Mac.As I won it I can hardly complain though having lived with it for some while now I will say that the remote is very poor indeed and the unit responds poorly to navigating with it-lots of pressing the buttons before any response. I did read recently of a rival WiFi enabled frame so we’ll see if the competition hots up.
I feel your pain Bernd, I bought a Momento frame for my parents and after a couple of days of using it I sent it back. It just has far too many problems.
http://blog.norman.cx/?p=19
I now have a Kodak frame, but I’m still not sure whether I’ll be giving it to my parents. While it is better than the Momento it still lacks obvious things like a random slideshow option !
Hi,
I see you noticed the Vista trumpets… Now, I don’t think they’re bragging about a new Windows slideshow format, but support for Windows Sideshow. Which is something quite different from a Slideshow.
If I understand correctly, the Windows Sideshow support allows you to run gadgets on the photo frame, i.e. display the current weather forecast etc.
And they are right to blow their horns for this is one of extremely few devices of any kind yet to launch with support for Windows Sideshow. Support for this is currently in early beta stages on Windows Mobile and iPhone. There is also the overwhelming number of 1 remote control launched – with limited Sideshow support.
That makes this product pretty much cutting edge.
Hello To Everyone
It Seems That The Momento i-Mate Is Running Windows CE 5 Embedded Underneith The User Interface
Is There Anyone Out There Who Can Access The Windows 5 Underlay Of It?
If You Can Please Reply!