Pandigital announces touch-controlled digital photo frames

Pandigital's new line of Wi-Fi equipped digital photo frames feature a touch-operation interface that allows users to tap or swipe icons for access to digital photos, MP3 music and video clips. The obvious question - who wants fingerprints all over their holiday snaps? Luckily the designers have this one covered - touch-operation is via a fingerprint resistant matting that surrounds the viewable area leaving images smudge free. The touch interface also incorporates a patent pending "page turn" effect, which provides the effect of a photo album being turned using a simple forward or backward swipe motion.

The new PanTouch® line has three models ranging in size from 7-inch to 10.4-inch with on-board memory from 128MB to 512MB respectively. Along with touch operation, the frames also incorporate Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, remote control, programmable on/off times, clock, calendar and alarm clock functions, a 6-in-1 memory card reader, plus standard and mini USB 2.0 ports. The frames cater for video and MP3 playback - the latter allowing for a soundtrack can be created for a photo slideshow - and in-built software optimizes the image resolution of photos once they are transferred to save on memory space.

The Pandigital PanTouch line will hit U.S shelves in May.

• 7-inch PanTouch Digital Photo Frame: 482x234 resolution, widescreen 15:9 aspect ratio, 128MB of internal memory (up to 800 images with the image optimization software). Cost - USD$119.99.
• 8-inch PanTouch Digital Photo Frame: 800x680 resolution, 512MB of internal memory (can store up to 3,200 images with the image optimization software). Cost - $169.99.
• Pandigital 10.4-inch PanTouch High Definition Digital Photo Frame: 1024x768 HD resolution, 512MB of internal memory (up to 2,000 photos with the image optimization software).Cost: USD$249.99.