Chumby has just released the all new Chumby 8 and boy are we excited.  We reviewed the Chumby One, but felt as though it left something to be desired, especially from a screen size and processor standpoint.

The new Chumby however sports a larger 8-inch screen, a faster processor (800MHz Marvell ARMADA 166) and twice the RAM (128 MB DDR2 SDRAM).  But that’s not all.  You can now upload photos to your favorite sharing sites from the Chumby and manage your apps (i.e. content) directly from the touchscreen device – before you had to log into a computer.  

While they’ve added a mic, no doubt to support VoIP calls, they’ve removed the presence of the FM radio, at least according to the spec sheet, and a USB input for attaching a compatible MP3 player, such as an iPod.  The form factor has also taken a notable change, reflecting that of a digital photo frame.

The new Chumby 8, which measures 8.7″ widex 6.75″ tall x 5.5″ deep, will ship April 5th for $199.95.  You can preorder today.

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Parrot‘s latest product, the DIA, is one confusing piece of kit.  At first blush, and first glance of the press release, it seems to suggest anything but a digital photo frame.  But read further and you’ll soon discover that’s exactly what it is.

The DIA is developed in collaboration with Jean-Louis Frechin, founder of nodesign agency.  Instead of your usual blacked out screen, the DIA utilizes a translucent display, which when turned off is see through.  So in turn, and as suggested by the designer, the photo frame becomes an object in an upon itself, as oppose to an empty vessel.

The screen measures 10×4 inches, though there is no mention of resolution.  There are a number of apps available for the Android based device. For transferring and viewing content there are two USB ports, WiFi, an SD card slot and Bluetooth connectivity.

Parrot’s DIA photo frame will hit store shelves this coming February for an estimated $500.

DIA Parrot by nodesign: the Essence of Your Photos

PARIS, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Parrot, a leader in wireless peripherals for mobile phones, is revealing its latest digital photo frame: DIA, a mysterious object developed in collaboration with Jean-Louis Frechin, founder of nodesign agency.

With digital technology, we went from photo to photos… Taken with a camera or a mobile phone, digital photos are as fragile as sands of time, and yet we rarely take the time to watch them. We sometimes share them, via SMS or e-mail, but we never really see them…

Henri Seydoux and Jean-Louis Frechin found themselves considering this observation. Sharing the same love for photos, both are convinced by the necessity of the digital photo frame and consider that the object should be envisioned as a piece of furniture for which design is essential.

“I have my own idea of the function of the photo frame, and what motivates me in what I do is to create objects with high technology. I am looking for designers who have very personal ideas. I am not interested in design to rearrange a shape. I am looking for an expression, like a gesture, a movement,” explains Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot.

Your photos, only your photos

Due to its function, the photo frame is an object we look at, that we display prominently. While it is important the frame is beautiful, it is essential that the frame “steps aside” for the benefit of the photo.

“Today, screens are all the same. So, with my partner Uros Petrevski, we had to find a different type of screen, without falling into the category of ‘do different just to be different’. We started to handle slide film, to dismantle screens, to play with transparency of light,” explains Jean-Louis Frechin. “DIA frame was born from the idea that it is impossible to represent a printed image on a photo frame. So our frame is close to slide film, with the quality of transparency, and light and format of professional ektachrome.”

DIA Parrot by nodesign is a white rectangle, very simple, with tactile buttons and a trackball to surf in the menu of the frame.

What is striking is its 10×4 inch high resolution screen. Dismantled, deconstructed, disconnected from the frame as if there was nothing behind, this screen is transparency, is light. The picture, your photo, appears through this “light box” in a brand new aesthetic dimension…

“The photo frame designed by Jean-Louis Frechin is very mysterious,” continues Henri Seydoux. “Jean-Louis was smart or ‘crazy’ enough to dismantle the LCD screen we get used to, and the result is quite simply magical. We don’t see where the photo comes from… It is simply there, on this transparent and half-dismantled screen… It is prestidigitation!”

A unique digital experience

In the manner of all products developed by Parrot, DIA Parrot by nodesign is a bundle of technology with poetic aesthetics.

* Holidays 2.0
Developed by Parrot, this application invites you to follow, via Google™ Maps, about 50 journeys to discover “as the crow flies” and with pictures the world’s highest tops, the most beautiful natural cascades, Paris, New York, The Chateaux de la Loire, The descent of the Nile, Route 66, etc.
This application also enables you to create your own journeys thanks to the geographic tag (or geotag) embedded on the iPhone, Android mobile phones and some digital cameras. Upload your photos on the frame and they will appear once you fly over the country, the city or the street where your pictures were taken…

* Mover Lite©
DIA is compatible with “Mover Lite©” application from Infinite Labs (available for free on the App Store(SM)). Thanks to this application, you can select pictures and send them to the frame by simply sliding your finger on the iPhone screen.
Also, the Microsoft network client enables to drag-and-drop photos from a PC or a Mac®, directly to the frame.

* FrameChannel®
Web services platform FrameChannel® is installed on the frame to receive information (weather forecast, economic or financial news, road traffic, sport scores, Facebook…) via RSS feeds.

DIA uses the Google Android™ operating system to connect to the Internet and the two USB ports enable connection a keyboard and a mouse to the frame.

* A Pop3 and Imap e-mail client enables an e-mail address on the DIA in order to send it photos.
* Sharing photos is possible via dedicated websites (Picasa™, Flickr®).

DIA Parrot by nodesign offers comprehensive connectivity (USB, SD, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections to transfer photos from almost any digital devices: PC, Mac® and mobile phone. The slots for SD card and USB port enable to increase the memory available in the frame.

The digital photo frame DIA Parrot by nodesign will be available from February 2011 in department stores, specialized retailers and on www.parrotshopping.com for 500 USD.

DIA is the concrete expression of Wapix project, a digital photo frame designed by nodesign, which received the Carte Blanche du VIA award in 1998 and is featured as part of the modern and industrial art collection at the National Center for Art and Culture Georges Pompidou in Paris.

For more information, visit www.parrot.com

nodesign

studio@nodesign.net

http://www.nodesign.net

About PARROT

Parrot, a global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones, stands on the cutting edge of innovation. The company was founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux as part of his determination to drive the inevitable breakthrough of mobile phones into everyday life by creating high-quality, user-friendly wireless devices for easy living. Parrot has developed the most extensive range of hands-free systems on the market for cars, motorbikes and scooters, including wireless multimedia products geared towards audiovisual applications. In 2008, Parrot launched a new prestige line of high-end products bearing the hallmark of renowned artists and in 2010, the AR.Drone, the first quadricopter piloted via wi-fi and using augmented reality.

Parrot, headquartered in Paris, currently employs 450 people worldwide and generates 85% of its sales overseas. Parrot is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris since 2006. (FR0004038263 – PARRO)

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Panasonic’s latest digital photo frame, the MW-20, is 9-inch LCD complete with stereo speakers and an iPod dock. Yes, it should work with your iPhone, so you can now rest easy knowing that you can display photos direct from the handset or watch a movie on the high rez screen.

There is also 2GB of storage, an SD card slot and the ability to wall mount this little sucker.  Bright lighting?  No problem, the MW-20 has an ambient light sensor which auto adjusts the screen brightness level according to the room.

Word on the street is that it will go retail this November for $250.

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