Russell Beattie

This is really cool as well, a digital picture frame! From the press release:

Nokia also unveiled the Nokia Image Frame for displaying and sharing digital pictures on a bookshelf or desk, for instance. The Nokia Image Frame will come in two versions. The infrared only version, available from fourth quarter of 2003, allows owners of Nokia 7600 and other infrared capable devices to send and then display up to 50 pictures viewed one at a time or as a slideshow on its color display. In the first quarter of 2004, Nokia will add a second Image Frame to the enhancements portfolio featuring a slot for a SIM card. It enables receiving pictures also via MMS.

Okay, now that last bit is pretty interesting. It's one thing to have a digital picture on your wall, it's another to be able to change it by sending it an MMS message. That's out of control cool! It would awesome for someone who travels a lot to send pics back to his/her family at home or for far-away grandparents to see new pictures of their grandson daily. Or think of an office full of these picture frames on the wall and employees can send pictures of random things. Really cool.

It won't be long until you can send video to this type of device as well. Sort of like a "Video Window". Totally cool. I do have a criticism though, it only holds 50 images and only uploads via infrared and MMS. As someone who has thousands of images and more every day (because it's so easy to take with my digital camera phone) there should be Bluetooth in this bad boy and an automated way to sync with my PC. I think something like that exists already with WiFi, actually. The thing that's cool about this is the remote addition of pics via MMC. That's so rockin'.

Nokia also has some new wearable stuff which I think is interesting, but doubt it'll get much success. Same sort of idea - displaying digital images - but in little devices you *hang around your neck*. Maybe it'll be big with the next generation, I don't know... I think if they had combined it with an MP3 player maybe. Imagine a smaller iPod with a full-color screen that displayed digital images, video as well as music? That sort of thing wouldn't seem as gimmicky to me.

Regardless, it's neat to see companies thinking outside the box like this. Like I said earlier Design + Technology is such a great thing.

-Russ