Is the Kodak EasyShare digital frame any good?
The Kodak EasyShare digital frame is one of the cheapest budget frames on the market. You get very basic functionality that claims to offer a seamless and effortless way to quickly and simply plug and play photos – but in reality, it seldom works as planned.
One of the major selling points of the Kodak EasyShare digital frame was its integration with a computer via the EasyShare software. Unfortunately, this software does not work most of the time. There are several issues and complaints where the software alters and renders many of your photos unviewable on the frame. If you’ve spent time editing and loading these photos from various sources, you’ll likely have to repeat the whole process after using the software.
Although the Kodak EasyShare frame claims to have 128MB of internal storage, this is almost all taken up by the operating system, leaving you with very little storage space to work with. This means you need to leave any connected USB/SD card inserted at all times to view its photos.
The frame comes in either a 7-inch or 8-inch version, though both of them have thick bezels and a matte section around the screens. In practice, the screen is smaller than the claimed size. Additionally, the resolution is extremely low at 800×480, and the frame uses the awkward 16:9 aspect ratio. The result is that almost any picture sent to the frame in 4:3 (most smartphones and digital cameras) will be cropped, cut off at the bottom, or boxed in by black pillar bars. This makes the already small screen seems even less functional.
There are no Wi-Fi or cloud capabilities, and without using the EasyShare software, the only way to send photos to the frame is via a USB/SD card. You have little to no control over the play order of photos and need to manually edit them to match the frame’s 16:9 aspect ratio if you don’t want to waste your limited screen real estate.
All in all, you get what you pay for with the Kodak EasyShare digital frame. It’s one of the cheapest frames and that’s reflected in the design and feature set you get, along with an unrefined user interface and poorly structured software kit. That being said, the USB/SD card support function works well most of the time and offers a handy and foolproof way to view photos on the frame.
Should I buy the Kodak EasyShare digital frame or save up and get a premium frame?
The main differences between the Kodak EasyShare digital frame and premium digital photo frames like the Pix-Star are Wi-Fi/cloud capabilities, screen size & resolution, and features. Frames like the Pix-Star come with free-for-life cloud storage, full Wi-Fi support with features like weather & radio, multimedia support, web albums support, a mobile app, and a web interface.
You can send photos to your frames easily from anywhere in the world through the mobile app or web interface. It’s simple to link and sync photos from your favorite social media and photo-sharing platforms and have them automatically updated.
Premium frames like the Pix-Star offer you finer control over the play order, style, and speed of slideshows. They can be started with one button click from the main menu. 8GB of internal storage space means you can hold thousands of photos without needing to connect a USB/SD card.
Premium digital photo frames like the Pix-Star are better for large families and elderly users as they offer features like multi-frame control and remote-control functionality. You can start and manage slideshows, change settings, and more, for your grandparents and loved ones – no matter where you are in the world.
If your budget supports getting a premium digital frame like the Pix-Star, you’d get far better durability, versatility, and functionality. Frames like the Pix-Star quickly cement themselves in your home and enable you to effortlessly connect with your loved ones.
How to send photos to the Kodak EasyShare digital frame?
The easiest way to send photos to your Kodak EasyShare digital frame is via USB/SD card. Copy the photos you want to view on them your Kodak frame to the USB/SD card. You can also include mp3 files you want to listen to as you view slideshows.
Insert the USB/SD card into the frame’s relevant port/slot and start slideshows directly from your frame. If you have available internal storage space, you can copy the photos across to it from the USB/SD card – otherwise, you need to leave it inserted all the time to view its photos.
The other way to send photos is via the EasyShare software through a computer. It’s not advised to use this method as this software is complicated and seldom works as intended. You also run the risk of corrupting all the photos you’ve previously send and saved.
Can the Kodak EasyShare digital frame connect to Wi-Fi?
The Kodak EasyShare digital frame cannot connect to Wi-Fi and, as such, doesn’t have any Wi-Fi-enabled features or connectivity (outside of the EasyShare software). This means there is no cloud storage and no way to connect directly to your phone or to receive photos via email.
How many photos can the Kodak EasyShare digital frame hold?
This depends on the size of the photos and the size of the USB/SD card. You might run into trouble using USB/SD cards with more than 16GB of storage space. A handy tip is to export your photos from your editing software in the Kodak frame’s native 800×480 resolution. This limits file size and increase the number of photos the USB/SD/frame’s internal storage can hold. It also makes the frame less likely to crop and distort your images.
Can the Kodak EasyShare digital frame play audio and video?
The Kodak EasyShare digital frame can play relatively short mp3 files along with slideshows. You can’t listen to the mp3 files on their own – they’re specifically bound to the slideshows. Kodak EasyShare frames don’t support video playback and won’t recognize or display any video files.
