Does the Brookstone digital picture frame offer cloud storage?
The Brookstone digital picture frame does not offer cloud storage – but does offer basic cloud connectivity. This cloud connection is required for sending photos to the frame via the mobile app. The only storage you have with these frames is on the local internal storage and/or a connected USB/SD card. It’s not the ideal setup as many similarly priced frames offer cloud storage (e.g., Pix-Star’s frames offer free-for-life cloud storage and extensive cloud-enabled features).
There’s a common complaint that’s been surfacing lately (as recently as early 2022). This complaint states that out of nowhere, the Brookstone frame stops connecting to the cloud servers. When the customer support is contacted, they state that they’re aware of the issue, but that there is no solution.
This seems to happen with frames that have been owned for one year or more in most cases. Without this cloud connection, you cannot send photos to the frame by mobile app or email, leaving you with a frame that can only receive photos by USB/SD card – a feature that almost all cheap and mid-range frames offer.
Can I play videos on the Brookstone digital picture frame?
The Brookstone digital picture frame can only play very short video clips. A common complaint is that the frame will cut video playback length to match the slideshow’s photo transition speed. For example, if you set slideshows to change photos every 10-seconds, videos will only play for 10-seconds.
Even without these limits, Brookstone’s frames only support 15-second video clips. For comparison, the similarly priced Pix-Star digital frame lets you play 2-minute video clips and lets you include them in slideshows without cutting them off before they’re finished.
Is the Brookstone digital picture frame good for families?
The Brookstone Wi-Fi digital picture frame might seem like a great choice for families on paper – but that’s not the case in the real world. These frames are missing several essential features while offering only a handful of basic family-focused digital frame features.
One of the most important features for families is remote configuration support. This feature lets you remotely manage and control all of your frames from anywhere. It’s often done via a web interface (which isn’t possible here as Brookstone only offers a mobile app) and is great for elderly users and big families.
Another missing feature is free-for-life cloud storage. The Brookstone digital picture frame offers cloud connectivity for receiving photos from the mobile app, but no cloud storage. The only way to store photos is directly on the frame’s internal storage or on a connected USB/SD card.
When you consider that Pix-Star’s frame is almost the same price, yet offers loads of family-focused features, it’s hard to justify choosing the Brookstone instead. With Pix-Star’s frames you get extensive remote-configuration support, web album support, better video & audio playback (more relaxed limitations), and free-for-life cloud storage. Pix-Star’s frames offer better value for money and better real-world functionality.
How does the Brookstone digital picture frame compare with the Pix-Star?
Pix-Star’s digital picture frame is one of the best frames on today’s market. Not only does it offer excellent value for money, but you get one of the most robust and capable feature sets of any frame. Pix-Star doesn’t charge any extra recurring fees while still offering more features and functions than subscription-based frames like the Skylight and Nixplay frames.
Pix-Star’s frames cost almost the same as the Brookstone digital picture frame. Despite the similar price point, Pix-Star’s frames offer a lot more in terms of features, functions, and real-world performance. Pix-Star offers free-for-life cloud storage; whereas Brookstone does offer cloud storage or online access.
Pix-Star lets you send photos by email, mobile app, web interface, and USB/SD card. The Pix-Star Snap mobile app is a lot more capable than Brookstone’s, letting you send up to 250 photos to several frames at the same time. Pix-Star’s web album feature supports almost a dozen platforms, compared to just two with Brookstone. These web albums (imported photo albums from social media & photo-sharing sites) are saved for offline access, can be remotely managed and start remotely in slideshows, and can be set to automatically sync any new photos you add.
Finally, Pix-Star’s 4:3 aspect ratio is better than the 16:9 of Brookstone. Since most smartphones capture photos in 4:3, 16:9 displays will often have black bars around the photos or end up distorting or stretching pictures to fit the display. Pix-Star’s frames also offer far more comprehensive slideshow controls and remote configuration for active slideshows.
Can the Brookstone digital picture frame view photos from social media?
The Brookstone digital picture frame lets you link photos from Facebook and Google Photos and view them on the frame in slideshows. That being said, it’s a common complaint that this feature is hard to set up as there is no dedicated manual that comes with the frame. You’ll have to go through a lot of trial and error to get your socials linked.
Another key issue is that linked albums from Facebook and Google Photos are not dynamically synced. This means that if you add new photos to the linked album, they won’t be automatically synced to the connected frame. You’d have to go through the process again and link the album/photos again.
There is also no way to remotely start slideshows from these linked albums. You’d have to wait for them to sync and save on the frame, go into your local store, and manually start slideshows. There’s also no way to remotely manage these linked albums or photos via a web interface. It can only be done directly on the frame. This isn’t ideal for elderly users or anyone that’s not very tech-savvy.
For comparison, Pix-Star’s digital frames let you link albums to all your frames, remotely manage these web albums from anywhere in the world, and remotely start slideshows from them. Pix-Star’s web albums are available offline and can be easily managed via the web interface thanks to Pix-Star’s free-for-life cloud storage and intuitive interface.
If linking and syncing photos from social media, photo-sharing, and online storage platforms is important to you, Pix-Star’s frames are the better choice. Pix-Star supports almost a dozen platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Google Photos & Drive, Flickr, Dropbox, and more) and an easier setup process. Web albums can be automatically updated and even remotely started as slideshows. When you consider that Pix-Star’s frames are almost the same price as Brookstone’s frame, the choice is a no-brainer.
