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Now reading: Famatic connects generations through digital picture frame 24 comments

Famatic connects generations through digital picture frame

Published Apr 24, 2014 | Lars Rehm

The Famatic digital picture frame lets you share your images with those who don't have smart devices and Facebook or Instagram accounts.

People are taking more pictures than ever before and many of them are posted on Facebook, Instagram and other social networks. However, not everybody has access to those digital platforms and with only a very small proportion of photos made into prints, the less tech-savvy or connected may be missing out.

A new Kickstarter project is aiming to make digital images more accessible to those without social media accounts. Famatic is a picture frame that connects to Facebook and Instagram - or you can email pictures as well. The idea is to place Famatic on your parents' or grandparents' mantelpiece and send them images of their grandkids and family events straight to the frame.

The picture recipients can comment on images and take the frame off its cradle to use it like a tablet, albeit with a much simpler user interface. With the current prototype, images can be shared via Facebook and Instagram but the developers are working on Picasa, Flickr and other integrations as well. Alternatively you can email an image to the frame or use the Famatic web app. The system can be configured to share all your images on Famatic or you can filter via hashtags or private albums.

In terms of hardware the frame offers an 8-inch IPS screen with 1024 x 768 pixels and the specification of a mid-level Android tablet. The speakers and a built-in camera are not being used at this stage in the development process but have been installed to future-proof the device.

Famatic sounds like a good idea to share images for those without social media accounts or smart devices. Just keep in mind that a Wi-Fi connection is still needed to use it. The first 100 backers can secure a Famatic for $169, after that it'll be $189. Watch the video below to decide if you want to buy one for your parents or grandparents and head over to the Famatic Kickstarter page for more info and backing options.

Source: Kickstarter

Tags: mobile, frame, kickstarter, news

Comments

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GaryPageau

Seriously, connected digital frames have been around for about five years. Look up Ceiva, Digital Spectrum, Pandigital, etc. Even Kodak had one. Not sure this Kickstarter is going to break new ground.

Apr 27, 2014permalink

Suntan

Agreed. I have been sending pictures of our kids to both sets of grandparents via Kodak Pulse picture frames for a number of years now.

-Suntan

Apr 28, 2014permalink

PourDemos

I agree with keeponkeepingon : tons of similar (useless) devices already exist!

Apr 26, 2014*permalink

keeponkeepingon

Normally I think of a good kickstarter as one that creates something new that we would not have in any other way. This kickstarter is just trying to create an also-ran "me to" product that does the same things that others do or have done in the past.

An example is the Pix Star frame. It's the same price, much bigger (10 inches) and has the same or better capabilities. You can email directly to the frame or have the frame itself "Access more than 20 online providers and view pictures from web albums, including Picasa, Facebook, Flickr, Smugmug, and more"

Not mentioning current or past iterations of this same technology really gives the impression that this is just a big fat advertisement (or just very lazy journalism).

Regarding wireless, in our case my folks ISP had already provided a wireless router that they were not even using. We just had to put in the password and they were up and running.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056HNTAU/

Apr 26, 2014permalink

Roland Karlsson

Seems to me that a little too much infra structure (Internet Access, WiFi access, account setup, etc ..) is needed before the elderly parents get the images of their grandchildren on that device. This infra structure also has to be maintained. I assume there will be some phone calls from the elderly parents now and then, when the frame no longer shows any new pictures.

I do not say the product is a bad idea. But ... I assume it is more useful for those that already use social media. A frame showing pictures from friends could be fun to have somewhere in your house.

Apr 26, 2014permalink

dr8

I got my kid a Toshiba media frame for $80 about 8 years ago that connects wifi , has touchscreen, USB & SD input, is video capable, and when not displaying video or photo's (with mp3 audio accompaniment) is a clock and calendar. Don't these folks do market research before they build "the next big thing"?

Apr 25, 2014permalink

SKPhoto12

This product was first put on the market almost ten years ago. Who was the producer? A company called Kodak! This is old news! Lots of grandparents receive pics directly to their frame already!

Apr 25, 2014permalink

WilliamJ

Right ! I was even about to buy it for my parents when the company began to collapse, which led me to wait-and-see. Alas, we have seen what happened to our dear Kodak.

Apr 25, 2014permalink

Impulses

Sounds like a Chromebook with 100MB of free internet a month (are those deals still around? Tmo had a similar one too) is a far more ideal solution, wouldn't be hard to recreate the push/software aspect with other apps. These guys should've skipped the hardware phase and focused on a simplified app that people could use with old tablets or Chromebooks, etc.

Apr 25, 2014permalink

joejack951

No Wifi necessary, just a phone line: http://www.ceiva.com/index.jsp

Apr 25, 2014permalink

Cane

Sure, I'll just ask my elderly mother for her IP address to set it up.

Apr 25, 2014permalink

Leiduowen

Some time ago I bought a Pix-Star frame for my mom with the same idea in mind - help her keep in touch with her sons and daughters spread around the world via photo sharing. Except for resolution it seems to me a better product than this Famatic, esp. with much better remote control via the internet: https://www.pix-star.com/products/

Apr 25, 2014permalink

leno

I thought great just the thing for my mum but it needs wifi. Is anybody who does not use socal media going to have wifi at home?

Apr 25, 2014permalink

rrr_hhh

Right,
The critical point is WIFI..
I have already thought about offering an olding tablet to my mother, exactly to that effect, but stumbled on the need of a WIFI connection, a modem and a monthly internet service provider subscription, which isn't that cheap here, especially for retired persons.
NB : a tablet is already a photo frame...

BTW, I would have liked to learn more about the receiving side than about the sender side.

After all what would perhaps make it a selling product is the receiver side, not the sender side.. We already know that we can easily share our pictures over the net.

Apr 25, 2014*permalink

mpix345

Totally agree about wifi. If the target consumer for this already has wifi you can assume they have a tablet or computer of some kind, so setting up a FB account would be free and easy.

Apr 25, 2014permalink

Suntan

In a word, yes.

Both my parents and my in-laws have broadband. After that, it only took me a half hour to install a $20 wifi router and Kodak Pulse picture frame.

Even years later they comment how much they enjoy finding new pictures pop up on the frames.

-Suntan

Apr 28, 2014permalink

ianp5a

5 years ago my 10" Kodak digital picture frame (with Wifi) did that. Without needing any Social Networking account. I was sending pictures from my "pre-smartphone" home back then.

Apr 25, 2014*permalink

Lars Rehm

yes, but I think in this case the social networking is the whole point. People share their images on FB anyway but grandparents can't see them because they have no FB. This is where the frame comes in.

Apr 25, 2014permalink

David Fell

Is this just an Android tablet with the slideshow (Galley app) feature? I have a Sony Tablet S, when dropped into the cradle it goes into slideshow mode, so what is different about this product?

Apr 25, 2014permalink

Lars Rehm

the OS is based on Android but it is a much simplified OS. Also, the direct sharing and other essential functions are all pre-configured. You might be able to do something similar with a standard Android tablet and the right apps but this is targeted at people who do not even know what Android is.

Apr 25, 2014permalink

leno

If they do not know what android, and I get your point completely, are they going to have wifi. I can't see this flying in the UK.

Apr 25, 2014permalink

Lars Rehm

Agree, the target group are unlikely to have WiFi in their home. So if you give one to your parents, make sure you buy them a Wi-Fi subscription as well.

Apr 25, 2014permalink

fz750

There are loads of people who, despite using email and the internet , detest the very idea of FB and refuse to entertain social media for a whole number of reasons and for whom this would be great.

My mother for example :-)

Apr 25, 2014permalink

Roland Karlsson

@Lars - a WiFi subscription? What is that?

Apr 26, 2014permalink


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