Review: Nextar N3-505 3.5″ Digital Photo Frame
Written on Jun 29, 2008 by Brian and filed under Nextar, Reviews
It’s not always about a large display panel and tons of features. For many, selecting a digital picture frame is a function of cost. Nextar appeals to this market with the N3-505, a 3.5″ digital frame with a bright 320×240 pixel display and 32MB of on-board memory, good for 50 images.
Nextar N3-505 Digital Photo Frame
Getting Started
Out of the box, the N3-505 is actually surprisingly handsome, if such a word can be applied to digital picture frames. In fact, almost immediately my wife commented on how nice the black painted wood frame looks. Compared to the Sony DPF-D70 we just reviewed she actually preferred the looks of the much cheaper Nextar. In a way she’s right, the classic look of the painted frame meshes with certain decorating styles better than the glossy, more electronic-feeling Sony.
Of course the N3-505 can orient either in portrait or landscape. Nextar has a somewhat interesting solution to the orientation issue. They’ve included a powerful magnetic stand that pulls off and rotates to adjust the orientation. Simple, but effective.
The frame is actually powered over USB connection in a two-piece solution, one part USB cord and the other the AC adaptor. This is actually a nice feature but would be more convenient if you could transfer images to the frame from a PC over USB. Unfortunately Nextar only lets you move images from the memory card. You can power the unit over USB though, which makes this digital frame well-suited for a desk.
Display Modes
Once the frame is powered on you can start viewing your photos. Upon entering the play photos menu, thumbnails of your images will be displayed. From here you will select a photo that essentially puts the frame in the single photo mode. Selecting the photo you want is a little daunting at first. There are up and down buttons on the frame with intuitively help you move up and down the first column of pictures, but there are no left and right buttons, instead you have to press the mode/power button to move to the next column of pictures. It’s not a terrible problem, but one more button would help usability.
Once you’re viewing the selected photo, pressing the mode button will get the slide show started. By default the N3-505 rolls through your pictures in order with a variety of effects in between images. The starting duration between pictures though is only 5 seconds, a bit speedy to really absorb much of what you’re looking at. The other intervals include 3 and 10 seconds, along with 1, 10 and 30 minutes.
Nextar didn’t allow for many options for the slide show, but really, in this price range, being able to set a rotation speed is probably sufficient. I found the 10 minute setting to work about right for me, too fast and it’s distracting.
Memory
Nextar has included 32MB of on-board memory on the N3-505, along with support for external SD, MMC and Memory Stick memory via a single slot on the back. The 32MB is enough to hold 50 images sized at 320×240 pixels.
The problem though, is you can’t transfer images via PC. You can only move them from a memory card to the frame’s internal memory. In order to leverage the on-board memory, you have to edit the pictures on your PC, transfer them to a memory card, then transfer them again to the frame. It’s not that bad, but enough of a pain that most people just won’t bother. Since Nextar included a USB cord, it would have been nice if they included a driver so the memory would be recognized on a PC. Maybe next time.
Transferring images from the memory card to the internal memory is actually pretty easy, especially if you just do the bulk upload. In the end though, it’s probably going to be easier to just use a memory card for viewing photos.
Menu System
The Nextar N3-505 menu system is pretty basic, and intuitive. The only issues we have are surrounding the buttons on the back of the unit. They’re mostly good, but as mentioned early on, there are a few places where it would be nice to have an obvious left/right button set in addition to the up/down, select and back. Generally though, the menus to start viewing pictures or to use the image transfer system, are straightforward and intuitive.
Screen Quality
Nextar is using a 3.5″ 262k color display panel with a 320×240 pixel resolution. They’ve made a point in the specs to note that images can be clearly seen in the sunlight. Actually, it does pretty well in the direct sun. I tested it in the powerful rays of southern Florida and it handled the brightness well. The frame does well mostly because it’s very bright and it doesn’t have a high-gloss outer screen layer. But this brightness causes the colors to compete with the whites, making some images seem over-exposed. I have a hard time being too picky though, at this price point ($50 MSRP), so long as images aren’t washed out, I think you have to be content with the quality. For desks or other niche spots around the home, I think most people will be pretty pleased with the display of the N3-505.
Power
The N3-505 is powered with a USB cord that connects to the AC adaptor. The adaptor is small, as you’d expect with a little frame. The highlight though is the frame can be powered over USB too, which means that it can be used by connecting to a computer’s USB port. This certainly makes it more functional for the office environment and power-conscious at the same time, since the frame will power off with your computer.
Conclusion
The digital picture frame market is quite cluttered at this price point and frame size. It’s important for buyers to know what’s good and what’s going to disappoint before dropping their cash on a new digital frame. We feel comfortable recommending the Nextar N3-505 for a few reasons. The display and being able to power the unit over USB are high points, enough to differentiate Nextar’s effort from most of the other value-based options.
Pros
- Good display for the price
- Can be powered over a computer’s USB port
- Classic design blends well with most environments
Cons
- Can’t transfer images to internal memory via computer
Bottom Line
Even though it’s small, for an MSRP of $50, the Nextar N3-505 has a nice enough display and is well designed. It’s sold at Bed, Bath & Beyond, so use a 20% off coupon to land it or $40; a very good value.
3 out of 5 stars
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