Nextar has announced two new holiday themed digital photo frames with Santa and Snowman designs. Each 1.5″ frame can store up to 60 images or display a digital clock. The frames will be in retail outlets soon at an MSRP of $29.99.

The poly-resin frames are battery powered, running on two AAA batteries that are included in the package. Images can be transferred to the frame via USB. 

Office Max and The Source have the frames in retail. They can also be purchased online at Nextar’s site.

Nextar has announced a new folio digital photo frame. The N3-506 offers a 320×240 pixel 3.5” LCD TFT screen with built-in memory (128MB and 256MB models available) and a flash card reader that handles SD, MMC and Memory Stick.

Because the frame is designed to be portable, it also includes a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery, though Nextar doesn’t offer a battery life quote. Most frames in this class operate for roughly two hours on battery. The unit is constructed of a metal frame covered with a black leather cover.

The Nextar N3-506 folio digital photo frame will be available in October with the 256MB model retailing for $69.99. 

Nextar will soon be selling repackaged versions of their N3-505 in KMart stores and online with fun castle or pumpkin carriage frames. These 3.5″ digital frames will go on sale at the end of July for $49.99, which isn’t too bad considering he plain version retails for the same price.

The frames are clearly designed for parents, grandparents and the like to gift to children though both designs are a little feminine for boys.

“Our two new Nextar digital photo frames are fun, innovative ways to display digital photographs,” commented Eddy Zheng, Nextar founder. “They support all of the most popular memory card types that are on the market today. With the Nextar Castle and Carriage frames, proud parents and other relatives or friends can view and keep on display tens or even hundreds of digital photos of their young loved ones without ever needing to pay for prints.”

Specs

• 3.5″ 262k color TFT QVGA display
• Resolution of 320×240
• Media slot for SD, MMC or Memory Stick cards of up to 2GB capacity
• Supports most types of JPEG files
• Dimensions:
  • Castle – 9.4″ x 7.8″ x 0.8″
  • Carriage – 7.9″ x 6.1 x 0.8″

Pricing and Availability

Both digital frames will be available in late July at Kmart stores and www.Kmart.com for $49.99 each.

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

The Nextar N3-505 joins the 3.5″ digital frame party. Unlike HP’s effort that was unveiled at their media summit in Berlin, this unit is actually priced properly at $49.99. Nextar will be announcing a variety of new products over the coming months, but they’re starting with this little frame.

In time for Father’s Day, the N3-505 features a 3.5″ LCD color display with a resolution of 320×240 and a magnetic stand that can be adjusted for vertical or horizontal viewing. While we haven’t seen one yet, Nextar claims the LCD is good enough that images can be clearly seen even in bright sunshine. The unit supports SD, MMC or Memory Stick cards up to 2GB and include 32MB on on-board RAM, good enough for 50 images.

The N3-505 3.5″ digital photo frame is currently available at Bed, Bath and Beyond Stores nationwide with an MSRP of $49.99. Of course you can apply one of their famous 20% discount post cards and get it for $40.