When a Japanese man (or woman) steps out of his country and visits any office, he is struck by a bewildering phenomenon. Quite a few office desks are proudly adorned by a picture or two, usually a family portrait or a blowup of grinning spouse.

The cheapest digital frame ever (almost at toy level). Sega Toys' Digi Pod. 3,300 yen(US$30).

These private pictures at working places are totally unknown in Japan. Or simply scorned, rather. Japanese office workers have to pretend their work comes first. One's family or loved ones are set in a far distant place in the priority ladder of working life, if not the lowest.

So, a Japanese worker has to comment on something when visiting his business contact in, say, California. Even though the picture is hopelessly amateurish and irrevocably out-of-focus like a street scene in dense Beijing smog.

"Wow, your wife is so handsome and gorgeous, and your kids! They look so cute! And this is your pet, I presume. Animal of very rare breed... dog, indeed. Let me guess its breed. Cross between Greenland sheepdog and platypus, am I right?"

"(Very offended) No, he is our cat Garfield, actually."

This kind of tragedy is getting rarer these days because digital photo frames have increased their numbers on the desktop of offices. Crystal-clear digital photos are displayed as long as its power lasts.

Digital photo frames are rather a straightforward affair. 8- to 12-inch LCD displays, powered by AC adapter. Image input from memory card, or via USB port. Still picture format, JPEG. Video movie and sound function, too. Price: US$100 to US$200. All in all, very primitive piece of gear, but pretty costly compared to our regular analog photo frame made of cardboard, wood or plastic.

Since Japanese market of digital photo frames does not look very promising presently, not many local manufacturers show any interest. At least, Sanyo sells one frame, LVT-PF70, a very mediocre product made in China.

But its future could be a bit more interesting. Because some of the digital frames are quickly acquiring a communication mode, WiFi. An American trend. With wireless connection, digital photo frames really take off. Controlled from faraway devices, the digital frames can grow into the centerpiece of a large wall space. Video clips from YouTube, reproduction of classic pictures from Renaissan Italy, sepia portrait of your granduncle who died in far Guadalcanal, or even silly TV show or two; all kinds of images could be displayed and turned off easily.

Thus, the Wi-Fi digital photo frame with larger display (and an aditional tuner) has a fair chance to topple the reign of large-size flat TV. If a cheaper and simpler digital frame could do a job perfectly, who would want to buy an expensive LCD TV? Problem is, no Japanese manufacturers saw this vast possibility, and jumped into nice wireless digital frame.

For the moment, all wireless frames are sold in America. Japanese electronic houses have made a terrible and costly mistake, I'm afraid.

American Wi-Fi digital photo frame; Digital Spectrum's U-40101 MemoryFrame 8104. 10.4-inch screen, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. US$310. No Japanese firms manufacture Wi-Fi frame!

 

cheewee
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kaisei1
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