So the end of summer is now upon us. We’ve been away on two holidays to Spain and Edinburgh, plus had plenty of fun days out.
Throughout it all, I’ve been snapping happy memories with my phone. I always upload my pictures to my computer, but what happens after? A few get shared on Facebook or Instagram. Some get chosen to be made into Christmas cards or fridge magnets, to be sent to other family members. And of course, I have my own selection tacked on my fridge, along with our photo table mats and mugs. I even used to have a fab photo phone case, but haven’t gotten around to ordering a new one since it wore out.
What about the rest of the images that did not make the cut? Will these photographic memories never get the chance to see the light of day again, languishing on the hard drive or a USB stick? You might have a lovely picture of little Johnny at school sports day, but you couldn’t share it on Facebook for relatives to see because there are other kids in the picture, what with all the privacy rules.
So I was delighted to be contacted by Nixplay, which offered me the opportunity to review one of their digital photo frames for free. This could be just the answer.
Nixplay sent me one of their Seed frames and it arrived in just four days. I was pleased to see that it comes in a sturdy box, and that it is available in a choice of 4 colors and 4 sizes.
I received the 8-inch blue frame. It comes with an attached USB cable, a remote control, and a two-part power plug that allows the user to switch between UK 3-pin or European 2-pin.
However once I started the set-up process, the frame kept switching off at inconvenient moments. In the end, I put the USB cable into a different plug which worked perfectly, so the plug must have been faulty. Luckily, I encountered no such issues with the frame itself. The instructions were simple to follow, with the main points being to give it access to my Wi-Fi and to set up a Nixplay account to link my frame to.
I’ve only tested it with a few photos so far, most of which were downloaded from my computer. I also tried downloading one directly from my phone using the Nixplay app. I soon realized it was better to keep portrait and landscape photos in separate playlists so as to fill the entire frame. The frame is easily turned between portrait and landscape as it only uses the cable for balance, no additional back support required.
Aside from the infrared sensor between the frame and the remote, the frame also has a motion sensor that enables it to switch off when nobody is in the room. You can set the time-lag on this, as well as the time periods. I set it off between 23:00 and 07:00 hrs. I couldn’t see any details on the instructions regarding the type of battery in the remote or how to replace that when necessary.
The best part is the frame’s scope. A single playlist can contain up to 1,000 photos. You can link multiple frames to one account, so you could buy frames for other family members like your grandparents. Think of the benefit of a frame like this if someone were away from home for a long period, like when one of my sons was an in-patient at the hospital back in 2013 after his leukemia diagnosis. Everything can be managed remotely, so all they have to do is watch. It’s great for keeping them up to date with the children’s progress, especially when they don’t tend to see them very often.
I could even use it for long-term projects, like scanning my old pre-digital photos before the colors deteriorate further and loading those into playlists. It would be nice to show the boys some of the countries we visited on holiday before they were born.
Also, when I was a child, my Dad took all his photos on slides, but he has now gotten rid of his projector and large screen, which we used for viewing his images. So another long-term project could be to send those slides somewhere to be converted into a digital format and saved onto a memory stick. I can then upload these into playlists, which I can display on my Nixplay frame. There are lots of photographic memories that my parents would like to see again. We’ve even got some old family photos from the 1800s—just imagine watching those on a Nixplay frame!
The Nixplay Seed 8-Inch Frame currently retails at £129.99/$139.99. It comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, a 1-year warranty, and free shipping. A great way to view your memories, in my opinion, as well as a fabulous gift idea!
Now, I just have to work out what other functionalities it has. I’ll try uploading videos onto my frame next. I’ve even heard that you can ask Alexa to manage your frame, too. Wow!
You may see more details about Nixplay on their website. The Nixplay digital photo frame range is available to purchase from their online shop or from Amazon.
I’d love to hear what you do with your favorite photographs!
Disclosure: This post is a review of a product I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.
