Initially, I thought the Ceiva could be more straight forward in setting it up but I found after a few practice upload/downloads that it is very easy to use. I suggest that if your recipient is not technically facile, you set it up for them and then mail the Ceiva to them. Also, it would be instructive for you to see it go through a few cycles to fully appreciate what is happening. If you run into a problem, the Ceiva staff is very helpful and knows the product well.

You can easily add captions or colored borders to the pictures that give them a little pizzaz, change pictures easily or lock some onto the Cieva that you do not want to change. All-in-all a very clever idea that is well executed


Compared to iOpener -- a rip-off.   September 5, 2000
 29 out of 41 found this review helpful

1) This frame uses a regular analog phone connection. Most offices have digital phone lines which renders the frame useless. A $20 Ethernet card would allow those of us who have DSL or fast LAN connection to use this frame without tying up the phone line.

2) $50 a year for using their service -- what, are they crazy? You can get a dialup connection with space for your web site and e-mail for that much. (Or you can get this for free).

3) Picture quality is nothing to write home about.

4) If you want to keep in touch your parents/grandparents , for this much money (or even less) you can get something like iOpener (http://www.netpliance.com)-- which is a complete computer with LCD screen!.


Ceiva Frame Not Perfect, But Close   December 5, 2000
 29 out of 29 found this review helpful

We live overseas, and thought the Ceiva frame would be a perfect way to share our photos with our family in the US. We ordered one for one internet-challenged family member as a test case, and were very pleased. Here's what we found:

- Set-up - was easy, and the frame did what it was supposed to do. It only has two buttons, and holding one forces the frame to connect immediately. We had a few problems initially with establishing a connection, but after a few tries (and a call to Ceiva) we managed to get it set up. The website is very easy to use.

- Color and Resolution - we found that the pictures Ceiva included with the frame (the ones done by professional photographers) looked better than our first attempts. However, when we selected pictures with bright colors and used photo editing software to blow up the images, adjust them to the frame pixel size, and save them in the file size Ceiva suggests, we got better results. The frame is in a low light area, so it actually looks pretty good. Keep in mind that at under $300, it isn't going to look like your $x,000 laptop's active matrix display, but it isn't bad.

- Phone Connections - We found the connection time with Ceiva to be longer than they say. Even if the frame doesn't have much to do, it seems to tie up the phone line for 15-20 minutes. As one of our relatives lives in a city without a Ceiva connection, we worried about this. However, be realistic - how often are you really going to update the photos? The phone can be unplugged and the frame will still work. All the relative has to do is plug in the frame once a month or so, do a manual connect, and live with a 20 minute long-distance call - probably less than the 800-number service.

- Grandparent Satisfaction Factor - This is, of course, the most important part of the frame. The grandparent in question LOVES the frame, loves walking through the room and seeing updated photos, and has told us many, many times how much they enjoy the Ceiva. Not to mention the positive comments the grandparent has had from visiting friends!

Yes, a lot of the complaints from other reviewers are valid, but with some work, the Ceiva is a great gift. Yes, it would be nice to have an active matrix screen, but we couldn't afford it. Yes, the logo is large, but after the first five minutes, you don't notice it anymore. Yes, the pictures are very poor if the frame is in a high light area, but with a good location and careful editing, the photos can look very good. Yes, the resolution on a good computer screen is better, but how often will your parents or grandparents turn on the computer to check a website? These pictures are there, in the living room, all the time.

One additional plus - we have multiple family members who enjoy receiving photos. Ceiva allows multiple frames to be registered on the same account, and you can send pictures to all of the frames in your account. We have now purchased additional frames for the rest of the family.