Mimo and Ceiva Screen Your Photos and Much More
When it comes to displays, options are multiplying. Sure, you have your usual monitor, your television, and your mobile device all available to show off your photos or videos. But you probably have plenty of other spaces taken up by inefficient picture frames that can only display- gasp!- a static image. And you probably have an open space near your computer calling out to show your Twitter or email account so that you can be more productive with your primary screen.
We’ve looked at a USB-powered Mimo side monitor solution before, their 740 model, which may not be quite as svelte as the latest edition, their budget version the iMo. But the Mimo iMo Pivot Monitor lacks some of the essential functions that we came to rely upon- we missed the touchscreen, the webcam and microphone, for instance. In fact, it’s only about $20 cheaper than our recently-reviewed DoubleSight, which offers 2 extra inches squared of screen space and a decent enough webcam/mic.
We liked the pivot function and stand quite a bit- it’s very adjustable, allowing you to tilt it for the best view. That’s important, as these types of monitors are not especially clear or bright. The iMo was slightly better than the DoubleSight for brightness, offering a contrast ratio of 400:1 (compared to, say, normal desktop monitors which offer 1000:1 or 2000:1 or more). And, again, these monitors aren’t for gaming, as they refresh fairly slowly. On the upside, they are easy to install- one cable does in fact do it all as they say. For $130, the iMo is attractive and quite portable, but feels a bit pricey for a budget model when compared to some other models and options- and as if to answer our calls, a touchscreen version just became available!
If you’re looking for something farther away from your computer- your nightstand perhaps, or your entryway- and want to show off your photography, then CEIVA has a nifty option for you. The CEIVA Pro 80 offers some nice advantages over many other digital photo frames, and is one of the better digital picture frames that we’ve tried. It offers relatively easy-to-setup wireless as long as your network ID is being broadcast, and can connect through your router to your media library on a Windows or Mac computer (though no software is included, machines running XP, Vista, Win7 and MacOSX can set it up via built-in programs). Alternatively, you can insert your camera memory cards directly into it, and we liked that it could support just about any format- SD, xD, MMC, CF, and the various MemoryStick versions to name a few, though no USB port is available.
The screen is pretty large, runing 8-inches at 640×480 resolution. On the other hand, the screen isn’t quite as sharp or crisp as others we’ve seen, and we had issues using some RAW files. It also can only be setup in landscape mode, so if you are a photographer who takes a lot of photos in portrait orientation, beware. Tint and color adjustments are also strictly limited, but the Pro 80 comes with two interchangeable faceplates- black and wood- which was a nice touch. The frame can even accept images sent from your cellphone when you use PicturePlan, their pretty interesting service that tries to simplify the technical aspects and allows access to things like news and weather. One downside of this particular frame is that it requires the service, which normally costs between $6-$10 a year- but at least you get a year of the service for free, and it does come with plenty of online storage and regularly updated features (like geotagging). At $148 right now, this is a pretty great digital photo frame for the photography lover (rather than the photographer with RAW images)- just remember the added service costs over time and the need to have both an active broadband connection and a wireless router (or purchase the annoyingly-separate ethernet adapter).
