Samsung’s Frame TV has a bit to answer for. Aura, a company that makes digital picture frames, has adopted the Frame’s concept and removed the TV, replacing it with a coloured e-paper display that fits into a frame that hangs on your wall.
The result, the Aura Ink, is the last family photo frame you’ll ever buy unless there’s some sort of subscription service that can be cancelled when it stops making money. That is, in fact, the case, so prepare yourself for annoyance when the Ink’s corporate lifespan reaches its end.
I can see your Aura
Beyond the 13in 1,600 x 1,200 colour e-paper display, which sets the Ink apart from the LED and LCD digital picture frames of days gone by, the 6mm-thick device is entirely battery powered. Of course, that does mean you’ll have to haul it down every three months to top it up, but that’s a small price to pay for something that looks more like a photograph and less like a randomly-pasted tablet on a wall.
Actually, it’s not a small price to pay. The Aura Ink will set buyers back R8,800 ($500) per device — that’s a bit hefty for home decoration. You could print 315 15×20 images and still have R4,400 left over to buy physical picture frames to put them in — though you’d have to find a place to put all these family moments.
The price carries another risk, one we mentioned earlier. Images are displayed via an online service, one with “unlimited storage”, but that does mean Wi-Fi is required for the Ink to work. Images are uploaded via the Aura Frame app, an activity that can be shared with family and friends. Which is a cool feature, as long as you’re sure you can trust everybody uploading to the Ink. It’ll be fine, right?
