Over the years digital photo frames have experienced the same cyclical rise and fall in popularity as 3D films. When it was first announced, it seemed like they were all the rage. A new game changing technology that seemed sure to revolutionise some aspect of our lives. However, as the years wore on, public interest in the promises of the new era waned and slid gradually into apathy. However, it seems that Aura Frames may reverse public apathy towards digital photo frames and re-ignite interest in the idea of having your cherished snap shots permanently on display. And its vehicle for this resurgence is the Carver Luxe.
When we first heard of the Carver Luxe, it’s fair to say our enthusiasm was lacklustre. Surely we’ve seen photo frames come and go before. What could be so different about the Carver Luxe? Well, as it turns out, a heck of a lot. Offering a generous 10.1 inch display, the Carver Luxe is perhaps the best designed and (probably) the most intuitive and functional photo frame bar none. Upon unboxing, the stream lined and minimalist appearance of the Carver Luxe came as something as a surprise. Why? Because if you peer under the hood, you’ll find a wealth of features which testify to the incredibly high production values underpinning the Carver Luxe.
Boasting a super crisp 4:3 aspect ratio and 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution , photos on the Carver Luxe look stunning. Think the first time you saw your images on your iPad display and you’ll be in the right ball park. Carver Luxe effortlessly accommodates both portrait and landscape photos and even has an ambient light sensor to match the lighting of the room the images are being displayed in. You can customise the display to show one new photo every 15 seconds or every day – or anywhere between these two options. You can also set the Carver Luxe to show your images chronologically or randomly. Oh, the Carver Luxe also comes bundled with an intelligent pairing function that will show images together that the AI thinks are similar. Not sure if you look like your mum or dad or not? This is when you find out.
All of this, however, pales in comparison to how intuitive the Carver Luxe is for first time users. Once your frame is powered on, you download an app onto your phone or mobile device. After you’ve downloaded the app, you can simply add images direct from your phone straight to the Carver Luxe. The images are stored on the cloud, so there’s no restriction on just how many images you can add. Genius. We particularly loved the social aspect of the Carver Luxe. Facebook may have made photo sharing fun, but the Carver Luxe has made it accessible to everyone regardless of whether you share the same social network or not. In the Carver Luxe’s case, you can send family and friends a link so they can add images to your photo frame, no matter where they are in the world. There’s even an option to allow family and friends to email their images straight to the Carver Luxe if they’re not too comfortable navigating their way around apps. Conversely, you can send the Carver Luxe to someone as a gift and pre-load it with images from your phone or tablet. Excellent. There’s even an option to add video to the frame, however this is pretty limited in practical use.
The only minor niggle we had with the Carver Luxe is the fact that there’s no option for hanging the frame on the wall. With a power cable needed to keep the Carver Luxe switched on, the only option available is to have the frame sitting on a surface or ledge of some sort. On the issue of cables, it would have been great to have been able to run the Carver Luxe off its own battery which can be re-charged as and when needed. With energy prices hitting the roof in most countries, this would have been a hugely helpful facility.
However, these minor gripes aside, the Carver Luxe is the most outstanding photo frame on the market today. With a versatile and intuitive design coupled with great social sharing, the Carver Luxe may well re-ignite our love for the digital photo frame. At just $179, the Carver Luxe is a bargain. Go buy.
The Low Down:
~ BTE SPECIAL PROMOTION~
- 10.1″ Full HD 1920×1200 screen with best in class image quality
- Intelligent Photo Pairing: intuitively pairs two related portrait photos side-by-side
- Unlimited photo and video storage
- Effortless photo and video uploading from anywhere with the Aura app on iOS and Android
- Adjustable slideshow speed so photos change as fast or slow as you want
- Show photos and videos in chronological or randomly shuffled order
- Built-in speaker lets you hear sound from your videos
9 out of 10
~ BTE SPECIAL PROMOTION ~
