Okay, so the header image isn’t exactly accurate.
At Unfinished Man, we’re definitely not using the CEIVA Pro 80 Digital Connected Photo Frame to show cute pictures of our nieces. Nope, the moment I received the device, I immediately loaded four hundred of my favorite travel photos from South America, Central America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and yes – even good ol’ America.
As I sit here at my desk writing this review, I find myself distracted by memories of my sweet 20-something adventures. Memories of a short fling with an exotic Brazilian beauty in Argentina, running scared from the bulls in Spain, and even downing a bottle of Smirnoff with a buddy in Bangladesh.
The CEIVA Pro 80
If I am going to be distracted while working, I want to be distracted by fun memories like those. Now that I’ve used a digital photo frame for a few days, I can really appreciate the concept. CEIVA’s founder – a former Disney executive – did an impressive job evolving the classic photo frame. Unlike the classic photo frames of yesteryear, this one is packed with plenty of useful tech features, including full social media integration.
Everyone has a camera, but most photos never make it off the memory card they’re stored on. CEIVA cycles through every photo in my library, not just one card at a time. I should also mention that when I go away on my next long trip I will install the frame in my parents’ home so that they can follow along with my trip just as it happens. I will simply upload the photos each night, and in the morning they will see what I have been up to. Substitute this scenario with a jealous girlfriend.
The setup process
I furiously unwrapped the package in my apartment’s elevator to find a personalized note encouraging me to contact a specific representative at CEIVA if I had any questions about the frame. How nice, right? The product contains both a wood panel and jet black frame that are interchangeable like a cell phone cover depending on your style. This option made the wood panel style fit in nicely next to my mahogany coffee table.
The next step was simple. I plugged the cord into my wall jack and inserted the provided wireless adapter to the USB slot in the back of the frame. After that, I used the frame’s front panel buttons to connect to my apartment’s wireless network, allowing me to transfer photos directly from my laptop.
I recommend registering the frame at CEIVA to begin sending photos to the frame from your account. After a few short minutes, you’ll be able to send photos directly to your frame from anywhere in the world. That’s a big plus for me, as I am a traveler by nature. Using your online account, you can also send photos to the frame directly from both an iOS and Android smartphone, a Facebook account, or any old computer with the help of the CEIVA Snap App and media server application. I preferred using the media server, because it allowed me to organize photos by tags, date range, rating, playlist, and folder. If you want, you can even invite friends and family through the website, allowing them to post photos to your frame.
I really liked that CEIVA provides many options to connect to my digital connected frame via telephone line, broadband or Wi-Fi – unlike every other frame that works just by using a memory card. After sending my own personal photos to the frame, I set up a few CEIVA channels to display the weather and date. The frame’s settings are pretty unique in that I can even schedule the product to turn on and off remotely. It’s on when I wake up in the morning ,and turns off when I sleep.
To buy or not to buy?
If you value your photos, go for it. My travel photos represent years of my life that I never had the opportunity to share with others. I traveled solo for most of the time, and any friends that I met live in other locales around the world. They are not part of my daily life, so reminiscing about that time we got drunk in Thailand and almost made out with a ladyboy never happens. With the CEIVA digital connected frame, I can now share these memories with both myself and my local friends while having drinks in my apartment. This will make the best conversation starter for any bachelor pad, so long as you lead an exciting life.
The CEIVA digital photo frame retails for $127.99 or $147.99 depending on the model chosen. You can find it for sale here.
