Customer Reviews
Smartparts SPX8 Digital frame 
2008-06-18
I purchased this frame based upon others' recommendations and the storage capacity. I have to say that the SPX 8-inch digital frame is all that it claims to be! It was easy to set up and use, even for someone who is technology-dysfunctional. The images are crystal clear, and the frame style fits in with many decors. I downloaded pictures directly from my computer after editing them in Photoshop, as opposed to downloading them from the SD card. The directions warned me that the slide program may run more slowly by doing this, and they were right. However, I can live with this. I should point out that for the best resolution and definition, the pictures should be viewed at eye level. Other than these two small problems, this frame is well worth the money and is an excellent way to enjoy those special shots!
Great product 
2008-06-18
Very easy to load pictures on from portable USB flash drive or SD card. I haven't tried from my computer yet. Picture quality is wonderful, holds a lot of pictures, has options for how many pictures you want displayed on the screen and how you would like the pics to change to the next one (i.e. fade, from the right or left, random). Wood frame is very nice. Wish it had a battery operation option, needs to be pluged in to work. Haven't seen the motion detection feature work yet, I've left it sitting but it doesn't seem to shut itself off ??? not sure about that yet. Bought as a gift and while loading pics and playing with it wanted to keep it for myself! I recommend this frame, they improved on issues their earlier models had.
Not User Friendly 2008-06-04
I bought this picture frame as a gift for someone else after reading the Consumer Reports reviews and also some from Amazon.com.
First of all, I am very computer friendly and I teach computer software/hardware as part of my job. That being said, I can easily see why others would rate this product low and return it. I decided to open the product and make sure it worked as stated.
After inserting a camera memory card, the unit hung up after about 10 pictures. Tried resetting it and re-inserting the chip, same result.
Step 1 - Go to the web site and find out that in order to upgrade the firmware, you must be able to download files and then write them to a camera SD chip. I have lots of computer gadgets, but I don't have an adapter to write to SD chips. I doubt that the average person does.
Step 2 - Off to town and buy a Card Reader/Writer. Amazingly, you can buy these at WalMart. I bought one that can do 51 different types of memory chips for about $20.00. Only problem is that the software driver for this device also did not work. So now I have to go to that website for an updated driver file.
Are you following all of this? There is NO WAY my 83 year old father is going to get this thing to work.
Step 3 - I get the 2 new files from the Smartparts web site and load the new firmware to the frame. The installation goes exactly as the website says.
Finally the software appears to work and downloads the pictures form the camera chip. It seems to work best if I let it install all of the pictures and then delete the ones that I don't want. I also downloaded the Smartparts Desktop software and used that to copy pictures from my computer. That actually seemed to work best of all. The company should just include that software with the product. BTW - I tried calling Tech Support but they were closed after 5:00PM EDT.
So after all is said and done, (about 4 hours of computer stuff), this appears to be a very good digital picture frame. The colors and sharpness are great and I was surprised that it came with a small remote unit.
Great features 2008-06-04
After trying several different digital picture frames, I am delighted with this one. It is fairly user friendly once you get the hang of it and the motion sensor feature is one of my favorites. The only problem I have had is trying to coordinate more than one MP3 at a time with the slide show.
Smartsparts SPX8 2008-06-02
This product was reasonably priced and easy to set up, even for those who may not be familiar with computer-based technology.
12" Digital Frame has one big issue. 
2008-07-21
The Energy Efficient Light Sensor on the top is faulty on the model #SPX 12E (12" Digital Frame). If you get your finger near it and block the light..or if you move the frame and it senses a light change it will completely shut off the screen. Tech support says go into settings and turn off the sensor.
SD card reader doesn't work, movie files didn't transfer, but the pics that did load looked awesome 2008-07-04
After MUCH research, I finally opted to purchase this frame (Consumer Reports got this one wrong). I actually got this frame for my husband for Father's Day. I was soooo excited as I knew he would love this frame to display a "digital brag book" of his family on his desk at work, but boy did I have my work cut out for me in getting the pics transferred. Unfortunately, one of the features that this camera markets is being able to load pictures directly from your computer via a USB cable. However, after I loaded the pics directly from my computer (could not download the SyncPix software as it is NOT compatible with my iMac), I noticed that the slideshow wasn't operating correctly. It would hang up on certain pics, then "unhang" and fly through the next couple, hang up again, etc. The performance was very erratic. So, I looked through the manual and in the FAQ of the manual, it specifically states that the "Frame optimizes pictures ONLY when they are transferred with a memory card.... We recommend transferring images using a memory card and the built-in transfer mechanism." Pretty frustrating since the way the product markets itself is a bit misleading. UGH...so since I was working on getting the pics loaded at midnight before Father's Day, I was desperate to get the pics loaded "optimally", so after the long length of time it took me to get the pics written to an SD card, I was excited to load them to the frame. Unfortunately, the SD card reader didn't work. The frame would recognize the frame and begin the copy process, but then it would just freeze and not complete the transfer. I did google to see if this was a common problem, and I did find a couple of other reviews where the SD card reader didn't work. So, again desperate to have the frame loaded with wonderful pics for my hubby for Father's Day, I transferred pics to a CF card, and when I put the card in the frame, the frame didn't recognize that a card was present, so I thought I needed to push it in a little further... BIG mistake. The card got jammed in the reader. After much time and effort (won't bore you with the details), I finally got the card out figuring I must have put it in the wrong way, so I repositioned and inserted the card again. Once again, the frame is not recognizing a card being present, so I pushed a little further (my judgment was probably a bit clouded since it was now in the wee hours of the night before Father's Day), and the CF card jammed AGAIN. I got it out and finally was able to insert it correctly, and the pics transferred. Unfortunately, the videos didn't transfer. In addition, I really would prefer to use the SD card as the only CF card I have is the one I keep in my camera, and I don't want to have to mess with that everytime I want to load new pics to the frame, so I sent the frame back and Amazon quickly sent me a brand new replacement frame. Unfortunately, the SD card reader on the replacement frame didn't work either, and the videos still don't transfer. I am sending back again for a refund. It was super disappointing because the pics that did display are very clear and crisp, and I like the slideshow options available as well (1. # of slide show images... you can choose 1, 2, 3, 4, or sequence...which shows first one, then two, then three, then four 2. Transition effects- lots of options to choose from-random, none, inward, outward, gradual, blocks, down, up, left, right 3. Slideshow Order-ordered or random (love the random feature) I was really bummed out that this frame didn't live up to the expectations or the Consumer Reports recommendation. Consumer Reports got this one wrong.
I'm waiting for a replacement 
2008-06-28
well, I read all the reviews including Consumer Reports. I concluded that either the frame works out of the box or it doesn't, and decided to give it a try. I also promised myself that if it didn't download the pictures as soon as I got it, I wouldn't waste all the time trying to get it to work, but rather just repackage it and send it back. Well, I lost - about 10 hours trying to get pictures in it, then deleting every third one that seemed to lock it up. But I gotta say, when it worked it was amazing! Incredible picture clarity and it compresses the photos to store 3000 photos on its 256MB of internal memory. It's supposed to have many other unique features that make it a great choice - if it works. But it wouldn't run straight from my memory card (it didn't recognize the card), wouldn't run a thumbdrive (same problem) and wouldn't automatically download photos as it's supposed to do. I did get enough photos in it after working on it all weekend (downloaded from my computer via USB connection) to enjoy it for one day at work - though I did have to reboot it every few minutes. I set the slideshow for 3 seconds - it ran at random speeds, sometimes 3 seconds, sometimes 30 seconds. It never showed more than 5 photos before locking up and requiring reboot. How irritating. I've sent it back and want another one. I'm very hopeful the next one will work! I do truly like the picture quality and special features of this frame when it works.
Easy to use, great picture 2008-06-26
This frame was very easy to set up, just put your memory card in the slot and it imports your pictures and video while applying compression and orientation automatically. The pictures look excellent, but the video playback is just adequate, thus 4 stars. Be careful putting the SD card in the slot, the opening is a little too big and before I knew it, the card was stuck between the frame and the display panel (I loosened a few screws and it came right out). I bought two of these and they both looked and worked great.
Very nice frame 2008-06-20
This is an excellent frame. The quality of the wood is really a step above others I have seen. There were some glitches with the software, but one of their engineers worked with me and even made improvements to the software based on our interactions. It would have been great for it to work flawlessly out of the box, but the exceptional customer service is notable.
