Review Parrot Grande Specchio - digital frame on Google Android
A couple of weeks ago I published a review of new video glasses from Vuzix (model Wrap 920). This was my first review of iron on Habrahabr and it turned out to be quite successful, for which I want to thank the distinguished audience of the site. This time I want to share with you another test, in my opinion, of a more interesting device. Already intrigued? The hero of our review today is the Parrot Grande Specchio digital photo frame!
“Digital photo frame? No, this is not to surprise us! There are so many of them on the shelves, hundreds, choose any! ”- I can already hear indignant voices. But wait, friends, our photo frame is not simple, but ... golden. But seriously, today I will tell you about the most beautiful digital frame on the Android platform with support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC technology. The device can access to the Internet via Wi-Fi, download photos and albums from FaceBook, Picasa, Flickr, display weather information, the latest news. In this frame has a delightful design with a golden sheen, and the cost of it is ... Perhaps the cost at the end of the review.
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By tradition, a few words about the company
Apple fans have probably heard, or at least seen, the well-known Parrot hi-fi system: Zikmu. The design of these columns was designed by Philippe Starck.
')
What else does the company produce? And there are few who can answer the question. In a nutshell, the French company Parrot is one of the most profitable, intensively developing companies. Since its inception, the main activity of Parrot has been the development of technological solutions for integrated digital sound processing devices in the field of voice recognition, echo and noise cancellation, which are used in mobile programming and communications.
In 2008, the company entered into contracts with well-known designers to collaborate on hi-end digital equipment. One of these devices we consider below in the review.
Brief characteristics of Parrot Grande Specchio:
- Display: resolution 800x600, aspect ratio Âľ, 16 million colors
- Supports Wi-Fi b / g wireless connection
- Display photos received from a specific e-mail
- RSS support (Picasa, Flick'r)
- Display photos from PC and Mac
- Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR (NFC support)
- USB port
- Support SD / MMC memory card
- Update firmware via USB or Wi-Fi
- Supported Photo Formats: JPEG
- Clock, alarm clock
- Built-in memory 200 MB
- Dimensions: 260 x 260 x 25 mm
- Weight: 650 g
What is in the box?
You start to feel the premium class of the device before opening the package. The frame comes in a relatively large and weighty white box with a silver embossed lettering: Parrot by Martin Szekely. We open the box and find the following inside: the frame of the Parrot Grande Specchio, instruction in several languages, a cloth for wiping the frame, an envelope with a certificate, a power supply unit with three nozzles, two nozzles for mounting on the wall, a stand-rest.
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Package Contents
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Everything looks very high quality and expensive. Now about the frame itself. In the off state, its entire front part is one large mirror with a golden sheen. The rest of the body is made of plastic golden color. Plastic feels quality and durable. On the left side is a connector for installing a memory card. Above - controls that include: 4 touch buttons (power, menu, back, home) and trackball. On the back of the digital frame are: a speaker and a USB port. In addition, the steel plate with the inscription “Parrot by Martin Shekely“ can be removed to mount on the wall.
Touch buttons and trackball
The frame can be mounted on the wall or mounted on a horizontal surface. For installation on the table, you must use the stand-emphasis.
Minimalism and hi-tech are felt in everything. Included is no remote control. I'm not sure that anyone is using them at all, from a distance you are unlikely to show photos to friends. On the other hand, the frames, the price of which is 4 times lower, it is. We will not consider this a disadvantage, rather a wish. Since we started talking about wishes, I would like to mention, the presence of an additional slot for Memory Stick cards would not be superfluous.
Turn on
I will not torment with appearance anymore, it's time to turn on the digital frame. Insert the plug into the outlet and see the inscription: "Loading". Loading takes seconds about 20 seconds. The next time you turn on the frame does not load, and displays photos immediately. Only if the plug is unplugged, will the frame need to be loaded again. After downloading, Specchio immediately begins the slide show that was already in memory. Go to the menu and choose the Russian language (the menu is translated into 20 languages!), Set the time, adjust the brightness.
Main menu
Settings menu
Management implemented very conveniently, which contributes to the trackball. It allows you to navigate the menu in four directions and select the desired option by pressing.
Let's talk about the picture. The resolution of 800x600 is more than enough for high-quality display of the image on the monitor 10 ". Photos are bright, juicy and pleasing to the eye. Most of the budget frames do not display colors very well, they are usually slightly blurred. In the case of Parrot Grande Specchio, everything is perfect. The image is comparable to standard LCD monitors with a glossy finish. No complaints about the black level. The picture is very pleasant both in a sunny room and in a dark one. In the first case, a reflection of other interior elements is visible on the surface of the “mirror”, especially if the photograph contains more dark shades. Bright and bright photos look quite comfortable even in a well-lit room.
In fact, the illustration poorly conveys the picture of the frame, since the reflection doesn’t really pay attention, and the picture is much brighter than it turned out in the photo. Approximately, as in the following example:
Another important factor is the viewing angles. There are some double impressions. On the one hand, hardly anyone will look at the frame at an angle of 170 degrees, and with non-extreme deviations the picture retains its clarity and color rendition. On the other hand, if you look at large angles, the image becomes more faded because of the reflective mirror surface. As the saying goes: "Beauty requires sacrifice."
And now we will carry out an “extreme test”. We insert a memory card with photos obtained from 12.1 megapixel camera. In the slideshow mode (which can be set up from 5 seconds before changing photos once a week), photos are loaded instantly, which is very nice. If you scroll through the photo with the trackball, the frame does not have time to adjust the size of the image instantly, the process of loading a new image is noticeable (about 2 seconds). Photographs that have been reduced to fit the frame size are very clear and do not have any artifacts. The display process goes without any “brakes”.
About functionality
Parrot Grande Specchio has a number of functional features that significantly distinguish it from the variety of such devices.
Bluetooth support
Everything is standard here: device name, enable / disable bluetooth module, visibility, advanced settings. To send photos from the phone, select the image and transmit. A new photo is immediately displayed on the frame screen.
The remarkable thing about the device is that Specchio is the first frame in the world that supports NFC technology. Quote: "Near Field Communication (NFC) - a combination of contactless identification and wireless communication of mobile devices, custom electronics, computers and other devices." What does this give in practice? If your phone supports this technology, then select the image to send, bring it to the hidden frame sensor, click Yes - that's it! Simply and technologically! NFC technology is supported by a small range of mobile phone models and is only gaining momentum.
Wi-Fi support
Parrot Grande Specchio has at its disposal a built-in Wi-Fi module that allows you to connect to any computer or laptop using a router and even access the Internet. If the router supports WPS technology, the connection process will take no more than a minute. Otherwise, manual configuration may be required. The test was used wi-fi router Yota. The setup process took no more than a minute, all you had to enter was the access key to the network. Connection is configured. Then we launch the browser, or use one of the pre-installed applications for working with the Internet.
The frame boasts a full-featured browser with support for Java-scripts, Macromedia Flash, bookmarks, history preservation, downloads and many settings.
Some difficulties are caused by typing. To do this, you must type the site address or the desired word using the virtual keyboard and trackball. Page size can be customized to fit the screen, or leave the original. These parameters are configured through the settings.
Other functional features
Holidays.
In essence, “Holidays” is an application specifically designed for this framework. The application allows you to select on Google map any place in the vicinity of which you would like to visit, and begins to display photos and landscapes (which, apparently, are selected by the “Google-pictures” service). Very nice application that significantly expands the standard features of the digital frame and allows you to choose a place without a computer for the next vacation.
People.
Another application that allows you to display photos of people downloaded from the Internet. All photos are of sufficient quality, bright and completely different. Among them can be displayed as “harmless” photos of children and adults, and, for example, photos from concerts of rock groups, where close-ups are depicted performers during the performance. In general, photos of different types and will help to diversify the displayed content.
RSS.
The device allows you to customize the display of photos, news, weather, exchange rates, traffic jams and so on. To do this, you need to create a free account on the site www.framechannel.com , enter the activation code that will be specified when you start the application and select more than 1000 available RSS feeds. The thing is very convenient and useful.
Post office.
The photo frame can be configured to receive e-mail messages with photos. Photos are stored in the frame memory and immediately displayed on the screen.
Connect to PC.
Parrot Grande Specchio allows you to establish a connection with a computer and display photos using the built-in browser on the screen, as well as save them in the memory of the photo frame.
Clock.
The clock can be displayed in sleep mode when the frame is not used for its intended purpose.
Alarm clock.
There is a possibility to set an alarm clock with wide possibilities. You can set up to three alarms, for each alarm you can set one of three pleasant polyphonic melodies. Everything is adjusted literally, up to the name of the alarm clock label.
The display brightness, standby time, used memory source are also adjustable.
Video from the official site
Summing up
Style, functionality, chic - the first words that come to mind when seeing this photo frame. In the off state, it is a golden mirror. Turn on ... the picture is live, the color rendition is excellent. Viewing a little interfere with glare and reflection of the interior in a well-lit room. The frame is a status thing that fits perfectly into the interior in the style of "high-tech". A remarkable feature of the device is that it is completely built on the Google Android platform. Theoretically, this means that the frame can work with applications downloaded from the Android Marketplace.
There are other digital frames with advanced functionality, but this is probably the first frame in the world with expandable features, thanks to a full-featured Android platform. Additional applications built into the device (Holidays, People, RSS, e-mail) allow you to significantly expand the standard features and almost turn the photo frame into a stylish minicomputer.
The cost of the frame in Russia is 44,000 rubles. This is several times higher than the cost of similar devices from Sony, Philips, etc. Parrot Grande Specchio is a premium electronic device that is suitable for people with high social status, or real geeks, for whom the technological component is above all . The frame can also be a beautiful and original gift.
Parrot Grande Specchio is sold only in one Russian online store.
“Digital photo frame? No, this is not to surprise us! There are so many of them on the shelves, hundreds, choose any! ”- I can already hear indignant voices. But wait, friends, our photo frame is not simple, but ... golden. But seriously, today I will tell you about the most beautiful digital frame on the Android platform with support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC technology. The device can access to the Internet via Wi-Fi, download photos and albums from FaceBook, Picasa, Flickr, display weather information, the latest news. In this frame has a delightful design with a golden sheen, and the cost of it is ... Perhaps the cost at the end of the review.
By tradition, a few words about the company
Apple fans have probably heard, or at least seen, the well-known Parrot hi-fi system: Zikmu. The design of these columns was designed by Philippe Starck.
')
What else does the company produce? And there are few who can answer the question. In a nutshell, the French company Parrot is one of the most profitable, intensively developing companies. Since its inception, the main activity of Parrot has been the development of technological solutions for integrated digital sound processing devices in the field of voice recognition, echo and noise cancellation, which are used in mobile programming and communications.
In 2008, the company entered into contracts with well-known designers to collaborate on hi-end digital equipment. One of these devices we consider below in the review.
Brief characteristics of Parrot Grande Specchio:
- Display: resolution 800x600, aspect ratio Âľ, 16 million colors
- Supports Wi-Fi b / g wireless connection
- Display photos received from a specific e-mail
- RSS support (Picasa, Flick'r)
- Display photos from PC and Mac
- Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR (NFC support)
- USB port
- Support SD / MMC memory card
- Update firmware via USB or Wi-Fi
- Supported Photo Formats: JPEG
- Clock, alarm clock
- Built-in memory 200 MB
- Dimensions: 260 x 260 x 25 mm
- Weight: 650 g
What is in the box?
You start to feel the premium class of the device before opening the package. The frame comes in a relatively large and weighty white box with a silver embossed lettering: Parrot by Martin Szekely. We open the box and find the following inside: the frame of the Parrot Grande Specchio, instruction in several languages, a cloth for wiping the frame, an envelope with a certificate, a power supply unit with three nozzles, two nozzles for mounting on the wall, a stand-rest.
Package Contents
Everything looks very high quality and expensive. Now about the frame itself. In the off state, its entire front part is one large mirror with a golden sheen. The rest of the body is made of plastic golden color. Plastic feels quality and durable. On the left side is a connector for installing a memory card. Above - controls that include: 4 touch buttons (power, menu, back, home) and trackball. On the back of the digital frame are: a speaker and a USB port. In addition, the steel plate with the inscription “Parrot by Martin Shekely“ can be removed to mount on the wall.
Touch buttons and trackball
The frame can be mounted on the wall or mounted on a horizontal surface. For installation on the table, you must use the stand-emphasis.
Minimalism and hi-tech are felt in everything. Included is no remote control. I'm not sure that anyone is using them at all, from a distance you are unlikely to show photos to friends. On the other hand, the frames, the price of which is 4 times lower, it is. We will not consider this a disadvantage, rather a wish. Since we started talking about wishes, I would like to mention, the presence of an additional slot for Memory Stick cards would not be superfluous.
Turn on
I will not torment with appearance anymore, it's time to turn on the digital frame. Insert the plug into the outlet and see the inscription: "Loading". Loading takes seconds about 20 seconds. The next time you turn on the frame does not load, and displays photos immediately. Only if the plug is unplugged, will the frame need to be loaded again. After downloading, Specchio immediately begins the slide show that was already in memory. Go to the menu and choose the Russian language (the menu is translated into 20 languages!), Set the time, adjust the brightness.
Main menu
Settings menu
Management implemented very conveniently, which contributes to the trackball. It allows you to navigate the menu in four directions and select the desired option by pressing.
Let's talk about the picture. The resolution of 800x600 is more than enough for high-quality display of the image on the monitor 10 ". Photos are bright, juicy and pleasing to the eye. Most of the budget frames do not display colors very well, they are usually slightly blurred. In the case of Parrot Grande Specchio, everything is perfect. The image is comparable to standard LCD monitors with a glossy finish. No complaints about the black level. The picture is very pleasant both in a sunny room and in a dark one. In the first case, a reflection of other interior elements is visible on the surface of the “mirror”, especially if the photograph contains more dark shades. Bright and bright photos look quite comfortable even in a well-lit room.
In fact, the illustration poorly conveys the picture of the frame, since the reflection doesn’t really pay attention, and the picture is much brighter than it turned out in the photo. Approximately, as in the following example:
Another important factor is the viewing angles. There are some double impressions. On the one hand, hardly anyone will look at the frame at an angle of 170 degrees, and with non-extreme deviations the picture retains its clarity and color rendition. On the other hand, if you look at large angles, the image becomes more faded because of the reflective mirror surface. As the saying goes: "Beauty requires sacrifice."
And now we will carry out an “extreme test”. We insert a memory card with photos obtained from 12.1 megapixel camera. In the slideshow mode (which can be set up from 5 seconds before changing photos once a week), photos are loaded instantly, which is very nice. If you scroll through the photo with the trackball, the frame does not have time to adjust the size of the image instantly, the process of loading a new image is noticeable (about 2 seconds). Photographs that have been reduced to fit the frame size are very clear and do not have any artifacts. The display process goes without any “brakes”.
About functionality
Parrot Grande Specchio has a number of functional features that significantly distinguish it from the variety of such devices.
Bluetooth support
Everything is standard here: device name, enable / disable bluetooth module, visibility, advanced settings. To send photos from the phone, select the image and transmit. A new photo is immediately displayed on the frame screen.
The remarkable thing about the device is that Specchio is the first frame in the world that supports NFC technology. Quote: "Near Field Communication (NFC) - a combination of contactless identification and wireless communication of mobile devices, custom electronics, computers and other devices." What does this give in practice? If your phone supports this technology, then select the image to send, bring it to the hidden frame sensor, click Yes - that's it! Simply and technologically! NFC technology is supported by a small range of mobile phone models and is only gaining momentum.
Wi-Fi support
Parrot Grande Specchio has at its disposal a built-in Wi-Fi module that allows you to connect to any computer or laptop using a router and even access the Internet. If the router supports WPS technology, the connection process will take no more than a minute. Otherwise, manual configuration may be required. The test was used wi-fi router Yota. The setup process took no more than a minute, all you had to enter was the access key to the network. Connection is configured. Then we launch the browser, or use one of the pre-installed applications for working with the Internet.
The frame boasts a full-featured browser with support for Java-scripts, Macromedia Flash, bookmarks, history preservation, downloads and many settings.
Some difficulties are caused by typing. To do this, you must type the site address or the desired word using the virtual keyboard and trackball. Page size can be customized to fit the screen, or leave the original. These parameters are configured through the settings.
Other functional features
Holidays.
In essence, “Holidays” is an application specifically designed for this framework. The application allows you to select on Google map any place in the vicinity of which you would like to visit, and begins to display photos and landscapes (which, apparently, are selected by the “Google-pictures” service). Very nice application that significantly expands the standard features of the digital frame and allows you to choose a place without a computer for the next vacation.
People.
Another application that allows you to display photos of people downloaded from the Internet. All photos are of sufficient quality, bright and completely different. Among them can be displayed as “harmless” photos of children and adults, and, for example, photos from concerts of rock groups, where close-ups are depicted performers during the performance. In general, photos of different types and will help to diversify the displayed content.
RSS.
The device allows you to customize the display of photos, news, weather, exchange rates, traffic jams and so on. To do this, you need to create a free account on the site www.framechannel.com , enter the activation code that will be specified when you start the application and select more than 1000 available RSS feeds. The thing is very convenient and useful.
Post office.
The photo frame can be configured to receive e-mail messages with photos. Photos are stored in the frame memory and immediately displayed on the screen.
Connect to PC.
Parrot Grande Specchio allows you to establish a connection with a computer and display photos using the built-in browser on the screen, as well as save them in the memory of the photo frame.
Clock.
The clock can be displayed in sleep mode when the frame is not used for its intended purpose.
Alarm clock.
There is a possibility to set an alarm clock with wide possibilities. You can set up to three alarms, for each alarm you can set one of three pleasant polyphonic melodies. Everything is adjusted literally, up to the name of the alarm clock label.
The display brightness, standby time, used memory source are also adjustable.
Video from the official site
Summing up
Style, functionality, chic - the first words that come to mind when seeing this photo frame. In the off state, it is a golden mirror. Turn on ... the picture is live, the color rendition is excellent. Viewing a little interfere with glare and reflection of the interior in a well-lit room. The frame is a status thing that fits perfectly into the interior in the style of "high-tech". A remarkable feature of the device is that it is completely built on the Google Android platform. Theoretically, this means that the frame can work with applications downloaded from the Android Marketplace.
There are other digital frames with advanced functionality, but this is probably the first frame in the world with expandable features, thanks to a full-featured Android platform. Additional applications built into the device (Holidays, People, RSS, e-mail) allow you to significantly expand the standard features and almost turn the photo frame into a stylish minicomputer.
The cost of the frame in Russia is 44,000 rubles. This is several times higher than the cost of similar devices from Sony, Philips, etc. Parrot Grande Specchio is a premium electronic device that is suitable for people with high social status, or real geeks, for whom the technological component is above all . The frame can also be a beautiful and original gift.
Parrot Grande Specchio is sold only in one Russian online store.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/85906/
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