A few weeks ago, our kids were heading off to camp, so we bought them disposable cameras to take some photos while there. We didn't want to spend a lot on digital disposables, and their personal digital cameras are too nice to get ruined at camp, so we went looking. Eventually we found them by the film, which was about a 3' square area--that's it. Film is dying and dying fast as digital cameras become ubiquitous.

But what's the point of having a digital camera if you can't show off your photos? Lately, digital photo frames have become increasingly popular, allowing hundreds of photos to be loaded into a single frame that cycles through them, com plate with transitions and other options. The D-Link DSM-210 Wireless Internet Photo Frame takes that concept to the next level, providing not only your photos, but everything from weather to comics to artwork to the day's news.

The DSM-210 lists Windows as its system requirements, but if you're a Mac user, don't let that hold you back. While Windows uses Yahoo Widgets to install images onto the frame, all users have several options for getting images onto the frame. You can also use a USB thumb drive, XD or SD card to copy them over, or use one of the online options. If you have a computer running Windows Media Center, you can also use WPnP to transfer photos.

The hardware also offers other interesting features. Motion detection sensors turn it off when the room is inactive but brings it back when someone comes in. A remote and touch screen offer options for control. It also includes both black and white faceplates.

The frame can connect to the Internet via your home wireless network. If you have no wireless network, wired will do just fine. Even wireless, the frame still has a power cord, so if you don't like that, set it on a table, and use the supplied standing arm, which can be used in portrait or landscape mode. I ran into a problem with the wireless setup, but it turned out my Airport network was using an old WEP encryption. In other words, if your network security is too old, you may need to update it to use this frame, but you should really be using WPA instead, anyway, as it's the only secure wireless security for home users. D-Link's free 24/7 phone support was very helpful with this and should be considered a feature of this frame.

Once connected, follow the instructions to use your browser to find content channels you'd like to add. In addition to photo channels like your personal Flickr, Picasa, MobileMe, and other photo feeds, you can add weather, news, trivia, and more. But note that many of the news channels are ad-heavy, much like the onscreen trivia you see at the cinema before the movie previews begin. Even worse, the National News feed is so random, it includes engagement announcements and all kinds of useless information. Thankfully, you can add any rss feed you want, although honestly, most families won't want text news feeds or stock quotes appearing on their wall.

Probably the best use of this for families besides computer-to-frame transfers or Flickr feeds, you can give out an account-specific email address to friends and family that you trust, and have them send photos to that address. The photo server will add those images to your frame automatically, so if Mom is away on business, she can send snapshots of the places she's seeing, and they'll show up on the family wall. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, and distant friends can surprise you with their photos.

Do you know someone with a broadband internet connection that doesn't spend much time online, maybe a grandma or someone else who didn't grow up with a computer? You can give them a frame like this, and then send them photos, regularly surprising them with new updates from your family.

So, what are the drawbacks? The online photo feeds can only handle 99 photos at a time, but you can have it pull photos randomly or by most recent from the feed, so it could definitely be worse. Also, given that Yahoo Widgets were originally developed for the Mac and work on a Mac, it makes no sense that a widget or other option can't be made for direct Mac use, but transferring via removable media or via online feed is the next best thing--at least it's an option. The touchscreen is very unresponsive--don't lose the remote. While the flash memory port is great, a compact flash option would be an added bonus. Finally, the online "My photos" and other content cannot be mixed with the images stored on the frame itself, so if you're watching a collection, you have to choose between local storage and online feeds. You should be able to add those stored photos to the list and watch both together.

If you're looking for a next-generation digital Photo frame, the DSM-210 offers excellent options, a decent viewing angle range, anti-glare matte screen, and a great experience. This one's a keeper.