I'm a man who loves gadgets and technology, although I prefer to only keep a few of them in my belt holster at any given time (the iPhone in Canada might change that). So when Father's Day came along, my family knew that any sort of beeping, buzzing, or flashing item would be received with much warmth and affection (there would also be some warmth and affection to the gift-givers). So Sunday morning after a round of "real world" golf with my own Father (who is less of a technophile than myself), I came back to find that I was being showered with gifts of the technical variety. Specifically, it was one gift, and it came in the form of a digital picture frame.

Very cool indeed, especially for someone like me who tends to fill up SD cards faster than my wife fills up a shopping bag with shoes.

However, after unwrapping, unboxing, and undisassembling my techno-photo present, plugging it in, and inserting some select pictures of the family, I was left with a mild feeling of disappointment, not for the present which was wonderful, but rather for the very poor resolution of the digital photo frame. My wife, not being inclined or interested in gadgetry, except when her iPod needs "refilling", didn't pick out a quality digital frame product, and so my children's heads and faces were somewhat blotchy and indistinguishable from glowing energy aliens.

I was going to return the digital picture frame to the store and upgrade it to a better product (with no offense to the family), however I quickly realized that I had no knowledge or experience with this type of technology (shocking I know!), and so I had to find some resources in which to educate myself on digital frames. Although it took me a little bit longer than Neo learned Kung-fu in The Matrix, I found a few sites that had a better understanding of digital photo presentation, and I was able to read some digital picture frame reviews and get a little bit more acquainted with these devices.

I read one review on the Sony DPF-D70, which is a 7" digital photo frame, and soon imagined one on my nightstand or fireplace mantle (as I couldn't find any room on my desk with all the 22" and 24" monitors filling up all the space). I couldn't imagine this little photo frame replacing my desktop slideshows or background wallpapers, but it's a cute frame that is probably good to send to your Luddite relatives, especially if you pre-fill the memory card with pictures of you, your family, and quite possibly your flatscreen TV.

Now, I don't expect that I'll forget what my kids look like any time soon, especially since I have pictures of them in my wallet, on my PDA, and in my smartphone. But I might consider a few more digital picture frames for the living room, rec room, and office, as this is one more cool gadget that has earned an open plug slot on my surge-protection power cord.

Check out more digital photo frames and digital picture frames!