Taiwan-based start-up Ipevo believes the Internet has outgrown the PC, and guided by that philosophy, the company has developed a number of products, including the Kaleido R7 wireless digital photo frame which recently won an award in the media and entertainment category at WinHEC 2008.
The Kaleido R7 wireless digital photo frame at first appears to be similar to other Wi-Fi-enabled digital photo frames, making it convenient but hardly unique. However, the device also features management software called Eyestage that allows users to manage their photos from a PC but view them even when they are not at the computer.
The software is also designed to support management of photo collections hosted on the Internet, with Flickr and Picassa currently supported. Users simply create channels, such as "summer vacation" and images are sent wirelessly to the Kaleido R7.
In addition, the company believes that a digital photo frame should be more than just a gadget to store pictures. Users can subscribe to RSS feeds that can be viewed on the frame while video and music capabilities are also being considered for future products, the company stated.
The company is also developing a version of its Eyestage management software for smartphones.
Company CEO Royce Hong explained that Ipevo believes the Internet experience has extended beyond the PC, and therefore new hardware needs to be developed to support this trend.
While the Kaleido R7 is the latest product from the company, as it seeks to extend the reach of the Internet, it is not the first. Based in Taiwan and San Jose, California, Ipevo was originally established to produce hardware for parent company PCHome, a Taiwan portal and online-retailer. PCHome teamed up with Skype to offer VoIP services in Taiwan in 2004 and Ipevo was the company responsible for producing branded hardware to support the service.
At first the company focused on PC peripherals, such as USB handsets, but Ipevo realized that users did not want to be locked to their PCs when accessing VoIP services. This led to the introduction of VoIP phones and the realization that other Internet services could be freed from the PC. PCHome in July 2007 spun off Ipevo as an independent company, allowing it to expand its product range beyond Skype and VoIP devices.
Another key driving force for the company has been the emergence of Web 2.0 services. Ipevo believes the power of the Internet can be shared among all users. For example, with the Kaleido R7 users can view any shareable photo from Flickr by subscribing to keywords. Related photos are streamed to the frame and while browsing through the pictures, users can simply hit a "GOTO" button to access the web page where the photo originated. This feature allows users to enjoy a more interactive social experience with their digital photos, Ipevo explained.
In fact, Ipevo is driven by what it calls the user experience. According to Hong, even the design of the Kaleido R7 is focused on the user experience. Most digital photo frames copy their design from traditional photo frames, but the Kaleido R7 is designed more like an LCD monitor. It has a stand so viewing angles can be adjusted, and the stand support is focus asymmetrically making it easy to rotate the display between portrait and landscape orientations. A software function will then adjust the photo so that it is viewed correctly no matter the position of the display.
The Kaleido R7 will debut at CES 2009, and will hit the market later in the first quarter. The company is currently looking at a retail price range of US$199-249, but final pricing is not yet fixed. The company will initially focus on the North American market and while the company finalizes its sales channel, the devices will be sold direct from the company's website.
Ipevo Kaleido R7 wireless digital photo frame
Photo: CJ Liu, Digitimes, December 2008
Article translated by Rodney Chan
