Digital photo frames have been a wildly popular gift for the last couple of years. Yet after a few weeks of use, most frames collect more dust than memories. That’s because it is tedious to update the memory card that feeds photos to the frame.

And Wi-Fi hasn’t helped. Wireless picture frames, which can be remotely refreshed with new photos, have been marketed as a way to share the children’s precious moments with far-flung, less-techie relatives (as if Grandma had a wireless network). The ugly truth is that Wi-Fi-enabled photo frames are notoriously difficult to set up, connect and keep running.

Give up on the Wi-Fi and go for a frame that lets you send new snapshots via a cellular signal. The $280 Vizit digital photo frame from Isabella Products allows you to remotely dispatch photos to the frame at Grandma’s house over the AT&T cellular network.

The 10.4-inch frame has sharp resolution, and its touch screen provides an easy-to-use interface for controlling the device’s somewhat limited settings.

You can load and organize photos on VizitMe.com, which will appear on the Vizit’s screen; alternately, you can send by e-mail new images directly to the frame from your cellphone or computer. (Only those who have been given permission can send photos directly to the frame, however, so there shouldn’t be any nasty surprises.)

It’s easy, but you’ll pay a monthly fee of $6 to send a maximum of 100 photos to the frame, which holds 150 photos. Isabella also offers a premium plan that lets you send 1,450 photos a year for $80.

That wasn’t so bad, was it? Now you are all up to date. Check back in a couple of years to catch up on today’s latest technology.

Read full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/garden/03hometech.html?pagewanted=1