Aura Ink digitalizes picture frames with an e-ink display
E-ink picture frames are becoming more popular, and Aura Ink is now launching another picture frame equipped with a 13.3-inch E Ink Spectra 6 panel. This display has a 4:3 aspect ratio, a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels and can also display colors. The e-ink technology has two major advantages for digital picture frames.
First, these panels are already known from e-book readers such as the Kindle Colorsoft (from $249 on Amazon) and use reflected light that makes them look almost like paper. Second, these devices don’t need a backlight, which means that e-ink displays also use power when the screen content changes. This gives the Aura Ink a battery life of three months, and the main reason it doesn’t last even longer is that it sports a front light to improve visibility in low light.
An ambient light sensor can automatically turn off this light in a dark room, and charging takes place via USB-C. Aura Ink connects to the internet via WiFi, and users can upload any number of photos using the Aura Frames smartphone app and switch between these pictures at the push of a button. No subscription is required for this, but since Aura Ink relies on a server, there’s a risk that the picture frame will no longer work if these servers are taken offline.
Price and availability
The Aura Ink picture frame with an e-ink panel is retailing for $499 in the US, but the manufacturer is not shipping to Europe at the moment. More technical details can be found on the official product page.
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