We all have at the least one technologically challenged relative. We are able to e-mail photos or put up them on a private Web page for a few of our loved ones, however there are others who need nothing to do with a pc, let alone the Internet. The proper gadget for sharing photographs with the computerless is the digital image body. It is a device about the dimensions and form of an atypical image frame. It accommodates an LCD display screen, which shows a number of photos in a slideshow format, cognitive enhancement tool and it connects to the Web through phone line to download new photos and data to display on the screen. The frames are fairly similar in construction, though they do offer some totally different features. In this version of HowStuffWorks, we'll take a look on the Ceiva Digital Photo Receiver. Before we get into exactly how it works, let's see what it does. The concept is that a person who does have a pc, a digital camera and laptop abilities buys the frame, Memory Wave System units up the account and passes it on.

Once the account is set up, you (the person with the pc) upload pictures to the Ceiva Net site. Every night time, the digital picture body (in the computerless person's house) uses the telephone line to connect with the Ceiva servers and obtain any new pictures. You may also control all the body's settings through the online site. It has most of the identical parts as the computer on your desktop, however they're so much easier within the frame as a result of they solely should perform a single task. The central processing unit (CPU) within the Ceiva digital picture body is similar to the sort used in small, electronic handheld video games. The most processor-intensive activity carried out by this CPU is downloading photos from the online site. The rest of the time, it does not break a sweat. It also has some Flash Memory Wave, which is where the photographs, settings and a few of the operating software program stay.

Both forms of Memory Wave System are persistent -- no data is lost if the unit is unplugged. The frame has a 33.6-Kbps modem, which it makes use of to connect to the Web and download the new pictures you post. The display is a 640x480-pixel, passive-matrix liquid crystal display (LCD) with a viewing space of about 5 by 7 inches (13 by 18 cm). One of these display is thin sufficient that the digital frame is not much thicker than an abnormal picture body. The pictures are displayed in 12-bit colour, which implies that roughly 4,one hundred totally different colours could be offered on the display. The only user-operated controls on the frame are a black button, which adjusts the brightness of the display, and a white button that turns the frame on when the consumer first plugs it in and may also be used to manually dial in. The Ceiva body uses an embedded operating system referred to as PSOS.

This operating system is designed for units like PDAs, electrical-testing tools and set-top containers. Let's take a look at how the Ceiva body works. If the consumer presses and holds the white button on the back of the frame, it dials up and connects to the Internet. The $50-per-12 months charge for the Ceiva service contains entry to the Web by means of a local phone quantity. The connection to the Internet is used solely to download the new images and settings to the frame. There isn't any interactivity, no Internet access and no e-mail. The system is designed to behave like an image frame, not a computer. As soon as logged on, the frame compares the images already on the frame to the ones waiting to be sent, downloading any new ones. It also downloads any new settings. When it is finished downloading, the body hangs up the phone line and begins displaying the brand new pictures one after one other.