PriceSCAN Blog

It was around this time last year that I noted how handy a digital camera can be for recording that magic day when a newly minted grad gets tossed off the parental gravy train ("Cheaper Digital Cameras To Capture The Moment You Stop Paying Junior's Tuition"). Since then, the price of saving those memories has dropped even further. But what about giving Mom the ability to proudly display that image of the moment her offspring made the transition from back-talking, dirty laundry-generating parasite to tax-paying, disgruntled member of the workforce? The answer is simple – a digital picture frame.
Now those of you familiar with the digital frames of days gone by may be hesitant to saddle Mom with a contraption that needs to be tethered to a computer, phone line, A/C wall plug and a subscription service (especially after all she's been through raising you). Never fear, however, for many current models are far more "stand-alone", and rather slick ones to boot. A particularly neat line is put out by Philips, featuring 800 x 480 resolution and a USB port allowing image transfer from either flash memory cards/sticks or directly from your computer. Philips says its internal battery allows continuous operation for about an hour, and the frames may be programmed to turn themselves on and off at pre-specified times. Plus, they look cool. This line including 9" wood-framed and 9" acrylic framed models, the later with four interchangeable colors. These go for as little as just below $200. For those working with a smaller post-graduation budget, there's also a 7" wood frame and 7" acrylic frame, each for as low as just below $160.
And for all you parents out there, remember, digital frames make a great graduation present as well. After all, who wouldn't want their kid to have a photo of their parents sporting the kind of ear to ear grins that can only be induced by a graduation mix of pride and financial relief?