Polaroid Photo Frame and Weather Station: Fairweather frames

By Rich Trenholm on 24 November 2008, 11:48am

Astonishingly, it's nearly the end of November, and in Crave's part of the world, we're freezing our brass monkeys off, so it's an appropriate time to meet the catchily named Polaroid XSU-00770B and XSU-01050B. Manufacturers are always looking for new ways to spice up digital photo frames, and Polaroid has hit on the British obsession with meteorological moaning to create: the weather station frame!

It's a 7-inch frame with wireless weather input. The total size is 25 by 18 by 3.5cm, with a full-colour screen measuring 15.5 by 8.5cm. Beneath this main screen is a second LCD panel that displays weather information, with an indoor temperature and humidity sensor and a wireless link to a supplied outdoor sensor.

You may notice that the temperature display reads 18°C in CNET Towers -- the air conditioning system is even more in denial about it being November than we are. Cravers are wrapped up in hats, scarves and animal pelts, bulky gloves making our typing go a little wnoky. GameSpot UK is huddled around a burning Xbox for warmth, while the ZDNet UK team are debating whether to eat the huskies.

Thanks to Polaroid however, this Craver has his memories to keep him warm. As well as the weather frame, we've got the XSU-01050B. No gimmicks on this one, sadly, but instead it concentrates on being blinking enormous, at 10.2 inches. Both frames take SD and SDHC cards, and Sony Memory Stick and MS Duo -- no CompactFlash though. Both also include a remote control.

The winter-warmer XSU-00770B is currently on sale at Play.com for a very clement £40, while the over-sized XSU-01050B is somewhere in the rather frosty region of £140.