HP DreamScreen 100 & DreamScreen 130 WiFi Multimedia Frames [Pandora, Facebook, Snapfish & Media Streaming Digiframe]

Slowly, but very surly, we have watched the digital picture frame evolve into a multimedia power house that as well as displaying image slideshows offer multimedia support and wireless net access and now HP are pushing the functionality envelope further with their newly unveiled HP DreamScreen 100 and DreamScreen 130 digital frames.

Whilst offering all the features you’d expect from a digiframe, the new HP DreamScreen digital frames additionally bring both multimedia and wireless internet connectivity to the table to such a degree that one must question whether they have actually stepped aside from the ‘digiframe’ category of devices entirely and become, somewhat more so, digital entertainment hubs offering hassle free access to social media sites and online digital image portals whilst also offering broad audio and video support with the additional bonus of integrated connectivity to online portals such Pandora allowing for audio streaming with the DreamScreen’s integrated stereo speakers meaning that the device is wholly self contained.

Two DreamScreens have been unveiled by HP in the form of the 10.2″ HP DreamScreen 100 and the 13.3″ DreamScreen 130 both of which boast 2GB inbuilt storage capacity along with integrated card readers (Compact Flash I/II, Micro Drive, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick & Memory Stick Pro, XD picture card) whilst, in terms of connectivity, you can factor in the aforementioned WiFi (specifically 802.11b/g), 10/100 LAN and USB facilitating the playback of media from USB flash drives.

Taking about media, the HP DreamScreens offer pretty reasonable file format support taking in MPEG 1, 2, 4, H.264 video, MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV audio and JPEG, PNG, BMP image file formats though we would, were we to be especially picky, like to have seen FLAC, OGG and RAW file formats also accommodated. Inbuilt DivX support would also have been nice.

HP’s new DreamScreens, which naturally also serve as alarm clocks, are priced at around $250 and $300 (10.2″ DreamScreen 100 and 13.3″ DreamScreen 130 respectively) and appear to be available now from Amazon.