Kodak Easyshare P720 > Reviews (4)

The kodak P720 digital photo frame has been around since the beginning of 2009 with the RRP of the product at £69.99. I first bought one in January for myself when it was on offer at £29 and have been very pleased with this purchase.

The frame comes in a traditional yellow and white colour schemed box, typical of all Kodak products. The box is just a bit larger than a normal camera box as you would expect seeing as it's a lot bigger. Included in the box, are the photo frame, a quick start guide, a frame stand, a power pack that can connect to either a UK mains adapter or a european 2 pin adapter. This is simple to put together, and easily slides and clicks into place. You get 2 different colour adhesive matte frames, which are stickers to place over the majority of the white frame border. These come in silver and a burgundy red colour. Lastly, included in the box is a few things sealed in a clear plastic case. This includes a thick user's guide, which consists of most european languages, a dry screen cloth, software for the computer as well as warranty information.

When you open the box, you see the quick setup guide sheet placed on top of the photo frame which is wrapped up in its protective plastic sleeve. This is cleverly packaged with the other items included in the box, and it is also very easy to put things back in safely should you need to with the ability to still close the box.

Setup is easy if you follow the quick start guide; Take the frame stand and click it into place on the back of the frame. It is the central 'X' shaped hole in the middle (which allows you to set the frame up as portrait or landscape), being careful to not mistake it with the other holes which allow you to wall mount the frame should you need. The power adapter must be put together with your choose of mains adapter put firmly into place. It is located at the bottom of the unit, so should you wall mount it, access to the plug is easy to reach. It also means, that the trailing power cable is hidden behind the unit itself and hence making it look tidy as you look at it from the front. Turn on the power and the photo frame should instantly come to life, taking a few seconds until you reach the home screen. The inner frame around the screen lights up to indicate where you can 'touch' to select the controls. This controls light up red from underneath the border, and are by no means visible, however hard you look! Lastly, plug in an SD memory card, USB stick or connect your camera by USB cable and you are ready to view our photos on the screen.

The screen itself is 7 inches diagonally, hence the P720 model number. There is also a P820 model, which is quite simply the bigger 8 inch screen. The screen quality itself is quite reasonable. When you look at the screen close up, you notice the picture looking quite grainy and pixelated. However, don't worry, because as you put on your images and sit a coupe of feet from the screen, this is lost from the picture and the picture looks fantastically sharp and crisp.

I have pictures on the frame which have been taken by a cheap digital camera as well a by an SLR. The photos with the digital camera are reasonable, with some of the poorer shots, especially black and dark colours looking grainy, but images with the SLR are fantastic. The large viewing angle, not sure of specific numbers, but roughly 170 degrees is good, with the quality not diminishing from tighter angles. The only slight negative I have is not with the screen but with the frame itself. Around the screen is the inner frame in which all the buttons are located, and is shinier that the outer white border. This I find dwarfs the screen and makes it look small, and doesn't look proportional. Adding one of the coloured frames helps to combat this and makes it look less obvious.

The coloured frames are more like stickers than actual frames. The are quite flimsy and thin. When you take them off the plastic backing they are supplied on, they don't necessarily feel sticky like glue, but more like static. Applying the frames take a few attempts to get right. Trying to line it up in its designated area and preventing air bubbles is awkward, but the final finish will look good and stylish.

When you first turn the screen on, the automatic setting plays all the photos in order from the memory that you supply it with. It also automatically applies transitions from one photo to the next which looks okay, but can get a bit annoying sometimes; its just about your own opinion of them.

The only downside I have with the photo frame is the controls of the frame. I am quite clued up on technology myself and can usually do everything with instructions. However, I find the controls on the frame confusing and not every symbol shown is instantly recognisable. I did have to get the instructions out, which gives you a quick guide to the controls, but nothing extremely informative, should you need to find this out, a trip to the Kodak website is in order. The other thing about the controls which I think is part of the problem I have with the frame is that it freezes up and stops working. This is annoying and very frustrating.

I have since found the screens at £29.99 at argos recently which have made me purchase more as christmas presents, and have been quite a hit!