Panasonic MW-20 digital photo frame doubles as stereo system

Digital photo frames are slowly picking up followers, but high prices have held them back a bit. But if they serve as more than just a picture frame, will they have a better chance? Panasonic hopes so with the debut of the MW-20 digital frame, which doubles as a stereo sound system.

The MW-20 boasts 15 display patterns to show a calendar, clock, or photo, and Panasonic has integrated the Lumix Scene Mode Playback function. That means users can display selected groups of photos taken specifically with a Lumix digital camera when using the iA Intelligent Scene Selector mode (i.e. portrait, nighttime, etc.).

Able to be hung on the wall or placed in landscape orientation on your desk, the MW-20 also saves power as it can automatically adjust the brightness of the screen depending on room lighting. For example, if the room is dark, then the MW-20 goes dark too.

As for sound capability, the MW-20 hosts a 5.6mm slim dome speaker and a diffuser at the bottom of the frame, along with a the built-in digital signal processor. Finally, owners can also playback music from and charge an iPhone or an iPod touch using the included cradle.

The Panasonic MW-20 will dive in during the midst of the holiday shopping season in late-November for $249.95. That's still very pricey for a picture frame, but at least you'll get more out of it than just slideshows.