Digital photo frames explode into a living room near you

According to a survey by Futuresource Consulting, the market for digital photo frames "exploded" across Western Europe last year, hitting 3.8 million units, up from 0.6 million a year earlier.

For consumers, "design and price" were the most important elements in the purchasing decision, with few having any clue about the resolution, aspect ratio or screen size of their purchases.

It seems the gadgets are popular as gifts. Possibly because they look like a good idea for someone else's home not your own.

What struck us in the day and age when the North Pole is shrinking away to nothing and - if you ask the Editor - environmental collapse is just around the corner.

Asked for their take on this, chief spinner Andy Watson said Futuresource had. "looked at power consumption relating to flat panel TVs, but not carried out much research into digital photo frame power consumption as yet." So not much help there then.

Futuresource says that by 2011, household penetration is expected to reach 14 per cent across Western Europe as a whole, with the UK and France leading the charge at 29 per cent and 23 per cent penetration respectively.

Which is bound to have a massive environmental impact compared to those innocuous pictures you have hanging on the wall today.

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