Since the big trend in digital photo frames is wireless connectivity, I'm not surprised to see networking giant D-Link enter the photo-frame fray. The $244.99 (direct) D-Link Wireless Photo Frame (DSM-210) is a solid first entry into the market. The 10-inch frame offers a simple interface, and despite a lower pixel density (that is, it's a larger screen, with fewer pixels) than other frames in its price range, its picture quality is impressive. But the DSM-210 does suffer from the sorts of flaws typical of first tries. Most notably, poor design means that the frame's system of replaceable mats can interfere with use of the device.

The 2-pound, 7.8-b-11.2-by-1.4-inch (HWD) DSM-210 holds a bright, sharp, 800-by-480-pixel display. And at 10 inches (diagonal), the screen is the largest among the five frames I've looked at recently, which also included the Kodak EasyShare W820 Wireless Digital Frame, the PF Digital eStarling Impact8 Connected Wireless Digital Photo Frame, the Smartparts 8" WiFi Digital Picture Frame (SPX8WF), and the Sony VAIO Wi-Fi Photo Frame (VGF-CP1). As with the Kodak W820, mounting holes allow for hanging the DSM-210 horizontally or vertically, and a built-in adjustable stand lets the frame stand on its own, in either orientation.

The frame's resolution is identical to that of the smaller Sony VGF-CP1 and Kodak W820 (which measure 7 and 8 inches, respectively), and lower than that of the 800-by-600-pixel, 8-inch eStarling Impact8 and the SmartParts SPX8WF. Surprisingly, despite the much lower pixel density, image quality didn't take much of a hit on my tests. Pictures appeared sharp, with good contrast and bright colors.

Images from a Flickr feed displayed on the frame were identical in quality to those from a connected USB drive. Compare this to the Kodak W820, on which Flickr images didn't appear as sharp. The DSM-210's Web connectivity is limited to Photo RSS feeds from services such as FrameChannel and, as mentioned, Flickr. For feeds other than a three-day FrameChannel weather forecast, you'll have to configure the frame manually. I saw none of the scaling issues that the Kodak W820 had with FrameChannel.

The DSM-210 can also display images from computers on the same network configured as UPnP media servers. Setting up this feature requires a fair amount of networking knowledge, however. There's also a feature that sends images directly to the frame's 1 gigabyte of memory (using a Yahoo Widget on a networked computer), but in my testing I found it was buggy and required considerable patience to set up.

The DSM-210 also includes several options for displaying local content. A memory card slot on the rear left supports MMC, SD, and Sony MemoryStick cards. There's also a port for USB 2.0 Flash-memory drives, but the devices will extend beyond the side of the frame, detracting from the appearance. You can plug in a wired Ethernet cable, too, though 802.11g wireless speeds are more than sufficient.

The major downside with this frame comes from the interchangeable mats you can apply to the bezel, a feature shared with the Kodak W820. I suppose the idea is to complement the display, but the plain colors and high-gloss finishes don't do the DSM-210 any favors. Worse, as I found in my testing, the touch controls on the bottom of the frame aren't sensitive enough to work reliably through the plastic mats. In addition, the glowing lights of the touch controls barely show through either mat, especially the white one. The only switch that consistently works is the single physical button that turns the power on and off.

That means you have to use the infrared remote to configure and control the DSM-210. The remote is compact—the same size as those included with the Sony VGF-CP1 and eStarling Impact8—which makes it easy to misplace. But it's as simple and easy to use as the D-Link's main menu screens, with dedicated buttons to launch the menu, go back to the previous page, and rotate an image. As you'd expect, the remote includes four-way directional buttons with a center selection button for navigating through menus and slideshows. It lets you control everything from selecting images to connecting to an 802.11b/g network with WPA, WPA2, WEP, or WPS encryption.

If you don't mind relying on the remote and can deal with the plain outer frame, don't rule out the DSM-210. Image quality on its big 10-inch screen is surprisingly good, and it goes a long way toward redeeming the frame's uninspired appearance and lack of reliable on-frame controls. Of course, if you can afford it, the $300 Sony VAIO VGF-CP1 is our Editors' Choice and best all-around Wi-Fi frame. And for touch controls that work and ease of use that parallels that of the D-Link frame, the $170 eStarling Impact8 is a good (and much cheaper) choice.

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