With digital frames being a hot commodity these days, companies are looking for ways to differentiate their products. Some will be teaming with a new company called FrameMedia, which has developed software and content partnerships to give you more than just slideshows on your digi frames.

FrameMedia operates the online FrameChannel, which subscribers can customize to cater to their personal tastes and information requests. Once you’ve signed up and created the feeds that you want, your frame will come in pretty handy especially in the mornings before you head out to work.

Among the content partners providing information that links into the frame through the FrameChannel are The Weather Channel, WeatherBug, Traffic.com, YellowBrix and PA Sportsticker. With a couple of clicks, you can get the weather, traffic and last night’s scores before heading out the door.

Of course, the beauty of digital frames are the photo slideshow opportunities, and those are enhanced as well. You can snag photos from the AP or Getty Images to view the latest news images, or landscape and nature photography from National Geographic to spruce up a wall if you want. For your own photos, along with having those from your own computer feed into the frame, it hooks into websites like Facebook and Flickr, so you can view an assortment of slideshows—or have the grandparents check out your slideshows from their own digi frames.

Best of all is that the FrameChannel account is free, so keep an eye out for frame brands that include this as part of their wireless frame offerings.

Arlen Schweiger - Managing editor of Electronic House Magazine

Arlen contributes product news items to electronichouse.com along with his role on the print publication. Got a tip? Send it along!