There is a cool new accessory for the Kindle Fire and other tablets called SlideFrame.
SlideFrame is handcrafted by the founders of SlideWare studios, which is based in California. The company was founded in January 2012 by two Stanford students who are veterans in the tech industry.
It looks a lot like those digital frames you slide your digital camera card into that creates a slideshow of pictures. Those frames don’t have much variety as far as frame style goes, however. The tablet uses its own memory while in the SlideFrame, so you aren’t limited to 2GB of memory that comes with many of the digital frames.
Technology overall has been designed for function, and form that fits the needs of the function. Most companies create gadgets that are sleek, but include features that enhance the device’s use. The case that surrounds the Kindle Fire is easy to grip, for example. So, aesthetics get thrown to the wayside, and it is up to accessories to make the devices “prettier.”
Tablets sales are catching up quickly with PC sales, but they have a few limitations still. Since tablets don’t include a slot to upload pictures, there’s not really a good way to showcase the pictures in a way that others can see them without actually emailing or sharing them via the internet.
The frames come in bamboo and wood, giving them a more homey feel than the aluminum or plastic that surrounds electronics. Just be careful about the battery life! The additional styles give the SlideFrame a leg up over the traditional digital frames.
SlideFrame comes in sizes that fit both 7″ and 10″ tablets, as well as other sizes, so it should still work with the new Kindle Fire regardless of the size .
So, overall, SlideFrame is a neat idea, and I hope more effort will be made to provide accessories that serve both aesthetic and functional purposes.