So, when I received the Olin DPF-808 — an 8in digital photo frame with a built-in photo printer — to road-test, my hopes weren’t particularly high. However, I’m happy to report that when I cranked it up, I was pleasantly surprised.

The chocolate-coloured frame was understatedly stylish and the quality of the display was impressive. But the big bonus was the built-in printer, which lets you print high-quality 6x4in glossy borderless prints in seconds, straight from the images on display.

In my tests, printing a range of exposures, colours and saturations, the print quality was very good, producing clear photos with no colour deviations from the original image files.

The frame comes with a power adaptor, a USB cable for downloading images into the onboard memory, a remote control and an ink/paper cartridge (sufficient for 36 prints).

The frame accepts JPEG files from a range of popular memory cards (Secure Digital, MultiMedia Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Pro Duo and xD), which can be plugged directly into the rear of the unit and there’s a USB slot for displaying images straight from a USB thumb drive. There’s also 128M of onboard memory for permanent display.

As well as viewing photos as single shots or a slideshow complete with music and tasteful transitions, you can view videos (JPEG AVI movies) and play audio files.

The frame and printer couldn’t be easier to operate, and because no computer is required for their operation, the combo is the perfect digital photography solution for non-techie types — a perfect example of an ideal target market is my elderly parents, who have a digital camera, but no computer and very modest photo printing needs.

The unit’s recommended retail price of $399 might seem hefty, but when you consider that you are getting two devices and look at what they’d cost you to buy separately, it’s quite reasonable really.

Olin DFP-808
RRP: $399
(ink/paper cartridges sold separately for $19.95)

Available at Paxtons camera stores.

However, it would be just as handy at home for snuggling up in bed with a good movie, or enjoying some entertainment while catching  some winter sun on the back porch.

The player comes bundled with an AC adaptor, a car charger for charging on the road, earphones, an AV cable for connection to an external TV, a remote control and a headrest mounting bag for the car.

There’s also a USB port, so you can play media files (JPEG, MP3, MPEG4 and DiVX) from a memory stick, as well regular DVDs.

(There’s only one earphone jack on the player, but if you want to share the player between a couple of kids, you might want to add a Belkin RockStar (reviewed yesterday) to the mix.)

The review unit I tested was a fairly in-your-face muskstick pink and may not appeal to everyone, but ‘tween’ girls will probably love it.

The build is pretty sturdy, so it’s not likely to pack it in at the first knock, which is an important consideration when using it with kids. And the screen quality is surprisingly good.

Olin PD707P portable DVD player
RRP $149.95
Available exclusively at Kmart.

There are some DVD models that have dual headphone jacks, but they tend to be at the top end of the market. Or you can buy two players, which will also challenge the family budget.

That’s where the Belkin RockStar comes to the rescue — and at just $19.95, it will be money well spent to stop the fights, and you won’t have to listen to music and movies you rather give a miss in the spirit of peace and compromise.

The RockStar allows you to share an audio connection between up to five people on devices with a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can even connect another player to one of the RockStar’s arms and share the contents of both.

The RockStar will also be popular with tweens and teens sharing their iPods with friends on the go — there are definitely kids on my train commute who would be thrilled one, as they only get to listen through one earbud while sharing music on the way to school each day.

Belkin RockStar
RRP $19.95

Well, here’s your chance to vent your frustration in a new game on Fizzy.com. Poll Position is a simple and fun little game that lets you choose to play as either Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott in a car racing game a la Mario Brothers, collecting votes for the upcoming election.

Currently, Tony is out-polling Julia, so if the thought of another summer of disturbing video bytes on the telly of Tony Abbott in his ‘budgie smugglers’ fills you with dread, get on the Fizzy.com site and hop in the driver’s seat with Julia — please!!!!

Poll Position

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics, 6 million Australians are exposed to scams and fraud each year and around 800,000 fall victim in some way.

However, by observing some basic commonsense behaviours, you can minimise your chances of becoming one of these disturbing statistics.

Here are 10 great tips from AVG to help protect your identity from unscrupulous scammers:

1. Don’t throw away anything that contains personal information unless it has been shredded or ripped up to make the document illegible. So shred the following: bank statements, utility bills, application forms, chequebook stubs, card receipts and letters that have personal details. Today a smart burglar wouldn’t bother breaking into your home and taking household goods and personal items. Instead they’d just steal identity-related documents. An even smarter one wouldn’t even break in. They’d just go through your mailbox and rubbish bin.

2. Be aware of phishing phone calls – if someone asks you to give away personal information over the phone, check their details and get a phone number to call the organisation back to check they are legitimate.

3. Be very alert online – phishing attacks are a growing problem. Keep your email address as private as possible and don’t fall for emails asking you for personal information like bank account details, usernames, passwords or credit card details. A legitimate bank or financial institution will never email you asking you to follow a link or asking you for personal details. Report these scam attacks to www.scamwatch.gov.au.

4. Be careful when using social networking sites, as these can be an easy route to snatching your data. You could be giving up your personal details to the bad guys, crooks with fake profiles, or the friends of your friends who you can’t possibly know and trust. When you next log on to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, check and set the privacy settings on your accounts so that you’re only divulging information to those you truly trust. Please be very circumspect as to what personal information you post on social media web sites.

5. Always go directly to web sites asking for personal information rather than clicking on links in an email or web site page.

6. Only conduct an internet transaction if you are sure the web site is valid and secure. The rise of the internet has created a playing field for fraudsters – always ensure a web site is secure before providing personal details or account information.

7. Remember to set strong passwords. Last year, 20,000 Yahoo, AOL and Hotmail passwords were hacked only to find the most popular password was 123456. Try to use a combination of letters and numbers and change your passwords regularly.

8. Monitor your credit card and/or bank statements and look for suspicious transactions. Also check your credit status regularly; this way you’ll be aware who is doing credit searches on you and if any new accounts have been set up in your name. Contact Veda Advantage or Dun & Bradstreet to get a copy of your credit file.

9. If you move house then have your post forwarded for at least six months to prevent important mail with personal details landing on someone else’s doormat.

10. Go with your gut feel. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. If you’re suspicious as to whether an offer or request is genuine then get independent advice from a trusted advisor, family member or friend.

And you don’t need to download any software — it’s all done online.

Once you’ve registered on the site (it’s free), you can upload your photos and edit them, drag and drop them into your preferred order on the timeline, add music and special effects, then either burn them to DVD, store (up to 1G) and share them online, or email them to friends and relatives.

You can also convert your slideshow to a video.

Here’s a video showcasing its features. I think you’ll be impressed.

Kizoa.com

In those days, we never dreamed that we would ever really see what Mars really looked like up close, and anyway, we were in no hurry to meet up with those little green men!

Now, courtesy of exploratory missions to Mars and advanced image transmissions from space, we can now view detailed images from the mysterious red planet — and so far there’s not a little green man in sight.

If you’re a bit of an astronomy buff, you’ll definitely want to check out the awesome images of Mars on the University of Arizona’s HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) site.

The rest of the site will be way over most people’s head, but the images alone make it well worth a visit.

HiRISE

It’s kind of like Skype with a gaming and educational bent — using video and audio, you interact with the grandkids (or your kids if you are a dad or mum who needs to spend time away from home) while playing learning games.

Both parties don’t need to have a Webcam — it’s obviously preferable, but not essential — but will need a microphone (although you can talk over the phone while you play at a pinch if you don’t have a microphone).

You will also need to set up a free account to use the service. Kids don’t need a separate account; you just need one set up in your name and they enter your email address to connect with you.

The site has maths, reading games and more for all ages, from toddlers to primary-aged kids, and the idea if for those games to stimulate dialogue between adult and child as they play them together.

There’s also an iPhone and iPod touch app so you can stay in touch with the grandkids through play when you’re on the go.

Grandparent Games

Another of my interests, which is also reflected in this blog, is digital photography and image editing.

Well, this week my planets aligned with MakeUseOf.com’s release of a  new ebook free download: The Essential Guide to Digital Photography.

While I just love digital photography, I don’t pretend to be any kind of expert — far from it! So, I’m always on the lookout for any resource to improve my image outcomes, both with the camera and in manipulating the images afterwards.

One of the best ways to improve your photography is to keep revisiting the basics — get those right and it’s onward and upward from there.

This ebook takes you through all the basics, from choosing a camera to taking photos to editing and sharing them and is perfect for digital photography beginners or anyone wanting to go back to basics.

You can download the ebook to your PC from the link below or read it online here.

The Essential Guide to Digital Photography from MakeUseOf.com

So, with a federal election expected to be announced any tick, I’m really in my element.

I understand that most people don’t share my passion for politics, but I think it’s important that as citizens, we all participate in elections in as informed a manner as possible. That means knowing how the political system works and being fully aware of all your rights and responsibilities as a voter.

Reading the Lifehacker site today, I was reminded about the excellent resources that the ABC site has when it comes to elections. The ABC will launch its election site later this week, but you can its  election analyst Antony Green’s terrific how-to guide on election basics on his blog in the meantime.

It has all you need to know for election day and what you need to do beforehand. You’ll find useful links for checking that you are on the electoral roll and where your nearest polling booth is. You’ll also find out how to cast a valid vote so you can be sure that it counts.

It’s quite concise and written in accessible language, so reading it won’t be too much of a chore, even for the apolitical. And for political tragics like me, Antony’s blog is packed with loads of other interesting information that will set the pulses racing.

Antony Green’s How to Vote Guide