Customer Reviews

CEIVAshare 8-Inch Digital Photo Frame (Black)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've had several of these, distributed among relatives for years now. Guess I've probably spent a couple thousand on subscription fees, all told. The relatives love to see the pictures, but there are other ways to do that these days, and I have pretty much come to the end of the trail with Ceiva Corp.

You should be aware that Ceiva will post annoying subscription renewal notices on your frames for weeks in advance of subscription expiration (even though they send e-mail reminders to me, the account holder). Their right to put their stuff on my frames wasn't mentioned anywhere in the original license agreements, but I guess that doesn't bother them much. I figure they do this to coerce you into early renewal - pay up right now or you'll be getting worried calls from your relatives that the pictures are going to end. What really gets me, though, is that even when you do go online and renew a subscription, chances are Ceiva will lose it! Batting 300% in that category for the last few renewals. Imagine that - a web company that can't reliably do online credit card transactions! Shouldn't have been much of a surprise, I suppose, given that each version of their picture-uploading software has had the same bugs. These guys just don't get it. I'm moving on.

This is a good product to send pictures to the grandparents and such. However, should you decide that the picture plan doesn't fit your budget or you're just tired of paying for the service... you're screwed. My grandmother moved into a facility where she doesn't have a phone line in her room. She uses her cell phone for all calls. So we didn't renew the plan and igured we could just send her USB drives with new pictures. NOPE.

Is your grandmother in a room with no phone line? Oh. We're sorry. That $200 frame you bought is now worthless. Have a nice day!

I read the reviews, which were mostly good if the reviewer understood the frame's feature set. You're really buying the service people... I read up on the service, which is exactly what I needed to deliver pictures to my technophobe mother who has vowed never to own a computer. I won't go into all of that though, Ceiva fits those needs perfectly.

What I was _really_ concerned with is if my mother could get it up and running without me there. She needs step-by-step instructions for the DVD player. It turns out that I can just setup the account online and all she has to do is hold down the button on back. SAHWEET! I imagined a blood pressure raising IT support session with my mother, but it couldn't be any different. She had her first batch of forty pictures in moments and proclaims it's the best gift ever.

The frame/service has been in use for over three months now. No hiccups and no printing digital photos for Mom! Mission accomplished.

For Mac users the iPhoto plugin rocks. It works with iPhoto 09 and couldn't be easier. Select photos, File > Export and they're on their way if you cache preferences. The only wishes, for now, would be a sent history and upload 'cart' system. Add to the cart and upload all at once rather than pick through a few and upload.

I would buy Ceiva's service/frames in the future and recommend them to friends in my situation. The price of the service is right up there with a PPP internet connection, but printing, time and blood pressure meds cost money too ;)

I received a Ceiva for review purposes last year. At the time I did have a slight problem connecting the device; perhaps issues with the phone line, nobody knows exactly. However, it didn't take that long for the problem to resolve. Today was a nightmare!

I connected the divice to find that Ceiva deleted all my images because my Ceiva service expired. There is just no need for me to continue with the service since the family seldom if ever utilizes it, regardless those images were in the divice before I connected. There weren't even that many. It took hours for the problem to resolve. Ceiva did not want to accept that I had no intention of renewing my service and I did not intend to lose those photos that I uploaded a year ago when the service was active.

Ceiva had no intention of rectifying the situation unless I gave them money, I was adamant that I wanted the problem rectified so they reluctantly agreed to give me a day of free service: with an attitude I might add, to retrieve my old photos. Well here goes another ordeal. It took all day to get Ceiva to re-connect. I mean around four hours of time that I do not have.. I never had this much problem in the past and I had just gotten it connected that day, so I do not feel there was a legit connection problem.

Ceiva sells their frames as a service, but then if that is the case don't charge an arm and a leg for the frame. Should a cheap plastic frame cost over $100? Ceiva is a complete rip off.

If you are looking for this frame to purchase.....DON"T! You will pay $125 for the product, then it is $99 a year to continue. Unfortunately, what they don't tell you is that the frams is totally USELESS if you don't pay the yearly fee. Save your $$$

What a crock. I bought this frame thinking it would be nice to have the share capability if and when I needed. I don't currently need it and guess what? I can't display my own pictures from a memory card unless I pay and extra $99 bucks a year to pay for a service I dont need. Just be very wary and read the fine print. This company and product is very shady!!

Here's another techno gadget we got for Christmas from our kids that will, I'm sure, be here today and superseded by something better tomorrow. This is a photo frame for people that love technology and love adding photos through their computer, their home phone line, and any other place you can drive technological photos to a Web site where you can program this frame to display them. The 8-inch frame is OK but not exactly high definition. You get to look at what you put in, pretty much, so keep in mind the rule about garbage in, garbage out.

If you're the kind of person that thinks this kind of thing is the berries, then this little toy is probably for you. It seems to me it is essentially in league with all other digital gadgets from the 21st cenutry. It's made for people that want to spend time playing around with it, moving pictures from source to source in their homes and office, gathering pictures ove the Internet from friends, relatives and loved ones, and tinkering with it in their spare time. The looking at pictures part is really a 20th cenutry artifact, something us old timers still do from time to time. That's part of what this toy is about.

To operate this you have to register to a Web site, upload pictures, program them to the frame, then send automessages to everyone to register on the site so they can add pictures to your collection. I'm sure this creates adware and spyware. To run the frame you need a phone line nearby as well as a convenient power outlet, so this lacks the portability of an analog photo frame or a single photo battery-powered digital frame.

It acts like one of those newer billboards that flashes a different ad every 20 seconds or so, only you are the one uploading the pictures and programming what's on your billboard. It can be fun to work with and the end product can be OK, too, as long as its near a phone line and outlet.

This frame was a hit with my 81 year old grandmother. She was even able to set it up herself with just a few directions over the phone on how to set the photos to download for the first time. She loves it!! She is in Texas with grandchildren and great grandchildren spread from Washington to Massachusetts! I would definitely buy it again!!

I was just shopping for yet another Ceiva to give to my sister as a wedding present (2nd marriage) and began reading the reviews others have written.

Well, I am not going to review the obviously "planted" negative reviews, but I am going to review this product.

Ceiva Picture Frames are wonderful. In this day and age where cheap quality prevails I am glad to be able to buy something as wonderful as a Ceiva Digital Frame.

I have personally had a Ceiva frame now for over 7 years and have given a few as gifts. I have friends and family members who have bought them on their own too. We all are now connected (at last count 17 frames, this one I am giving makes 18)to each other. The fact that we all can share our pictures right to any and/or all the frames in one easy send is priceless.

I am not technologically inclined, nor are most of the older people in our gang of Ceivas, which by the way is all over the US and now CANADA too. The 2 times I have called in to Ceiva Tech Support I was greeted by very pleasant and helpful people. Again, a rarity today.

I am pleased, have been pleased, and will continue to buy these AMAZING digital frames by Ceiva that allows my family to share our lives and keeps us so lovingly connected.

What I know about a digital photo frame is to show my OWN pictures on it, and thats it. But this device changes even this simple term. Do I have to pay $100 per year to show my photos on a frame in my home, and what is worse the company will show their Ads in my frame, what a redicuols device is this. If I knew this device require an extra PENNY to pay to show my picture on their device I definitely will not buy this device and will recommended my friends to keep a way from such a company. Awefull thing, I can't stand to think about something like that, I HAVE TO PAY MONEY TO WATCH MY PHOTOS.
PLEASE, KEEP AWAY FROM THIS DEVICE, UNLESS YOU LIKE TO PAY $100/YEAR TO WATCH A PHOTO OR A COUPLE CAME FROM A FRIEND.
I RECOMMEND AMAZON TO CHANGE THE DEVICE CATEGORY FROM DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME TO ANOTHER THING BECAUSE ITS NOT A DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME.
I HOPE THOSE GUYS WILL NOT REPLY TO HERE WHOM PUT A POSITIVE FEEDBACK ON THIS DEVICE, LIKE THEY'RE DOING AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR IT.