Navigation can be a little weird, with multiple buttons sometimes displayed on screen that accomplish essentially the same tasks. The other apps work fine and offer varying degrees of features and customization options, but when the selection is so slight to begin with, losing even a single app is a significant downside. We could select a location, but the forecast always refused to load. Unfortunately, the weather application appears to be nonfunctional. That said, most of what you want from a digital picture frame is included-a calendar, clock, weather app, and an alarm clock. You are locked down to what Aluratek has built in, and there is no way to install more apps or do anything outside the frame’s intended purpose. The Aluratek 17.3” runs some strange, customized version of Android, minus a lot of the functionality and versatility typically associated with Android. Lifewire / Andy Zahn Software: Partially functional There’s also a screw-on stand to allow the frame to sit (horizontally) on a flat surface. In terms of mounting options, this frame includes two horizontal mounting brackets on the rear, but there’s no option for a vertical mount orientation. The Facebook QR code link leads to a missing page, and the Twitter process involves sending a private message to an Aluratek Twitter profile with the number of your frame, which seems to do absolutely nothing. It’s also theoretically possible to share pictures to the frame from Facebook or Twitter, but we were unable to get this feature to work. After struggling with this app and its failure to pair with the frame, we went back to square one, scanned the QR code and downloaded the correct app which is called Aluratek Wi- Fi Frame, which worked immediately. We initially searched for the app in Google Play, and installed one called Aluratek Smart Frame. Next we needed to connect our mobile device (in this case a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Smartphone), though this step can be skipped if you are only going to connect to the frame from your computer or transfer files using an SD card.Īs we discovered, it is very important to install the correct app by scanning the QR code in the directions or the settings menu of the frame. We initially found the Aluratek 17.3” to be reasonably uncomplicated to set up, though this impression was soon proven inaccurate. The screen turns on and initializes the setup process as soon as it is plugged in, and we were immediately prompted to log into our Wi-Fi network. Lifewire / Andy Zahn Setup Process: Confusing and frustrating ![]() There’s also the potential for viewing photos from cloud storage, but that function is riddled with issues. ![]() Still, 4GB should be plenty of room for photos, though if you plan on using the display for video and audio playback you will probably want to take advantage of the SD card slot for extra storage. The Aluratek 17.3” comes equipped with 8GB of built-in memory, but keep in mind that over half of that is dedicated to the operating system. The power button is also located on the rear, so you also have to take it down to power it on or off. Unfortunately you will have to take the frame down to plug anything in, as the panel is quite deeply recessed behind the frame. These ports are located on the back, on a side-facing panel that allows you to have cables plugged in even when the frame is mounted on a wall. ![]() That’s more IO than you’ll find on some laptops, and it goes some way towards making up for some of the failings of this digital frame, though some of it (particularly that audio jack) seems a bit extraneous, and likely accounts for some of the price bloat. There are both USB and Micro-USB for file transfer, an SD card slot, and a 3.5” audio port. In terms of ports, we were pleasantly surprised by what the Aluratek 17.3” has to offer. The price is very difficult to justify for a screen that is relatively small and which offers a meager range of extra features.
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