DIA Parrot by nodesign is the Ultimate Android-Running Minimalist Digital Photo Frame

Since digital photo frames have lost quite a lot of their initial coolness factor, creating such a product that still appeals to the general public is a pretty difficult task, one that, however, the people over at Parrot seem to have successfully completed, with the help of nodesign agency, when creating the DIA.

The DIA Parrot by nodesign is a white rectangle, very simple, with tactile buttons and a trackball to surf in the menu of the frame.

What is striking is its 10x4 inch high resolution screen, that seems to be somewhat dismantled, deconstructed, disconnected from the frame as if there was nothing behind.

DIA uses the Google Android operating system and the two USB ports enable connection a keyboard and a mouse to the frame, while the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections can be used in order to transfer photos from almost any digital devices, such as PCs, Macs and mobile phones.

Furthermore, the POP3 and IMAP e-mail client enables an e-mail address on the DIA in order to send it photos, while sharing photos is also possible via dedicated websites (Picasa, Flickr).

Naturally, beside these wireless connectivity options, the DIA also sports a slot for SD cards and an USB port that allow users to boost the amount of memory available for storing photos.

Since it runs the Google Android OS, the digital frame also supports certain interesting applications, such as Holidays 2.0 by Parrot (used for viewing spectacular photos from all over the world), "Mover Lite" from Infinite Labs that lets users select pictures and send them to the frame by simply sliding their finger on the iPhone screen, and FrameChannel, that is installed on the frame to receive information (weather forecast, economic or financial news, road traffic, sport scores, Facebook...) via RSS feeds.

"I have my own idea of the function of the photo frame, and what motivates me in what I do is to create objects with high technology. I am looking for designers who have very personal ideas. I am not interested in design to rearrange a shape. I am looking for an expression, like a gesture, a movement," explains Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot.

Of course, such a special digital photo frame comes at a price to match, because the DIA will sell for around 500 US dollars when it becomes officially available in January 2011.