Sony Launches Budget Point-and-Shoot, 4 Digital Photo Frames

Today, Sony announced a budget point-and-shoots: the W220 ($189). It has 12-MP resolution, optical image stabilization, a 2.7-inch LCD, 4X optical zoom, intelligent scene recognition (iSCN), and Sony’s Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO), which compensates for harsh backlight, bringing out shadow detail. What we like about this camera is that it offers more of the features that really matter– more than you might expect to see in a budget camera. We like that it has optical image stabilization, of course, and the W220, in particular, marks a change for Sony in that its iSCN and DRO features were previously reserved for high-end models. It will be available in April in silver, black, blue, and pink. Sony also announced four digital photo frames today: the DPF-X1000 ($299), DPF-V1000 ($249), D92 (pricing TBA), and D82 (pricing TBA). The X1000 and V1000 (right) are both 10-inch models with an orientation sensor that can tell whether the photos have been positioned horizontally or vertically. When the photos are vertical, the frame’s controls disappear on the piano black bezel. They also have an alarm clock, auto dimmer, and calendar, which can be viewed in slideshow mode. The difference between the two? The X1000 has 2GB internal memory; the V1000, 1GB. The 9-inch D92 and 8-inch D82 both have VGA resolution, 1GB internal memory, and the clock and calendar features as the X1000 and V1000. They’re both Bluetooth-capable, but only with an optional adapter. Both are available in black, but the D92 also comes in brown.