Unfortunately, the video and photos displayed on the device just don't look all that good. The frame is fairly low resolution (just 480x234), so images and video aren't exactly sharp--to put it kindly. This is typical of budget photo frames, so we weren't surprised, but if you're expecting great image quality, look elsewhere. Also, images, especially those with larger file sizes, tend to load slowly, which is annoying.
We've reviewed several photo frames with built-in speakers and the sound is always really tinny with scant bass, and the same holds true for the AJL308. That said, the Philips does play louder than your typical photo frame, so overall the sound quality is a slight notch up--but again, keep your expectations low, and you won't be too disappointed.
We read of a couple of users complaining that the unit's dimmer doesn't dim the backlight enough, but the dimmer at its lowest setting wasn't too bright for our tastes. The AJL308 doesn't have the most easy-to-use interface, and it took a little tinkering to figure how to navigate and make adjustments to settings. One irritating quirk is that the up/down button doesn't actually control the volume level as you think it might; instead, there's a separate wheel controller hidden on the right side that lowers and raises volume.
There are a few nice features buried in the menu system. For one, you can change the color of the background display. You also get 16 slide-show transition effects to choose from (we liked random), a few novelty alarms (church bells, ocean wave, forest, and rooster), and three different "relaxation modes" for the sleep timer, including the sound of rain, ocean waves, or a new-age-style riff that would be right at home in a massage room.
In the end, we had mixed feelings about the AJL308. There's a lot to like here in terms of features, but the mediocre picture and sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. If you can find it at a bargain price ($80 or less), it certainly makes a decent gift for someone looking for a basic clock radio with digital-imaging perks. Ideally, though, we'd like to see Philips create a version with a higher resolution screen and slightly improved sonics--and we wouldn't mind paying a bit more for it.
What You'll Pay
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