Also in the box is a remote, which worked well in my tests. The frame features a headphone jack and alarm and calendar functions. You'll find the PanTouch mat on this model, too, and it functions in the same way as it does on the 10.4-inch edition. You can use the remote instead of the frame for all functions except power--a frustrating, but not unique, design flaw.

Like its smaller sibling, the PAN1502W02 serves up good-looking images that were pretty true to our original test images, though a bit cooler. However, the frame lets you adjust tint, color, contrast, and brightness, so you can fine-tune things any way you like. Slide-show features are standard, but this model also has a shuffle feature, which is missing on some other frames we tested. You can play MP3s with your pictures. The frame also supports AVI media files.

Alas, as with the 10.4-inch model, we found that although the frame is supposedly Bluetooth- and Wi-Fi-compatible, you must buy a special dongle from the company to access photo-sharing sites or RSS feeds. And though you get a large size for your money, this frame is pricey. We also encountered a major irritant: During slide shows, a blue or green arrow appeared on screen and would not go away. PanDigital has since issued a firmware upgrade that the company says will resolve the problem.