Archive for the ‘Philosophy’ Category

Turn Back the Clock… I Want to Connect With My Life

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

CEIVA Turn Back ClockThese “times of our lives” sure can be full, hectic, complex… and fleeting.  Never before has there been so much to do, see and encounter. Technology and innovation has made it possible for us to experience so much of what the world has. So thankfully, in the craziness of being ever on the go, filling our lives with doing-doing-doing, one of the things we do is take pictures.

Technology has definitely made picture taking more popular and accessible. Gone are the days when one had to worry about, adjusting the aperture, running out of film, or the cost of developing prints. Today we can easily snap a picture of everything we do and just delete what we don’t like… and it doesn’t cost a penny.

But besides the facts that photos are easier to take and we are taking more than ever before, has anything else really changed with our pictures? Not really. The multitude of digital images we store in our computers are as precious to us as the old prints we store in shoe-boxes under our beds.

Photographs, unlike any other medium, are precious because they instantly connect us to the people, places and events of our lives. Whether one quickly glances upon a single framed photo on a shelf or sits down to go through an entire album, pictures have the power to pull us in and in an instant take our hearts to another emotional somewhere. This emotional tug, be it to happiness or sadness, that a picture has, is real and it is powerful.

And… the “tug” never stops. As time passes a photo’s emotional pull my change, flipping from happiness to sadness and vice versa, but it never ends. In fact if anything it gets stronger.  For the older a picture gets the more it seems to pull at our hearts and reminds us that life truly is fleeting. When looking at an old photo, the hectic, crazy complexities of life, at the time the photo was taken, disappear. All that remains is the connection back, tugging on our hearts.

Until my next post… that’s what CeivaJoe knows.

“In Time for My Dad”

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

touching-story-1I came across this story while reading through a HUGE stack of testimonials this week.  I have to confess each time I read it… I am moved. This heartfelt account reminded me that while some people might think what CEIVA makes is just another electronic contraption; in reality what we provide is so much bigger, deeper, rich and meaningful.  That’s why I thought I would share Karen’s story with you for Memorial Day, a time for remembering those in our past.

“This may be a bit of a sad story, but it is true nonetheless thanks to CEIVA.

My father had suffered from Thyroid and Bone cancer for three years. It had been dormant, but had become increasingly more active and aggressive since January. We made plans for my parents to come to Michigan for the summer, but as they live in Houston, Texas, and had to be close to the hospital, they had to stay home.

My parent’s 37th anniversary was this spring. My husband and I bought the CEIVA frame for their anniversary. I spent the time setting up and uploading and downloading the pictures. I created albums for each family and linked them to the receiver so that they would rotate daily.

I mailed it to them and told them to “Just plug it in!” When they did, they got the surprise of their lives! On the CEIVA frame were images of not only my family, but my sister and her family who lives in Dallas and my brother and his family who lives in San Diego. My parents were overwhelmed to be able to see all the pictures of everyone’s family and their grandchildren!

My father was in a great deal of pain and couldn’t seem to get comfortable in bed, so in the middle of the night he would wander out into the living room and sit in the recliner. He wouldn’t turn on the TV as not to wake my mother, so he would site in the dark and watch the CEIVA.

When my father was confined to a hospital bed (set up) in the dining room… they set the CEIVA up so that he could see it from bed.

My father passed away July 10th.

After the funeral, almost one hundred friends and family came to the house to have a meal and fellowship.  Everyone was excited about the CEIVA. People stood around it for hours looking at the pictures of our families and the CEIVA channels and such. Most of all, people where able to see the most recent pictures of my dad, in the days before his cancer was winning. It turned out to be a true bright spot in the day for everyone, especially us kids and our mom.

I am so glad that we purchased the CEIVA in time for my dad to truly enjoy it.

… I just wanted you to know how CEIVA has touched our lives.”

Karen P.

So until the next post… that’s what CeivaJoe knows!

COMMENT

SECRETS REVEALED! What Consumers Really Want in Digital Photo Frames

Monday, May 18th, 2009

crystal-ceivaRecently I was reading a blog where the author thought that it was almost magical how quickly digital photo frames have risen in popularity… which made me chuckle. What might seem to be an overnight sensation, I assure you, has been a long 9+ years of steady growth since CEIVA first introduced the digital picture frame to the world. Now our “crystal ball” which has served us well, reveals a secret as to just what will make digital frames even more popular with consumers in the future.

To foresee the future, it will help to look back at the past.

When digital cameras first hit the market they were interesting new novelties.  But soon digital camera owners began to realize that with each “click” there was a free picture that could be kept, or deleted. Gone were the days where one would have to wait and pay to see if the picture was a good one.  “Free” pictures made it easy for the digital camera to rise in popularity over the traditional film camera. However, while more pictures were being taken, most were not being seen. Pictures were and still are just stored away on a computer as data files.

Then a little while later… abracadabra! cell phones with built-in cameras appeared. These types of digital cameras added to the ease and opportunity for picture taking. Finally, it seemed as if everyone was taking digital photos with more and more wanting quick, convenient and inexpensive way to display them.

During the rise of the digital camera, we here at CEIVA were producing our magical digital photo frames that revolutionized and defined the industry. In fact, for many years after we first introduce our frames, we pretty much were the ONLY company manufacturing them.

But those days are over. Now it seems, with each new day, a new digital frame magically appears in the market; while “POOF” another frame manufacturer goes out of business, but not before offering their frame at “bargain” super discounted price.

All this hocus pocus makes for a tough market. To remain competitive, and snag any share of the market, manufacturers crank out all sorts of cheap mini gadget “monitors.”  In the rush to get anything that will display an image they miss that first and foremost what they are producing is a picture frame… that happens to be digital.  They focus more on the techno gadget and never consider what pictures mean to the people taking them.

Right from the start, CEIVA has never lost sight of what pictures meant to people. Pictures, be they paper or digital, are moments of our lives that we want to show and share. Showing our photos in a traditional frame has always been easy. Sharing, unless you had extra prints made, was a bit more difficult. That is where our crystal ball comes in.

From the beginning we here at CEIVA saw only a digital future that allowed for both showing AND sharing.  And while most digital frame manufactures still only consider the showing side of pictures, CEIVA saw that technology could also transform the way we shared our pictures. Frames, for the first time could, be that gateway technology that allowed for sharing. So from the start we “built in” a functionality that makes our frames different from all others… that functionality is the ability to SHARE pictures from frame to frame, no matter WHERE the frames are located.

So if you were looking for a quality frame that shows and SHARES your cherished photo, then your future looks bright with a CEIVA.

So until the next post… that’s what CeivaJoe knows!

COMMENT

The Gift is NOT the Gadget

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

gift-is-not-gadgetThis Sunday is Mother’s Day, an important gift giving holiday. Because of its importance, Mother’s day for CEIVA has historically been a busy time for us, as our frames are popular gift items.

On the surface one might think that our photo frames’ popularity as a gift is due to the fact that they are (1) super easy to use for technically challenged people, (2) can be “networked” with other family members who have CEIVA frames, and (3) can have pictures sent directly into them. And while all these features and benefits are nice, this is not the real reason why our CEIVA’s make great gifts.

Through the years we have learned something from those of you who have given our frames as gifts. We have learned that when you give a CEIVA photo frame as the gift, the gift ends up not being the physical gadget. The gift is what happens within the gadget… and the “gift” is ongoing and different every day.

The real gift is all those special moments in life, captured in pictures, that come shining through for all to see. Only CEIVA frames allow your family photos to “automatically” show up on a kitchen counter, bedside nightstand or anywhere you choose to place the frame. Be they baby pictures, a trip last year to the beach, a wedding, any special moment captured in pictures now all can easily be shared among family members.

So when you give this special gadget get ready… the experience is beyond description. For this “gift” placed in a loved one’s home connects them to family in a simple yet profoundly touching way.

Like you, your bothers, your sisters, and other family members will all able to send photos directly into the CEIVA frame… from anywhere in the world. Lives, families, and special moments will instantly be shared.

Imagine the joy your Mother, your parents or your grandparent will get each morning as they wake up to new pictures. But know, to them these are not just pictures, they are life, they are family, they are a testament of pride and joy.

Happy Mother’s Day

CeivaJoe

PS: We have extended customer service hours this weekend, just in case you have any questions about your new CEIVA photo frame.

COMMENT

Not Our Words… But Our Sentiments

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Let’s face it, there is ton of ordinary and mundane “content” dumped out on to the web each day. But, every so often you will stumble on a picture, song, story or video that touches something deep within you… for it captures that which is truly important to you.

Since sharing is a core value here at CEIVA, I thought I would share a video with you. This video touches my colleagues and I,  for it reflects the sentiments we hold for the photos in your lives.

Quite simply, we know you treasure your photos, that is why we are committed to finding new ways to share and show those moments you have captured in a picture.

So while the words spoken in this video are Kodak’s and not ours… they certainly embody what CEIVA knows to be true.

Thank you Kodak for saying it so well.

CeivaJoe

COMMENT

A “SNAPPY” App for the iPhone

Sunday, April 12th, 2009
Select any photo on your iPhone and send it straight to your CEIVA frame with CEIVA Snap

iPhones are all the rage. With what seems to be hundreds of new Apps being released each day its no wonder these phones are so popular.

We here at CEIVA love the iPhone. Its design and simplicity, like so many Apple products, is an inspiration to us.

So when we can build bridges between our products and Apple’s, we do so without hesitations.

Take a look at CEIVA Snap, our iPhone “bridge” application that lets you snap pictures and then instantly and directly send them to your own frame or CEIVA frames owned by your friends and family.

The CEIVA Snap app, which is FREE, allows you to take a picture from right within the app and then send to any CEIVA digital photo frame you have access to or to any album you have set up on your CEIVA account.  A copy of the picture, taken through CEIVA Snap, will still reside in your iPhone too… just in case you want to show on the go.

Taking and sharing pictures using cell phones just got easier. In fact, CEIVA’s iPhone app is so easy you might say that it’s a… “CEIVA Snap.”

So until the next post… that’s what CeivaJoe knows!

COMMENT

Welcome to viewpoint FRAMED

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

We have become a family of frames.  So to further our connection with you and keep you connected to what’s happening out there in the world of digital photo frames, we have started this blog.

Here at CEIVA, we are truly passionate about what we do. We know that what we do can instantly connect families together… be they across street or across the globe. For 9 years now creating this connectivity is a  privilege, it’s what makes us tick.

As the inventors of the digital photo frame, we’ve got a lot to say about the industry at large, new products and the importance of sharing memories with those you love.

It is important to us that we continue to make the best and most unique digital picture frames in the world.

So thanks for stopping by. We hope you’ll come back often, contribute to the conversation and enjoy your part in the CEIVA community.

So until the next post… that’s what CeivaJoe knows!