If you've been considering buying a digital picture frame, you may be seeing some with extras, such as a high-definition output for a wide-screen TV, or even entire gadgets built in.

The latest wrinkle is the cell-phone frame: T-Mobile's Cameo, a 7-inch picture frame made by Parrot, can be set up with a dedicated in-frame phone number to which your friends and family send images via picture messaging or email. Photos then appear on the frame. (Click on image at right for a closer look.)

It's an interesting idea, but not a cheap one. Besides the frame's $99 price tag, there's a $10 monthly charge for phone service, which T-Mobile says includes unlimited messaging to the frame. The Cameo has 64MB of on-board memory and an expandable slot for a micro-SD memory card.

Resist the temptation to buy such bells and whistles. Instead, focus on image quality, how reflective the surface is, how many connections the frame has, and how easy it is to use—the qualities we judge in our digital picture frame Ratings (available to subscribers).

For example, our top recommended digital picture frame (available to subscribers) was impressive, not because of some gizmo the manufacturer grafted on, but because it had sharp image quality, a remote control, 128MB of on-board memory, and extra interchangeable frames.

For help on how to choose a digital picture frame, see our free digital picture frame buying guide and watch our video guide to digital frames by clicking on the player at right.

—Terry Sullivan