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Aura app frame7/14/2023 ![]() ![]() We liked the on-screen tutorial on how to use it, but it’s not big enough or sensitive enough to be of much practical use. However, the Touch Bar is a touch disappointing. What we loved most was being able to take a photo – theoretically anywhere in the world – and within seconds have it purposefully shown on the Mason. Most importantly, at all times the Mason presents photos cleanly and colourfully, with plenty of shadow detailing and a really wide viewing angle. However, Mason is largely about automatic image management it makes its own decisions on blurred photos and duplicates and doesn’t allow tweaks to colour settings or transition effects. You can also set slideshow timing and sleep schedules. You can then use it either in landscape or portrait orientation the photo changes as you physically rotate the Mason. You can manually add photos from your camera roll, picking out the highlights for the Mason to gradually scroll through, or set it to random. You can crop photos before you upload them to be shown on the Mason, but any photo touch-ups and edits need to be done within your smartphone’s camera roll. Without the latter it won’t do much because the Mason has no internal storage save for a small cache, instead fuelling photos from a smartphone’s camera roll or from Google Photos. Then you need to download the app, create an account, associate it with the Mason via Bluetooth, then attach it to a WiFi home network. Plug it in and within a few seconds, the Mason generates a four-digit code. The Mason is all about simplicity, and never more so in its set-up. That also means its position can’t be adjusted, but in practice, that’s a non-issue because viewing angles are wide. It also leans back nicely and is completely free-standing. It’s an ideal size for a shelf or sideboard, with plenty of room for photos to look great – sharp and colourful – without dominating. It’s of excellent build quality and malleable enough to be curled out of sight without protruding from the sides. Also in the box is a power cable that’s covered in braided fabric. It’s available in graphite and white quartz. Thanks to the stylish bevelled frame around it, that screen goes right to the edge for a wonderfully high-end look. ![]() It’s also possible to ‘like’ a photo using the Touch Bar, which whoever added the photos will get feedback on – and so confirmation that a newly-added photo has been seen. ![]() That is a nice touch, but it does need to be attached to a WiFi network, so it’s not super-simple. The idea here, of course, is that a grandparent can have a Mason frame that magically fills with the latest photos of, for example, a grandchild, as the photos are automatically added to the app via the smartphone they’ve just been taken on. A QR code on the outside of the box makes it possible to set up and link to a source of photos. Since there’s no SD card slot or built-in storage it’s not possible to preload a Mason and gift it ready to go, but the Mason can be set up to show photos before it’s even been removed from the packaging. That ambient light sensor also adjusts the image’s brightness to suit the room. That Touch Bar also switches Mason on and off, which thanks to an ambient light sensor it also does automatically when you switch off the lights in the room it’s positioned it. They then stay on screen for the default time you’ve selected. At any time a left or right swipe of the Mason’s Touch Bar calls up the previous or next photo. ![]()
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