FEATURES

The Spectare Portable features a 1" color LCD screen
that displays images at 96 x 64 pixels and 4096
colors. At 1.5" x 1.5" x 0.4" and 4 ounces, the
Spectare Portable should run for about 2 hours on
it’s internal battery.

Figure 1:
On the left you see the On/Play button which turns the
screen on. A second press will do a slideshow of your
images. The left and right arrows let you manually
scroll through the images on the screen. On the right
you see the Mini-USB port used for charging the battery
and uploading images.

LOADING IMAGES

Unlike the Medallion which loads images via
infrared, the Spectare plugs into a computer with a
mini-USB wire. A CD is included with the software
that you use to manage and upload images onto the
Spectare. You can fit up to 56 images in the
Spectare’s 512Kb of memory.

Figure
2:

The Photo Viewer Application that comes with the
Spectare lets you crop and upload photos to the device.
Unfortunately you can’t easily remove one that’s already
been uploaded to the device. You can only remove all. (Image links to higher resolution)

WEARABLE

The Spectare Portable is available as a keychain in
Round, Diamond, and Square versions, while also
available as a pendant in the Diamond version.

Figure
3:

The Spectare Portable can be worn as a pendant necklace
for showing off images while out on the town.

Figure
4:

As a keychain the Spectare Portable is a nice way to
carry some images around with you in your pocket. I
might be afraid of keys scratching up the plastic
screen cover though.

You can purchase any version of the Spectare Portable
directly from Tao Electronics for $59.99.

PROS

• 
  
  Unique and personal wearable pendant
• 
  
  Will get some attention at the clubs
• 
  
  Mini USB interface
• 
  
  Software automatically resizes images for the small
  screen
• 
  
  Much less expensive than the Nokia Medallion

CONS

• 
  
  Only 2 hour battery life
• 
  
  Holographic logo too prominent
• 
  
  Possibly a little large for a pendant

OVERALL
IMPRESSION

While the Nokia Medallion was a very nice design, it
wasn’t very easy to load images via infrared, and
the 300 dollar price tag was significantly
out-of-range for most people. The Spectare Portable
brings the price down to a more reasonable $60,
which makes it more accessible to the casual club
goer. On the other hand, the Spectare Portable’s
design is a bit more obtrusive with its hologram
logos in my opinion. Overall, if you’re looking for
something to make you stand out at the clubs or a
cocktail party, the Spectare Portable could be the
ticket without having to break the bank. For more
flash, string a nice silver chain through the
pendant.