Sony’s already into the digital picture frame biz, but now it busts out one that’s truly useful. The Canvas Online VGF-CP1 leaps into the next level with its Wi-Fi connectivity, opening up way-cool possibilities such as automagically showing your pics from online photo site Flickr, letting people email pics to your frame, and displaying updated weather reports and feeds from your favorite websites. It's not the first Wi-Fi frame, but this implementation looks good with its helpful digital clock and clean design available in black or white to match your decor.

This 7-incher has beaucoups rez with its 800x480 display, but too bad it’s not in a 4x3 aspect ratio like the output of most digital cameras. A Sony rep told us that’s a cost issue, because the more-common widescreen displays are much cheaper in bulk than the unusual 4x3-shaped ones — but said the company’s working to get some 4x3 panels into its lineup soon.

Sony also told us two months ago that it had no plans to jump into the Wi-Fi picture frame arena just yet, because the Wi-Fi tech makes the frames difficult for consumers to set up, and thus expensive for Sony to provide phone support. The company must have worked that out quickly, because the $258 CP1 goes on sale first in Japan on May 17th.