It seems as if anything can become a "smart" object if the right company sees a gap in the market.
The most recent analogue device to be "smarted" is the watch, with Google and Apple both investing heavily into the market in the last two years.
Samsung, however, is looking to transform the way we interact with art by blending a television with elements of a digital picture frame.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Its latest product, The Frame, is a large TV designed to look like a painting or photograph when nothing is being shown.
Rather than display a black screen, users will be able to choose between 100 different pieces of art so the set becomes part of their interior design. Pre-set images include a selection of landscapes, architecture and wildlife images, with customised artwork a possible addition at a later date.
The Frame is "birthed from the mind of famed product designer Yves Behar", the man also behind the radical Love record player, Wired reports.
Interchangeable bezels adapt to the user's home decor, adds the site, while a "recessed wall mount… lets you adjust the display fairly freely after you put it on the wall".
Added to that, a feature "keeps the image onscreen as long as it senses movement", says Cnet, and then, when The Frame detects that everyone has left the room, the screen switches off to save power.
Prices and specifications have yet to be revealed, but Cnet says The Frame will be available in either 55ins or 65ins variants and hit stores in the next few months.
-
Best tablets to buy in 2020: tried and testedThe Week Recommends Easy to use and portable, tablets have benefited from a surge in demand
-
Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphones: specs, videos, first reviews, UK price and release dateIn Depth The South Korean company unveils the S20 series and foldable Galaxy Z Flip
-
Motorola Razr 2020 first impressions: is it a true rival to the Samsung Galaxy Fold?The Week Recommends Classic flip phone revived as hi-tech $1,500 foldable smartphone
-
Apple iPhone XS Max vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: how do the flagships compare?The Week Recommends Samsung’s new range-topping smartphone will hit the shelves next week
-
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 vs. iPad Pro: which comes out on top?The Week Recommends South Korean tech giant unveils next-generation tablet to rival Apple’s device
-
The foldable smartphones coming in 2019: Samsung Galaxy Fold, Royole FlexPai and moreIn Depth Flexible handsets get off to a rocky start as two firms postpone the launch of their cutting-edge mobiles
-
Razer Phone 2: a giant-slaying smartphone?The Week Recommends New gaming handset features an improved camera - and an inflated price tag
-
Another reality: the best VR headsets for the virtual worldThe Week Recommends These gadgets bring the real and digital realms closer than ever before
