Sanyo on Tuesday announced the upcoming release of its 7-inch digital photo frame, the HNV-M70, featuring a 16:9 aspect ratio and LCD resolution of 800x480 pixels. The ALBO-series frame has the ability to display JPEG- or BMP-format photos sent to it via e-mail or text from cellphones or uploaded via more traditional methods. A built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi module and network support allows users to sync their photo collections from web-based albums such as Picasa Web Album and Photo Warehouse. The frame also supports RSS feeds, capable of receiving and displaying updates from up to 10 different websites.

Once set-up in a network, the frame can receive e-mails, display the attached photos and automatically send simple replies such as "thank you," "best," or "OK," as well as user-defined responses up to 255 characters in length.

Images can also be uploaded to the HNV-M70 via an infrared port. Sanyo's HNV-M70 frame has 256MB of built-in memory and has a memory card slot that is compatible with SDHC and Memory Stick Duo ports, while a USB port lets digital cameras, computers and other portable electronic devices sync with it. A 1W speaker is integrated and MP3, WMA and WAV format files are supported. An ambient light sensor adjusts the LCD screen's brightness levels accordingly.

When the WinCE 5.0 OS-frame is released in Japan on November 14th, it will be priced at the equivalent of about $420. Sanyo doesn't say if it will port the frame to the US. [via Impress]