The first time I heard that Bill Gates' mansion would have walls that change their views, I thought how futuristic it was. The idea of large LCD screens that could change to meet the emotional needs of the home's inhabitants was very 1984. (OK, that was the future at one time.)

Over the years, the idea of using computerlike monitors to display photos started catching on as flat panel monitors became less expensive and more powerful. This holiday season, the concept has been taken yet another step, courtesy of photo frames from Pandigital.

The Pandigital frames are wall mountable picture frames with a built in computer monitor that show off your digital photos in all their glorious color. Available in sizes from 5.6 inches to 9.2 inches, you can load the device with your favorite digital photos, and have them rotate, as if in a slide show. So your holiday entertaining becomes more fun.

Since you probably already have both a computer and a digital camera, you'll want to get your photos from them into the Pandigital frame; and the company makes it easy -- by giving you several options.

You can connect your frame to your computer or digital camera by USB cable and load it directly. Or you can simply put your memory card (SD, Compact Flash, xD, Memory Stick) into the frame's 6-in-1 memory card reader. And while you can have your frame project the images directly from the card, you also can transfer the images right to the frame's built-in computer, which has its own memory. That allows you to put your memory card back into your digital camera, instead of making it stay in your frame.

If you have only a film camera, you'll need to scan your photos or put them through a film to digital processing center before loading them into your frame.

One of the cool features of the Pandigital frame is its ability to play multimedia files, including mp3 sound files and digital video. So you can make your walls truly come alive with movies taken on your digital camcorder or camera (if it has movie taking capability) or sounds of the season.

Each Pandigital frame set comes with two frames -- one wood-grain and one acrylic, so you can match the frame to your decor. I suggest that you place it on a wall near an electrical outlet so you can hide the electrical cord -- or perhaps on top of a dresser or other piece of furniture.

Pandigital frames list for $129 to $249 depending on size, and are available at many retailers -- both traditional stores and online.