How to Un-brick Your TokenFrame

The TokenFrame's now-iconic"space waves" screen, shown upon launching the TokenFrame app on the device. After the service was suspended in November 2024, users were left staring at this screen with no way to interact with it.

In late November 2024, TokenFrame digital display frames went dark. Suddenly, instead of showing playlists of the owners' NFTs, the screens would only show white lines waving on a spacey background. The company was cagey about the issue. Complaints piled up in its Discord and on social media.

Three weeks later, TokenFrame's CEO admitted that the company had ran out of money and stopped paying server costs. The frames had become soft-bricked.

Since then, TokenFrame owners have been left without an obvious way to interact with their frames. The only authorized way to control the frames was through TokenFrame's webapp or smartphone apps. But those had quit functioning. As of January 2025, the webapp no longer shows a section to control the frames, and the "Frames" section of my TokenFrame iOS app is stuck on an endless loop of looking for devices to connect. Beyond that, TokenFrame.com now points to a dead Shopify storefront.

Rescue prospects look grim. Though the owner has discussed resurrecting the business by pivoting to a subscription-based app, no solution has been forthcoming. On Discord, the TokenFrame owner, whose handle is CEOSilphCo, wondered aloud who would trust him to right this ship, even if there were investors willing to provide an infusion of cash to save the company.

So in the absence of a rescue plan from the company, I'm writing this article for other TokenFrame owners to lay out your options for resurrecting your TokenFrame. My goal is to allow you to display digital art on your TokenFrame hardware by bypassing the TokenFrame app that comes preinstalled on your device.

Preparation

The solutions in this article assume you have a TokenFrame with at least one USB port. Not all TokenFrames may have a USB port. For devices that only have one port, you may be able to plug in a USB hub to allow you to connect more USB devices at once, such as a mouse, a keyboard, and a USB stick.

For safety, I recommend that you unplug your TokenFrame any time you unmount it from the wall.

To begin, unplug your frame, then remove it from the wall so you can access the USB port on the back. Plug in a mouse into a USB slot. (I use a wireless Logitech mouse. A wired mouse probably works better, as the physical frame seems to block much of the wireless signal from my mouse.)

The boot screen of the TokenFrame before the home screen loads

Once you have the mouse plugged in, plug your TokenFrame in again and let it load the TokenFrame app (about 1 minute). TokenFrames run on an Android operating system, so your device will first boot up (showing a space-like screen, without any lines or TokenFrame logo), and then will briefly show you the Android home screen before launching into the TokenFrame app.

Typically, at this point the TokenFrame app will show wavy lines on a space-like background, or else will show a list of nearby wifi networks. Unless something changes on the TokenFrame server side, you can't do anything with these screens, so at this point, you need to exit out of the app.

There are various ways to navigate the device with your app, and they may vary based on what mouse you use, and your TokenFrame hardware and software. Before I tell you about them in the section below, just know that your destination is the Settings app, so get there any way you can.

Once there, click on Apps, then TokenFrame. Use the Force Quit option to close the app, and prevent it from taking over your screen when you restart it (until and unless you open it again). If there is an option to disable it from being your "home app", avail yourself of that as well.

Mouse Navigation with TokenFrame Displays

If you've already accessed your device's settings and made the changes noted above, you can skip this section. Otherwise, here are some tips to help you find your way around the frame.

Once you have your mouse plugged in to the USB port, try pressing the mouse's scroll wheel. That may take you directly to the settings app.

If that doesn't work, try clicking the right mouse button. For me, that acted as the Android "back" button. I was able to use that method to access the home screen, from which I could access the settings app.

If you're not getting anywhere, try holding both mouse buttons for 30+ seconds, then clicking them at the same time.

Try also holding your mouse at the bottom edge of the screen, which will bring up some navigation options. You may also have options by clicking or dragging down the top edge of your screen.

Explore the navigation features in your Settings app to enable various options that suit you, e.g., displaying navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen.

Now, you're ready to explore the solutions.

Solutions for Unbricking your TokenFrame

Option 1: Download Another Display App from the Play Store

If you're lucky, your TokenFrame has the Google Play Store installed as an app, so go look for it in your apps folder.

Launch it, and use it to search for any display app that is live in the Google Play Store, such as the BlackDove Canvas app or WhiteWalls app (expected to be released soon). Download your preferred app, open it, and follow that app's instructions.

Congratulations, you've unbricked your TokenFrame!

If you're unlucky, the Google Play Store has been deleted from your device. (This was the case for me.) You could try reinstalling it, either by downloading the Play store from the internet, or by sideloading it through a USB. You'll probably want to make note of your Android version from the Settings app and find a matching build of the Play store from the internet.

Personally I did not have success downloading the Play store from the internet. I tried installing several builds of the Play store from a mirror site accessed via Chrome on the device, but the downloaded apps would crash immediately upon opening.

I have not tested loading the Play Store from a USB. In theory, you would download the Play Store APK to the USB device, plug that into the TokenFrame, navigate to the USB stick using the frame's file explorer, and then install the app.

Option 2: Use the Browser

If you don't have the Play store app on your device and don't want to mess around with installing it, the next option is to use the TokenFrame's browser to find a solution to display your NFTs.

Find the Chrome app, open it, and use the URL bar to navigate the web as normal.

Try view.art for a free, easy solution for casting your NFTs. Use your computer to sign up for the service, either via email (via magic link) or wallet login (Metamask, Rainbow, Coinbase, or WalletConnect). Then create a channel and enter your wallet address or ENS name (no authentication necessary!). Now, select from the available NFTs you want to display. (Don't pick your biggest files to start with - sometimes they crash the browser.) When you proceed, you're given a unique URL for your new gallery.

An NFT displaying on my frame through view.art. Art by Creatiflux.

Now just plug that unique URL into Chrome on your TokenFrame, and bam! - you're viewing a carousel of your tokenized art. This is definitely the breeziest setup of any solution I've used so far. I wouldn't call the UI fully featured, but it does what it needs to do. Just don't be surprised if and when they start charging a subscription fee. (Somebody's paying these server costs!)

Another web-based solution is Zeroframe. Zeroframe casts your uploaded images to virtual frames, which you can display on any web-enabled device using a unique URL. At the moment Zeroframe only displays uploaded images or images pulled from URLs, but I'm told they're launching support for casting NFTs soon. (I found the ZeroFrame team very friendly and responsive while writing this article - special thanks to Ishac for all the info!)

Uploaded art displaying through Zeroframe. Art by @Noealz. Metadata shown was manually added.

Use a magic link to easily sign up for Zeroframe with your email. Upload the artworks or other images you want to cast, making sure to fill in Title and Artist if you plan for those fields to display on your image. Create a collection (basically a playlist), and then a virtual frame. Then use that frame's unique link to see your art. You can even test the link in a tab on your computer.

Zeroframe is free to try for 7 days, and they're giving everyone 3 free months with the code HAPPY25. After that, pricing is $9/month for one virtual frame with 500mb of storage, and other options for power-users and galleries.

Congratulations, you've unbricked your TokenFrame!

Option 3: Sideload a Solution

This option involves installing an app onto your device via a USB stick. My 32" TokenFrame has two USB ports, allowing me to use one for the mouse, and the other for a USB drive. If you don't have two ports, try using a USB hub so you can plug in both of these things at once.

Find an app that allows you to download their APK. White Walls, BlackDove, and Zeroframe all have APKs available specifically for TokenFrame users. Use a computer to save the APK file to your USB stick. Then, plug the stick into the TokenFrame and follow the app developer's instructions at the links above to get the software running on your frame.

Congratulations, you've unbricked your TokenFrame!

My favorite sideloaded solution is White Walls due to their support for Tezos alongside Ethereum, Solana, and Ordinals. It's truly gratifying to finally be able to cast my Tezos collection directly to my TokenFrame. (The White Walls display app is also available on Apple TVs, if you happen to have one of those.) Oh, and it's currently free! The company says pricing will be announced in the future.

Tezos art displaying on my TokenFrame through the White Walls app. Art by @Mosieur_Costard

Option 4: Use the Device's Operating System

If the above options aren't working for you, or if for some reason you've lost internet access to your device, your only option is to use the onboard file explorer to display your art.

This actually isn't so bad. I found that the device did a great job displaying art that I had loaded onto my USB stick, including GIFs. You can even set up a basic slideshow, so the device scrolls through your art.

For this solution, use your computer to load the files that you want to display on your screen onto a USB stick. Then, plug your USB stick into your TokenFrame and navigate from the home screen to your file explorer app. Click on the USB stick, find your files, and open them to enjoy.

If you're having issues with the file explorer app, try accessing the USB stick through the Gallery app.

As a bonus, by using the OS, you now have the ability to display any photo, video, or gif that you want on your frame, just like a regular Android device - no need for it to be on the blockchain. (That might not sound so exciting, but remember, the point of TokenFrame hardware was to lock it down so that you could only display NFTs. And at this point, I'd rather have a frame that can display any photo I want, now that I've experienced all aspects of the alternative approach!)

Congratulations, you've unbricked your TokenFrame!

If Your Frame Doesn't Always Turn On

If your frame is only turning on at certain times of day, or if your frame turns off every time you launch the TokenFrame app, it may be operating on the display schedule you had previously set up for it in the TokenFrame app.

In my case, the display was set to turn on between 5PM and 10PM. This schedule stuck, even after the TokenFrame app stopped working. Frustratingly, even restarting the frame during the scheduled down time did not fix the issue: after booting, the frame would quickly load the TokenFrame app, and then the frame would shut off until its scheduled time to "wake up".

Since there's no way to change this settings schedule anymore from within the TokenFrame app, you'll have to find a way around it. The solution is to force quit the TokenFrame app as described in the Preparation section of this article. Then just don't open the TokenFrame app again... ever.

I recommend embarking on this during your scheduled hours, so you don't have to fight the restarting cycle during scheduled down time.

A Note of Contrition

While I am frustrated at this situation as a TokenFrame customer, I also regret that I had recommended TokenFrame (alongside Muse Frame) on this blog as my pick for best NFT display frame of 2024.

My pick was based on TokenFrame's commitment to displaying only the user's authenticated, owned NFTs on the frame, rather than giving users the ability to cast any image. I felt at the time that this was the only approach that delivered on the premise of NFT art: if you see an image on this screen, you know that the owner bought this NFT. Without such a feature, it would be hard to say whether an image displayed on the frame was an NFT that the owner purchased, or just a right-click-saved jpeg uploaded from a phone.

But TokenFrame's solution was double-edged sword, in that it created a central point of failure for the whole experience: No functioning TokenFrame company, no authenticated casting of your NFTs. If that sounds like "Not your keys, not your crypto", it's not accidental: crypto users have been burned many times by companies whose business models have left customers in the dust once the money stopped flowing. Add another example to the list of reasons why we should be striving toward the ideals of self-custody and trustlessness.

For what it's worth, my other pick for the best display frame of 2024, Muse Frame (affiliate link), contends that customers would be in better shape if their company folded, since Muse branded displays ship with remotes that allow customers to directly control them as Android devices right out of the box.

Conclusion

Hopefully, with the solutions outlined above, you're able to rescue your TokenFrame and continue displaying your favorite digital art with it.

If this article helped you resurrect your TokenFrame, I'd love to see the outcome! Please tag me with your pic on X (or your social media app of choice - I'm on most of them as Niftyist).

The Best Digital Display Frames for NFT Collectors 2024

Every NFT art collection yearns to be displayed, and for many collectors, the ideal place to show off their portfolio is on the walls of their home. This leads to the question: What is the best device for displaying my NFTs at home?

NFT display frames at the Crypt Gallery in Manhattan. Photo: Author photo.

There are many digital displays on the market that cater to digital art collectors. But only some of these frames are optimized for blockchain-based art (aka, NFTs). And among that subset, features vary widely from brand to brand. Just some factors to consider when purchasing an NFT display frame are what screen sizes the manufacturer offers; which blockchains they support; whether audio playback is supported; and whether the frame can rotate to best show off portrait- or landscape-oriented images.

As I recently started looking for the perfect frame to showcase my own NFT collection, I found myself overwhelmed by the options. So I began to compile this complete roundup of the state of the digital display market going into 2024 to help other collectors navigate the numerous options and find the perfect frame for them.

My picks are based on my own extensive research into each brand’s product offerings. As you will see, my assessments are honest and sometimes idiosyncratic. For some brands below, I have included a purchase link that will automatically return a percentage of the sale to me. If you choose to buy a frame, please consider supporting my work by using a purchase link in this article.

And now on to the good stuff: Here are my picks for the best displays on the market for NFT collectors.

Best Overall NFT Frame: The Muse Frame

A Muse frame. Photo: @Noahbolanowski on X

Out of all the products on the market right now, the Muse Frame has the most to offer NFT collectors.

The Muse frame offers a range of frame sizes (even as small as 10"), all at reasonable prices. It beats out competitors because of its smooth interface, ease of use, and flexibility in displaying different types of artwork (including NFTs, personal photos, and art from subscription services). Plus, I found the company to be extremely responsive, and even receptive to criticism, as I researched this article.

Between the best overall user experience and the most flexible product, you really can’t go wrong with a Muse frame.

Use my affiliate link to make your purchase and support my writing: Shop Muse Frames

Best NFT Frame for Hardcore Collectors: TokenFrame

UPDATE NOVEMBER 19, 2024: I no longer recommend TokenFrame displays.

The TokenFrame software that comes pre-loaded with their displays has not worked for at least 3 weeks, as the company has run out of money. While it is possible for existing customers to use workarounds to display NFTs on TokenFrames, and the company is exploring subscription-based options to fund the TokenFrame software, I do not advise purchasing a TokenFrame display at this time.

A Tokenframe square display. Photo: @h3xum_ on X

TokenFrame is the only brand whose product is fully committed to NFTs, in that their frames can only display tokenized art. This strict approach will appeal to users who believe in respecting the authenticity and provenance of digital art: If you see a piece of art on a TokenFrame, you can be sure that the author purchased on the blockchain.

I ended up purchasing a 32" TokenFrame display during the course of writing this article. I’ve found it to be a beautiful display for my Ethereum-based and Polygon-based NFTs. I appreciate being able to rotate the frame, and having the ability to schedule the frame to turn on and off. TokenFrame’s pricing is reasonable, and I also found them to be responsive to my inquiries for this article.

That being said, the product doesn’t have the smoothest UX, since users can only interact with the screen through the TokenFrame webapp or smartphone app. This requires occasionally having to authenticate before you can take any action with the device, which can be a pain for those who use a hardware wallet to protect their NFT collection.

But for purists committed to a world of blockchain-authenticated art, there is really only one brand out there for you, and that’s TokenFrame.

Best Frame for Nifty Gateway Collectors: The FRAME by Samsung

A Samsung frame. Not shown: One Connect box. Photo: Samsung

For those who collect NFTs primarily through Nifty Gateway, Samsung’s competitively priced FRAME TV is the clear choice. With a native app that allows users to display their own Nifty Gateway collection, and even purchase NFTs through their TV, Samsung has built an easy to use platform that follows Nifty Gateway’s lead on making it easy for mainstream users to become NFT collectors.

In addition, the device offers a long list of great features for a digital display, including support for audio and video (naturally), mechanical device rotation (via an add-on mount), plus automatic picture adjustment based on ambient light.

However, this TV does not offer native support for NFTs out there on public blockchains such as Ethereum, so it’s not ideal for all collectors. If you want to show off NFTs you own outside of Nifty Gateway’s ecosystem, you have to rely on apps made for smart TVs. Additionally, the OneConnect box that must be attached precludes this from being used easily as a wall frame.

Still, it is a beautiful display offered at a relatively low price by a major manufacturer with more versatility than any other frame on this list.

The Full Roundup - All the NFT Display Frames

As you may be able to tell by now, each device comes with its own trade-offs. It will be up to you as a collector to figure out what are the key features you need in an NFT display frame, and find the best match among this list.

Here are my full thoughts on each brand, including the ones that didn’t make the cut for my top picks.

Muse Frame

A uniquely versatile option for NFT collectors that can also display non-tokenized images.

A Muse Frame. Photo: Muse Frame on Instagram

The Muse Frame was launched by and for NFT collectors after they found existing solutions lacking. This is a scrappy company with a focus on the hustle, and their determination to build the best solution for crypto art collectors is evident from their hustle to meet the demands of customers. (For this article, the founder of the Muse frame answered my questions extensively and even arranged a remote walkthrough so I could “test drive” the product.)

To start with, Muse frames come in a variety of sizes from very small (a 10" tabletop display) to large (55"), and even two square sizes. They are generally priced in the middle-high end of the market, in line with competitors like TokenFrame. They run on Android and come with a remote control and 16GB of memory, which can store your NFTs for offline playback.

Muse frames support the Ethereum and Polygon networks via Metamask, Rainbow, and Coinbase wallet logins. While I wish there were support for more blockchains, you are able to access the device’s browser on Muse frames, which means that in theory you can display any NFT through the web interface of your choice. Out of all the companion apps I was able to test, I found that Muse’s companion iPhone app, which lets you select NFTs to cast to the frame, was the easiest to navigate and the most responsive.

Muse frames can be physically rotated to portrait or landscape mode, and you can customize how NFTs display within your that orientation. They include built-in speakers in the rear of the unit. Muse Frames do not support automatic display adjustment based on lighting conditions or a scheduled on/off feature, although they assured me the latter feature is coming soon.

Muse Frames will appeal to a more general audience than something like TokenFrame or Atomic Form since they can support casting of any image from the user’s phone library. In addition, the Muse Frame offers support for an art subscription service (Sedition), so that a user does not have to own NFTs to be able to display a variety of artwork.

Overall, the Muse Frame offers the widest feature set and the most flexibility for NFT collectors. You can’t go wrong with one of these frames.

Use my affiliate link to make your purchase and support my writing: Shop Muse Frames

TokenFrame

Designed for the devout, this strict NFT display is the right choice for those who most value blockchain authentication.

A 32" TokenFrame. (Author photo.)

UPDATE NOVEMBER 19, 2024: I no longer recommend TokenFrame displays. 

The TokenFrame software that comes pre-loaded with their displays has not worked for at least 3 weeks, as the company has run out of money. While it is possible for existing customers to use workarounds to display NFTs on TokenFrames, and the company is exploring subscription-based options to fund the TokenFrame software, I do not advise purchasing a TokenFrame display at this time.

From my research, TokenFrame stood out as the company that was most committed to nurturing the specific world of NFT art. While all brands on this list marketed to collectors of crypto art, most other companies also offered features meant to broaden the appeal of their products beyond the limited audience of NFT collectors.

Not TokenFrame. NFT collectors are their audience. That is to say, this product does not have all the features that a digital display frame could have — and that’s what makes it stand out. To be specific, a TokenFrame display will not let you show photos from your phone, or allow you to subscribe to an art curation service. You don’t have access to the browser, or even to any physical settings on the device. It’s there to show off the images you own on the blockchain, and it’s all done through their authenticated web portal.

TokenFrame supports displaying NFTs on the Ethereum, Polygon, and Solana networks via MetaMask, WalletConnect, and Phantom wallets. Promised support for Tezos is still to come. The company also told me they are working on support for Bitcoin Ordinals.

TokenFrame offers a wide variety of frame sizes, including square sizes. Overall, their pricing was on the high end for most models. The 32” model, their most popular model according to a representative, retails for $999. (This was the model I ultimately purchased myself.)

TokenFrames come with a rotating mount. When rotated, the display will update automatically to match the new orientation. The frames include speakers, but they are not good, with no bass response to speak of.

Getting my TokenFrame set up was a bit of a chore, since the locked-down device requires you to connect it to wifi via your phone. But once set up, I found the frame to be zippy and responsive. The TokenFrame webapp is a better software experience than most, although there is room for improvement in terms of responsiveness.

Overall, I felt that TokenFrame was the best choice for committed NFT collectors. If you worry that allowing non-tokenized images onto an NFT display frame raises thorny questions of authenticity, then TokenFrame is the choice for you.

Atomic Form

A premium offering, especially useful for Nifty Gateway collectors, whose feature list may not justify its price point.

The Atomic Form Wave. Photo: Atomic Form on Twitter

Atomic Form offers single-size frame for experienced NFT collectors called the Wave. There are three things to know about this offering.

First, the Wave only comes in one display size — a 27” 4k display (comparable in size to many desktop display monitors).

Second, the Wave is priced very high, at $1,500. For comparison, the only other company offering a 27” frame is Meural, whose Canvas product lists at $699 — less than half the cost of an Atomic Form display. Consider also that TokenFrame’s larger 32” display costs $999. Atomic Form is clearly out of step with their competitors in this size range.

Third, Atomic Form is one of only two displays that integrates with Nifty Gateway. This is good news for collectors on that platform, since it means you can just log in to your Nifty Gateway account to display your NFTs. For most other displays on this list, Nifty Gateway users would be forced to transfer each NFT they want to display to an external wallet, which is potentially expensive depending on Ethereum gas prices, not to mention a major pain in the butt (let me tell you!).

Apart from the connection to Nifty Gateway’s closed ecosystem, Atomic Form supports Ethereum and Solana through Metamask and Phantom wallets. (It was not clear if it supported any layer 2 networks such as Polygon.)

The Wave display frame can be rotated to display NFTs in portrait or landscape mode. It does not seem to support direct audio output, although it can connect to an output device through Bluetooth. Unique among competitors, the Wave can be purchased in ETH (always equal to an approximate price of $,1500 USD).

I was not able to test a Wave frame, but I was able to log into Atomic Form’s webapp, which I found to be basic and clunky. Several of my Nifty Gateway NFTs showed up as broken image icons. (For what it’s worth, Duncan Cock Foster, one of the Co-Founders of Nifty Gateway, told me that he loves his Atomic Form display.)

Apart from their Wave frame, Atomic Form offers a product called Photon that allows you to display your NFTs on any display via HDMI. So if you have the perfect display in mind and want to find an easy (and portable) way to show off your Ethereum-based, Solana-based, or Nifty Gateway-based NFT collections, that may be your best option.

Ultimately, I could not find enough standout features that justified the large premium this company charges for their flagship Wave frame. Still, for Nifty Gateway collectors who are not sensitive to price, Atomic Frame could be a fine choice.

Samsung “The Frame”

A thin TV from a major brand that can display NFTs and other art, but whose external box limits where it can be placed.

Samsung The Frame (TV). Photo: IGN

Samsung’s “The Frame” stands out on this list as a bit of an odd fit. It is one of two options that are made by large corporations instead of indie startups. The product is sometimes called “The Frame TV,” because in fact, it is a fully functioning TV. However, it has been marketed at digital art collectors because of its slim profile and included picture frame with customizable bezels. And indeed, this product does have a number of features which are compelling for NFT collectors.

But let’s start with the one weird thing about this product (other than the fact that it can play TV shows): In order to get such a slim profile, Samsung moved some of the functions of a typical TV to a physical box called the One Connect box. The box serves as a hub for all connections to the TV, including power and HDMI, coaxial, ethernet, and USB. It must be connected to the TV in order for it to work.

Now, all devices on this list call for at least one cord — typically just a power cord — and many companies acknowledge that this is an aesthetic challenge for digital displays vs. analog frames. So in one sense, the One Connect Box is an improvement, in that it allows any connections to the device to take place well away from the screen, keeping the one power cord in place.

But this also means that the One Connect Box must have a surface to sit on top of, and this will limit where the display can be placed in the home. If you’re going to hang the frame above the mantle, great! If you’re looking for a TV that can also display your digital art, fantastic! But if you’re hoping to hang this in the hallway, you’ve now got a bit of an awkward problem.

Now, let’s review what The Frame offers digital art collectors. The Frame offers a large variety of screen sizes, starting at 32” (typical for a digital frame but small for a TV) to 86” (enormous). There are three customizable bezel upgrades (brown, teak, and white) that can be easily added over the default black. The various Frame sizes were consistently priced on the low end of the market — which is impressive considering how many features this product offers. But adding custom frames, or adding on a One Invisible Connection cable, will add some cost.

The Frame supports audio playback (naturally, being a TV), as well as rotation of the Frame (not so naturally for a TV!). Notably, itseems to support automatic dimming based on lighting conditions.

In terms of support for NFTs, the Frame is uniquely mixed. The Samsung NFT Platform app comes pre-installed on the device, and is powered by Nifty Gateway. This is fantastic for Nifty Gateway collectors, who are otherwise short-changed by most other brands on this list. Samsung NFT Platform users can even purchase NFTs directly through their TV to display.

The Nifty Gateway integration also features a neat solution for the problem of a user displaying art that they haven’t purchased. The screen can seemingly show any NFT on Nifty Gateway — but if the user doesn’t own it, a Nifty Gateway logo will be superimposed on a corner of the screen.

Unfortunately, the Samsung NFT Platform does not support wallet login for any blockchain — which means no Metamask login and no out-of-the-box support for even your Ethereum-based NFTs. I find this rather shocking for a device marketed to NFT collectors. Instead, you have to rely on third party apps in their ecosystem to cast your NFTs, which may or may not support your preferred blockchain. Presumably, though, you could access the device’s browser and show off your NFTs that way.

If all else fails, you have the option of downloading the media files from your NFTs and casting them to the screen from your phone (which is bound to be a major pain no matter what platform you’re using).

For the larger displays (43"-65"), a separate auto-rotating wall-mount is available that will mechanically rotate your display to portrait or landscape orientation. This is supposed to integrate with the NFT Platform app to rotate your TV to display NFTs in landscape mode.

Overall, I was surprised to find such a strong contender for an NFT frame from a major manufacturer. While the lack of native support for NFTs on any public blockchain is unfortunate, Nifty Gateway users at least will find a smooth solution for displaying their collections without having to move their NFTs off the platform.

Canvia

A budget offering for art lovers who might own some NFTs on Ethereum.

A Canvia Digital Art Canvas and Smart Digital Frame. Photo: canvia.art

The Canvia Digital Art Canvas is aimed at traditional art collectors who value a high-quality display at a low price point. It is a smaller display frame available in only one size (27”). It is priced on the budget side, at $521.

But the Canvia canvas offers only limited support for crypto art. Canvia allows for logging in with Metamask to display NFTs. Unfortunately, this seems to be the only wallet they support, and it was not clear whether they support any Ethereum L2 blockchains such as Polygon.

On the other hand, this device supports the casting of personal pictures via user uploads or login via Google Photos, a great feature for many consumers who may not be into NFT collecting. Canvia also offers an art service subscription, so the user doesn’t need to own an NFT to display art. Additionally, the company partners with digital artists to display their art. (The pricing of these services were not clear to me.)

One nice feature is that Canvia does automatically dim according to the ambient light. But Canvia does not support rotation of the frame, and does not have native audio playback, two features that some NFT collectors will miss.

I was able to test Canvia’s web interface, which I found smooth, although I encountered an error when trying to login with Metamask.

Buyers will want to make sure they are comfortable with the large white matte surrounding the screen. It certainly helps position the content as art, mimicking a traditional way to display photos or paintings in a physical frame. But it also limits the size of the art, and options for displaying different aspect ratios.

Given the frame’s limited support for wallet login and apparent lack of support for any blockchains besides Ethereum, Canvia seems like a better option for those looking for a general market digital display frame than dedicated NFT collectors.

MetaSill

A good-looking option for displaying NFTs.

MetaSill square frames at the Crypt Gallery in NYC. (Author Photo.)

MetaSill NFT frames are a mid-market offering that come in a variety of sizes, including squares, from a 10" frame all the way up to a 75" frame.

The MetaSill stands out for me as the backbone of the Crypt Gallery in Manhattan, which features a truly formidable amount of displays on the wall of the lobby of the Dream Hotel. They at least look fantastic.

MetaSill allows login via Metamask and Phantom, supporting Ethereum and presumably Solana. I was able to set up an account on their web portal easily, but I was not able to test casting or display options to a screen.

MetaSill NFT are missing some of the premium features that define the higher end of the market, in that they do not support audio playback, automatic dimming, or screen rotation (at least that I could find mention of). They do not offer an integration with a subscription art service, or platforms like Nifty Gateway.

The company has a less polished web presence that seems to be focused more on offering rentals than purchases. I found that some of the links on their website were dead, and the company did not respond to my inquiry.

If all you need is a great-looking screen to display your NFTs, MetaSill frames (at least the smaller sizes), should be a good option for the price.

Use my affiliate link to make your purchase and support my writing: Shop MetaSill Frames

Meural Canvas

A workable offering from a large brand, but whose user experience is lacking.

A Meural Canvas frame. Photo: TechCrunch

The other big brand competing for NFT collectors’ dollars is NetGear with their Meural line of digital frames. The company offers three options: The Meural 13.5"x7.5" Frame (not called Canvas), with a 15.6" diagonal; the Meural 16"x24" Canvas, which sports a 21.5" diagonal; and the Meural 19”x29” Canvas, which has a 27" diagonal.

Like the Canvia Canvas, Meural frames are marketed to NFT collectors as one category of digital art collectors. It seems like Meural’s main demographics are users looking to showcase their personal photos, or who want to show off art from a free curation service or optional subscription service. Consequently, their support for NFTs is limited.

Meural supports Ethereum and Solana NFTs via MetaMask, Coinbase, and Phantom wallet logins. Their webapp allows you to collect multiple wallets at once, so you can select which NFTs from your various wallets you want to display. There is a companion mobile app as well.

The Meural hardware includes a light sensor that automatically adjusts the lighting of the frame according to room lighting, and will even turn off the frame when the lights go out (a favorite feature of mine).

Though a feature called the Meural Art Service, users are able to select art to display on their Canvas. Though it is a subscription service, it includes a decent selection of art that can be displayed for free.

Oddly, the Meural Art Service has partnerships with the NFT platforms SuperRare and Async Art that allow users to display works from those platforms, even if they don’t own the NFTs. When I checked, there were a few dozen pieces from each website that were available even for free users to display. (Given Async Art’s recent announcement that they will be shutting down, I wonder if this integration will continue to be supported.)

I own a Meural 13.5”x7.5” frame, so this is one of the devices I can speak to with the most experience. This particular frame, the smallest of the three offerings from Netgear, is made to be placed on a surface instead of hung on a wall. It comes with a built-in stand that allows it to be be placed in portrait or landscape mode.

Overall, I’m lukewarm on this product. My initial experience was bogged down by the poor UX of their mobile app and lack of support for Tezos. This forced me to have to download the files associated with my Tezos NFTs and cast them to the display one by one — an arduous process. (Note: I have not found any display frame that supports Tezos NFTs.)

But once I got my favorite NFTs on the device, and once I got the hang of casting to it, I have come to appreciate it more. I enjoy seeing my collection rotating through this screen all day long, and turn off when the lights do.

My biggest remaining complaint (besides lack of Tezos support) is the quirky user interface on the device itself. Instead of including a remote, Netgear developed a gesture interface that requires you to wave your hand in different directions in front of the device to navigate the menu. Unfortunately, I have never gotten the hang of this control method, and I would say solidly less than 30% of my gestures are successful in getting the device to do what I want.

Overall, the Meural is a good device for NFT collectors who want to show off their Ethereum or Solana NFTs alongside other images at a reasonable price. Just be prepared to struggle your way through the gesture controls as you set it up.

BlackDove

An NFT display from an innovative company, held back by a mandatory subscription.

A BlackDove frame. Photo: BlackDove

BlackDove has historically targeted the higher end of the NFT display market with screen sizes ranging from 43" all the way to 98" (!). But as I write this, they are taking preorders for smaller frame sizes that compete with the other brands mentioned in this article, including a 21.5" and a 32" display, as well as two square sizes of 22" and 33". The pricing for these new frames is right in line with competitors at those sizes.

BlackDove frames support Ethereum based NFTs through MetaMask and WalletConnect logins. It was not clear whether they support any other blockchains.

The BlackDove frames offer audio playback, and come with a remote control. The frames do not support rotation.

While I did not have access to a BlackDove device, I was able to log into their webapp using Metamask. I found the software experience passable, if not exactly pleasant.

The major downside of BlackDove’s offerings is that you have to use their app to display your NFTs, and you have to pay a monthly fee of at least $20/month to use the app — apparently even if you’ve bought their hardware. (I sure hope I’m misunderstanding, but the company did not respond to my inquiries requesting clarification.)

With apologies to Blackdove, I struggle to imagine why anyone would buy a NFT display device that’s going to lose that ability as soon as you let your monthly subscription lapse.

It’s not all bad news here, though. I was impressed that BlackDove allows users to buy NFTs directly through their webapp.

And BlackDove was the only company I found that offered the ability for buyers to purchase display licenses for artworks. This is a novel solution for showcasing art on a digital frame, and one that sidesteps thorny blockchain issues of image hosting and user authentication. I can easily see consumers wondering why they’d bother with all the fuss of NFTs (including having to acquire crypto, purchase and transfer the artwork, then log in through a display app), when they could just buy a license with cash and have the artwork show up right away.

Overall, I’m put off by BlackDove’s insistence on charging users a monthly fee to use a BlackDove display. And for a company focused on NFT art, I am surprised their support for blockchain networks appears to be limited to Ethereum. Otherwise, though, the company seems to be developing some innovative approaches to displaying NFTs, which is refreshing to see in a time when some of their competitors’ focus on crypto art seems to have waned.

Infinite Objects

A great option for a desktop frame permanently dedicated to showcasing a single NFT.

An Infinte Objects frame being unboxed. (Author photo.)

Infinite Objects is unique among display options in that these displays can only display one video ever. They call it a “video print” — a permanent, looping playback of a single file.

Infinite Objects only offers small devices — tabletop options ranging from 5" (about the size of a playing card) to 10" (about the size of a sheet of paper). They come with bamboo or clear acrylic frames.

Despite their small size, they must be connected to power at all times. These displays are not capable of sound playback. The screens do not turn off automatically, nor adjust to lighting conditions.

I think Infinite Objects may work best as a gift. For example, with the help of the artist Anas Abdin, I was able to gift my brother a custom portrait of our grandmother after she passed. He was touched and delighted by the video print, and the company does a great job building a memorable unboxing experience.

Infinite Objects is committed to the web 3 ethos. They will only print NFTs whose creators have authorized them to be printed. However, you may also upload your own video to Infinite Objects, and forego the blockchain route altogether.

Therefore, this option is best for collectors who are attached to a single NFT or artist who has authorized their work to be printed via Infinite Objects displays.

Frames that Folded

In case it helps anyone else attempting a round-up of all the NFT displays on the market , I’ve also compiled a list of NFT displays that I saw recommended in the course of my research which seem to have gone out of business:

• FRAMED Mono X7 Digital Canvas

• Qonos Digital Frame

• BlockFrameNFT Crypto Frame

• Lago — The Frame

Conclusion

I hope this has helped you evaluate the options for NFT displays out there. I’d love to hear your feedback if you own one of these devices yourself — find me on your social network of choice at @niftyist.

How to Send NFTs by Email (Yes, Really!) Using Kukai

A free wallet client on the Tezos network allows you to send NFTs to emails or even social media accounts - making it possible to gift NFTs to people who have never set up a crypto wallet.

Last year, I decided I wanted gift my friends NFTs for the holidays. Almost none of my friends are into NFTs, and I thought this would be a fun way to get them curious about the technology. So I asked on Instagram for people to just say the word, and I'd send them an NFT.

But I faced a delivery problem: Since my friends weren't already into NFTs, they didn't have wallets. How could I gift them NFTs, if I couldn't actually send them through the blockchain? So I wondered: Was it possible to buy an NFT for a friend, and then email it to them?

"IMPURE" by Deryl Arrazaq - an NFT I gifted last year, and then ended up buying a second edition of for keeps.

After much searching, it turned out the answer was yes. I found that the Kukai wallet, which I was already using, had added support for an amazing feature (called DirectAuth) that lets users associate their wallets with social media accounts - meaning you could send NFTs to Google, Twitter, or Reddit accounts, or email addresses, and have the user retrieve them using the free Kukai wallet app!

Kukai is a wallet client for the Tezos network. Tezos is an energy-friendly blockchain with a robust NFT market. I had already done plenty of NFT collecting on Tezos, so I was excited to find this solution on a network I was already familiar with.

Now, I should say that Tezos is not as well-known as other blockchain networks, and is not the first blockchain that comes to mind for people who trade NFTs. (That distinction would probably go to Ethereum or Polygon.) But since my friends who would be receiving the NFTs also had no prior knowledge of the NFT space, they weren't going to care what network their digital collectibles were minted on. So for me, again, this was a great solution.

(And I'll say at the top - this is not an ad for Kukai. It's simply the only wallet I have been able to find - after searching many times - that easily supports this feature. And at the moment, I am not aware of any wallet clients on the more popular Ethereum and Polygon chains that support a similar mechanism - although I would love to find any such services and give them a spin.)

Once I found this feature, I was able to send my friends NFTs for Christmas with no trouble at all. And I actually found it a really fun and gratifying experience to send indie artwork to friends that would care about it. So, I've written up this guide to help anyone else in a similar situation be able to send NFTs to their own friends!

Step 1: Create your wallet

First, you'll need to sign up for a Kukai wallet. Now, you have two choices for how do to this.

Option A: traditional wallet setup (Best for security and the crypto-fluent)

Instructions for this method can be found here. This method is the traditional way to set up a new wallet in crypto-land, and is the recommended method for best security and independence from web 2 platforms (i.e. decentralization).

If you've never created a crypto wallet before, it's a bit more involved than creating an account on a typical website. It should take 5-10 minutes, and you will be given a phrase that you need to write down and keep, in addition to setting a password. Make sure you save and retain this phrase in a safe place, or you will lose access to your wallet forever, and no one can help you. (That's crypto, baby.) Got that?

Option B: Social sign-in (Best for speed and simplicity)

As you'll see below, one of the killer features of Kukai is its support for signing in through social media accounts. This is the simpler setup and best for novice users. Coincidentally, it's how your recipients will be signing up for Kukai.

To set up your wallet this way, go to the Kukai website and look for "Sign in with social". Then select the account of choice that you want to use to access your wallet (Google, Twitter, Reddit, or Email), and proceed through the prompts until your wallet is set up.

Look for this area on Kukai's website to start your wallet with a social media account or email

I should say, I have not tested this method myself, but it should work similarly to Option A, without the extra step of you having to make a permanent copy of your seed phrase to retain access to your account.

Step 2: Buy some crypto

In order to interact with a blockchain network, you need some of its native currency to pay the network fees each time you transact. So you're going to need enough crypto to cover the cost of the NFTs you purchase, plus a little extra to cover network fees (aka "gas").

In our case, we're using the Tezos network, so you will need to have some of the native currency Tez (ticker: $XTZ) on hand to fund the transaction. $1 worth of Tez should be more than enough to cover your gas on Tezos for awhile.

You can purchase many cryptocurrencies, including Tez, at exchanges such as Coinbase or Gemini. (If you've never signed up for an exchange before, it can take at least one business day to get through their KYC processes, so make sure you plan for that delay.)

Step 3: Fund your wallet

Once you've purchased your crypto on an exchange, you need to move it from the exchange's custody into your own wallet. Think of it as withdrawing your cash from the bank.

In your crypto exchange, find the way to withdraw your funds. Here you will have to put in your wallet's unique address to receive the funds. Use this "Copy Address" button in the top right corner of your Kukai wallet to get your address. (My Tezos address is niftyist.tez because I purchased that address through Tezos Domains. Your Tezos address should look something like "tz1XRnq...". )

Next, paste that wallet address into the withdrawal form in your exchange. Finally, input the amount of Tez you want to transfer to your wallet, and transfer the crypto to your wallet.

(Tip: It's always good to do a test transaction with a small value the first time you try to transfer to your wallet, just to make sure it works. Once you've successfully received the funds in your Kukai wallet, you can do a second transfer with the remaining balance.)

Step 4: Find the NFTs you want (the fun part!)

Now that you've funded your Kukai wallet with Tez, you will be able to make some outbound transactions from it. That means you're ready to go shopping! 🤑

There are several marketplaces on the Tezos network where you can peruse and purchase NFTs. My personal favorite is objkt.com. Other options include Rarible, Kalamint, and the very quirky Teia, a successor to the beloved underground marketplace Hic et Nunc.

This is the fun bit! Go out and find the NFT that you think best speaks to your recipient.

I find objkt's Editions and Price filters to be helpful for weeding out spam

Make sure to use any filters available on the website you use to narrow down your options. There's a lot of junk out there, but many, many gems to be found. When you find an NFT that seems interesting, go check out that creator's profile. You'll want to support creators who show consistent, quality work. Try to avoid NFTs from creators whose profiles are underdeveloped or whose work is inconsistent. These could be signs that the person is a copyminter (a fraud).

My process to find NFT gifts on objkt.com goes like this:

1. Search for a term in the search bar at the top of the page

2. Enter a price range in the filter section on the left. (This should filter out NFTs that aren't for sale.)

3. Enter a max edition size in the filter section on the left.

4. Explore the results.

Here are some example filters I would use on Objkt.com.

Two of the filters available on the Objkt.com NFT marketplace. Make sure to input a price above 0 to filter for NFTs on-sale. Prices are listed in tez ($XTZ), Tezos's native cryptocurrency

The price field is asking you for prices in tez, not in dollars. Now, at the moment I write this, 1 tez (remember: $XTZ on exchanges) is trading for $0.80, so it's not a huge difference. But crypto prices gonna do what crypto prices do, and the price will be different for you. Last year the price of 1 tez was up to $4, and it could even go higher in the future, so just be aware of what you're spending here.

The editions field allows you to narrow down what types of works you want to return. Single-edition pieces, also known as 1/1s, are thought to be the most valuable NFTs, because they can only ever be owned by a single person. Therefore, they will often be priced more highly than multi-edition NFTs. But because of their uniqueness, they can also make great gifts. (See the Nifty Dictionary entry on 1/1s for more about this type of NFT.)

Multi-edition NFTs are works for which more than 1 edition exists. For these NFTs, it means that there are multiple copies available that are functionally identical except for their token IDs. It's just a different format that artists can use to sell their work. (For more on multi-edition NFTs, see the Nifty Dictionary entry about them.)

On the Tezos network, creators can typically mint up to 999 editions of a single NFT. On one marketplace, I even saw edition numbers of 1 million. Now, there's nothing wrong with buying an NFT that has 998 (or 999,999) other editions, but having more editions available does cheapen the NFT's value - both from a simple supply and demand standpoint (high supply means lower demand), and also a simple psychological perspective, which is what drives most of the value in NFT secondary markets.

So I find that, generally speaking, NFTs with just a few editions are a better buy than NFTs with dozens or hundreds of editions. If an NFT has so many editions available, it can be a signal that the artist is new or not savvy with NFT culture, and is simply looking to make any money they can. Whereas if an artist has only released a few editions of an NFT (say around 5), that can show that they have carefully considered the value of their work, and how many people they want to be able to collect that work.

It's not a hard and fast rule, but Objkt doesn't give you a lot of filters to work with, so I find that limiting edition sizes to 10 is a great way to eliminate a bunch of spam and low-value NFTs right off the bat.

One final note here. Most of the marketplaces mentioned above (Objkt, Kalamint, Teia) are Tezos-only, which makes things a little more straightforward. If you're using a website like Rarible that supports more than one blockchain, make sure to filter for the Tezos network while you're searching for NFTs.

If using the Rarible marketplace, make sure to filter for the Tezos network, since Kukai is a Tezos wallet. Click the Explore button to reveal the supported networks, then click Tezos

Rarible's marketplace filters are similar to Objkt's, but the site doesn't let you control for edition size, as far as I can tell.

Rarible is the largest NFT marketplace that supports the Tezos network. Note: Always be discerning when shopping for NFTs - the "Christmas Ape" shown here is an example of a low-quality NFT (see: edition size of 1 million)

Step 5: Purchase the NFTs

To purchase, you will have to connect your wallet to the website. On Tezos (or at least on Objkt), this is called syncing. Sync your wallet to the website. (This is basically you logging in.) On other marketplaces like Rarible, the button might say "Connect wallet."

This action will open Kukai in another tab. Give it permission to connect to the website. (If the connection between the website and Kukai isn't working, try another browser. Firefox works great for me.)

Now, proceed to purchase the NFTs you want to buy. Clicking "Buy" on whichever website you found the NFT on should open up Kukai in a new tab again, or prompt you on the existing Kukai tab. Follow the prompts on Kukai to complete the transaction and "Broadcast" it to the network. You'll see the pending transaction in Kukai. After about 30 seconds, you'll see the transaction finalize.

Congratulations! You've just purchased the NFT.

Step 6: Send the NFTs to the recipient

Now's the really exciting part: emailing the NFT to a friend!

In Kukai, click on a grouping in the NFT/Collectibles tab to show you the NFTs you own from that platform. In my case, the platform shows as Hic et Nunc (which means they were minted using the defunct HEN platform's smart contracts). If you buy your NFTs from Objkt, it will probably show under this grouping too.

Now, click on the NFT you want to send. It'll pop up with a detail view and a giant purple "SEND" button. That's what you want!

On the next screen, enter a quantity of 1, because you want to send 1 instance of the NFT. Now here's the important bit: click the area that says "TEZOS ADDRESS" above the "RECIPIENT". This will reveal other options you can use to transmit the NFT. You'll see down at the very bottom of the list is our destination - email!

You'll also notice that there are other social options here such as Google, Reddit, and Twitter. So, how does this sending-via-social-media thing actually work?

What Kukai is going to do is create a new wallet for that user. That wallet gets attached to the account you specify, such as an email address, or a Twitter account. The user will get notified on that platform that someone has sent them an NFT. Then, they will use that account to log in to Kukai and claim the wallet. At that point, they own the Kukai wallet and have ownership of the NFT! It's a pretty neat process enabled by a solution called DirectAuth developed by a company called Torus. I'm frankly surprised not many other wallets seem to support this method yet, given it's clear appeal.

To complete the transfer, enter the recipient's email address, then click Preview. Continue with the prompts in Kukai to complete and broadcast the transaction. Again, you'll see it confirm about 30 seconds after you send it.

Step 7: Help your friend receive the NFT

For each friend that I sent an NFT to, I sent them a little note explaining that they would need to log into Kukai.app using their email address to retrieve the NFT, and that this was totally free.

I found it was important to create some context around the gift, and let people know how to retrieve it and what they could do with it

If you don't communicate this to them, they will have know way of knowing they received the NFT, nor how to retrieve it!

Step 8: Help your friend share the NFT they received.

After I sent NFTs to friends last year, the one question I kept getting back was, "What do I do with it?" And to be honest, I didn't have a good answer. I mostly gifted the NFTs as a way to get them curious about the medium of NFTs - the gifting was the point of the exercise. But for people who otherwise aren't active in the NFT world, there was not an easy way for them to display or share their NFT, which confused them.

To be honest, at the time of writing, I believe it is still the case that there's not a great way for recipients to show off their NFTs in a web 2-dominated world. I think the most natural way for people to share their NFTs is on Instagram, which has created a special feature to show off "Digital Collectibles." Unfortunately, Instagram only supports Ethereum, Polygon, and Flow at the moment, so NFTs purchased on Tezos can't be shared natively on that platform.

But of course, people are free to screenshot or download the media of the NFT you sent. I would tell your friend that if they want to show off the NFT, that's the best way to do it - just download the media and share it on their social network of choice. It's not the most glamorous solution in terms of highlighting the unique capabilities of NFTs, but it's a tried-and-true method that allows people to spotlight and celebrate the art you've given them.

Go forth and gift!

And that's it! As I said at the top of this article, I ended up sending a LOT of NFT gifts using this method last year. And not just for friends, actually. I ran a Tiktok contest offering to send NFTs to the winners of daily giveaways. All of these recipients chose to receive their NFT by email. It was a super smooth solution and I was super grateful to have found this method.

Hopefully, we'll see more wallet clients on other blockchains integrate the DirectAuth feature soon. And I equally hope that Instagram will begin to support Tezos and Kukai, so users will be able to share their NFTs on Instagram. Until then, I hope this guide helps you find some cool presents for your friends and loved ones, or at least send that NFT over to someone's email. Cheers!