The frame supports music playback; giving you a few options how you'd like it done. For those who want a little entertainment with their pictures, one option you have is to use your music files as background music in photo viewing mode. If you just want to demo some tunes or fill a room with some music but don't care for pictures then you can flip the frame into Music mode and simply use it like an MP3 player with speakers. If you want to sit next to your frame to listen to the music there is a headphone jack on the left side. Honestly though, I don't personally see this as being a feature that most people will generally use, they probably have MP3 players if they want music.

Clock & Alarm mode allows you to use your frame as a very stylish clock, calendar and alarm. Giving you three display modes; clock and calendar, digital clock and analog clock, you can make the SPF-85P a very decorative wall clock. I was impressed by the digital clock being a flip-style clock, even showing seconds. Even if you just choose a clock-only mode, the date will still be written on the screen as opposed to a monthly calendar being shown. The alarm can be set to repeat once, everyday, Mon.-Fri., Mon.-Sat. or Sat.-Sun. You also get three programmable sounds with adjustable volume level. My only complaint with this function was that it was only a single alarm and not a dual alarm. I thought it would be space saving on my bedside table but having to manually reprogram my alarm on the weekends for work would get annoying.

Navigation through all the menus and windows is done with the "Starlight Touch Control" menu on the front left bezel of the frame. When not in use, these buttons are invisible under the frame's bezel, but when you touch that area with your finger they all light up with a soft illumination. Whenever any button is pressed the illumination fades out and back in again, as if giving a "virtual" button feel.

The SPF-85P also has a built-in rechargeable battery, providing approximately 1 hour of operation time. This is a nice touch if you want to share photos with visiting guests or take the frame out with you to preview digital camera photographs (more comfortable than using a tiny camera screen).

Utilizing the same DisplayLink technology as the previously reviewed SyncMaster 2263DX side display, you can actually use this picture frame as a USB monitor too. Though not recommended for your primary display, having a smaller secondary display is great for chat windows, desktop gadgets, stock tickers and much more. For those who travel a lot, I often hear of people using these small USB displays as a secondary laptop screen because they can be easily packed in a laptop bag.