Networking company Netgear has expanded into the digital art market, with the launch of its ‘Meural’ in Australia — landing as soon as next month from $1,199.
The smart art frame, which Netgear acquired in 2018, was revealed in full frame at CES 2019.
The Meural Smart Canvas is built with Netgear’s patented TrueArt technology which aims to display the artwork as it would appear in real life, with ambient illumination to ensure the image looks its best no matter the lighting in the room.
A Netgear representative said the Meural will release locally from May, first arriving in Harvey Norman with a special showcase on the floor, and likely rolling out to other retailers after.
Netgear is aiming to expand technology into a more lifestyle-based space, going beyond what it sees other “smart home” devices are doing, seeing the smart device as more of an accessory than a necessary gadget.
It is marketed the device as not only a way to introduce and democratise art in their consumer’s lives, but as an education tool for children.
The Canvas is controlled via gesture controls — scroll through images with a wave of their hand along the frame and find more information on the artwork by waving up — or through the companion app or via voice control with Amazon Alexa.
Meural Canvas connects to a regular home Wi-Fi network, supporting both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bandwidth.
With every purchase of the dynamic art frame, Australian consumers will receive 100 artworks from Netgear’s online gallery as well as a three-year subscription to its online library — slated to cost $70 thereafter.
The Meural Art Library is filled with over 30,000 iconic pieces of art from galleries and museums from all over the world.
Artwork already entered includes classics from Rembrandt, van Gogh, Jackson Pollack, Marc Chagall, Georgia O’Keeffe, and National Geographic imagery.
Netgear also claims that Australians will have access to artwork from local institutions such as the National Gallery of Victoria and Art Gallery of South Australia on the Meural Art Library platform.
A subscription to the library will allow users to explore the curated artworks, create playlists of their favourite pieces, and download their favourites to their Meural Canvas.
In addition, local artists will be able to submit their artworks to Netgear’s marketplace for consumers to purchase and keep forever — even after their subscription runs out.
Of course, consumers can upload their own artwork and photographs via the Canvas’ companion app or online dashboard from anywhere in the world.
Offering users the ability to share holiday snaps with family at home and special moments with friends living in foreign countries and more.
Three versions of the Meural will be available in the Australian market: Leonora (available in black or white) for $1,199 and Winslow (walnut) for $1,299.
