Official details, such as its design and specifications, haven’t been finalized, but word has it the camera will be launched in 2014. Along with the device will be a line of accessories specific to it, such as filters, lenses, and camera bags. This indicates the company expects the device to be popular, a reasonable expectation given the enthusiasm that spread across the Internet when the concept was produced.

If the camera follows closely to the concept, users can expect a generously-sized 4.3-inch touchscreen display on the back, as well as 16GB of internal storage. The device will print instant photographs from an integrated printer. Connectivity could then be comprised of both Bluetooth and standard Wi-Fi. It is reasonable to assume the on-board operating system could be Android, although everything is speculation at this point.

Socialmatic’s CEO Antonio De Rosa said: “We are so proud to work together with C & A and Polaroid, giants of digital photography. It has been a long and difficult negotiation but we were strongly motivated to reach an agreement to create a small revolution in digital photography. This mix of Hardware and Software, together with our brand new photo social network will fill the gap between virtuality and reality.”

[via Engadget]

If you are ready own one of the Polaroid instant cameras that doesn’t work, they can also repair it for you. Repair services start at $80. The company offers 12 different camera models to purchase including the SX-70 Original all the way through the SLR690. Pricing for the complete camera starts at $350.

The company also offers some new vintage cameras that were never sold and are still in the original factory packaging. A brand-new SX-70 Original will set you back $515. A refurbished version of the same camera costs $395. Pricing for the cameras varies greatly depending on the model you choose.

The company also offers a number of accessories for these cameras including external flash units, cases, remote shutter buttons, and various lenses. One key item that I don’t see listed is film for the cameras. This might not be a big deal to vintage camera buffs who only want to collect the camera itself, but if you want to shoot pictures you’ll have to source your own film.

[via PolaPros]

In fact, the Galaxy Camera is the obvious comparison to make, though the two products do differ in key ways. First of all is price: Polaroid is asking $399.99 for the iM1836, unlike the $549.99 you’ll pay Verizon for a Galaxy Camera, and of course Samsung’s shooter doesn’t have swappable lenses.

However, the Polaroid’s screen feels a tad pokey in comparison to the expansive Samsung panel, being as it is 3.5-inches, and the prototype the company was showing showed a little lag at times. Nonetheless, it’s a full – and official – install of Android, so you get Play market access, Gmail for when you’re desperate to email from a camera, and Google+ with its useful auto-uploads.

As for the lenses, they twist off as you’d expect, and Polaroid will include a 10-30mm zoom lens in the box; a pancake will be the other initial option. The company actually includes the sensor in the lens itself, rather than in the body of the camera, which it says reduces the likelihood of damage when swapping, as well as producing better quality images as the sensor is closer to the lens. It also expects them to cost the same as the equivalent Micro Four Thirds lens, and they’ll be compatible with other Polaroid cameras that don’t run Android.

Expect the Polaroid iM1836 to hit shelves in Q1 2013.

The tablet has decent hardware with a 1GHz Cortex A8 and 512MB of RAM. There’s 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, a 2MP rear camera, and 8GB of internal storage space, with an SD card expansion slot. The 7-inch display has a resolution of 800 x 480, and supports multi-touch. The PTAB750 runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and comes pre-loaded with more than 35 full-version apps. It’s priced at $149.99.

The pre-loaded apps include Music Studio, Draw, Kids Cam, and Kids Vids, the last of which is said to help children stream filtered, kid-friendly videos. In addition, apps are filtered via Free Play, which displays only applications that are appropriate for children. In terms of its durability, the PTAB750 has bumpers along its edges to help keep it safe from drops and bumps. Parental controls are integrated, allowing parents or teachers to control what their child can and cannot do.

Polaroid’s President and CEO Scott W. Hardy offered this statement. “Throughout our 75 year history, we’ve been known for creating innovative and easy-to-use products that are fun for all ages. The kids tablet is no exception. It epitomizes the Polaroid brand personality and brings together a host of features that will delight kids and parents alike.” The kid-friendly tablet was named a CES Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree.

[via Android Community]

They plan to open at least ten new retail stores this year. Fotobar initially opened as an online-only store in October, specializing in printing photos from phones or social services and offering different editing tools and filters. While you can easily edit and print photos almost anywhere nowadays, Polaroid is banking on its trained staff at Fotobars who can guide users through the process and on evoke the “classic Polaroid experience.”

The first Polaroid Fotobar store will open in Florida next month, and it will allow in-store customers to wirelessly transmit their images stored on their smartphone or tablet to a bar-top workstation computer. From there, the photos can be edited and a number of filters can be added, which most smartphone apps can do anyway.

Once the images are done and ready for printing, users can then have the images printed on a number of different materials, including metal, wood, and bamboo, as well as choose from various framing options. The idea is to make your often-forgotten digital images feel like works of art — something that you can hang on your wall and show your friends.

The makers of the POP charger are now being forced to refund Kickstarter pledges after they failed to secure the rights to use Apple’s Lightning cable, and Adobe has acquired Behance to improve its Creative Cloud offerings. We heard today that HTC might have suspended a number of smartphone orders for 2013, while the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone was leaked with a couple of different color combinations. Speaking of BlackBerry, RIM released its Q3 2013 earnings today, showing a slight profit gain but also some subscriber loss.

The Steam holiday sale kicked off today, so hopefully you have some money left in your bank account after all of your holiday shopping. GM is recalling more than 145,000 mid-sized trucks after a hood latch issue, and Facebook is testing a new feature that will let you send messages to strangers for a fee. Polaroid will be showing off a mirrorless Android camera at CES 2013, while the FTC clarified some of the amendments in its Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule today.

Amazon has ordered six original TV shows and will let viewers vote on the pilots, and Foxconn has purchased a 9% stake in GoPro for $200 million. Flipboard landed on Android tablets today, while Borderlands 2‘s next DLC was given a release date. Final Fantasy IV is now available on the iOS App Store, while the makers of the eagle-stealing-baby video that has been such a hit on YouTube revealed that it was a fake. Those who purchased a Windows 7 PC and now want to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro might need to supply their product key to do so, and finally tonight, we go hands-on with Rockmelt for iOS. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy the rest of your night folks!

What we saw earlier this week was a set of broken-up specifications for a camera that’d have a rather recognizable basically standard-looking body with a lens-changing button up front, a single RED-eye light, pop-up flash, and a lovely 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen on the back. This machine has also been said to have an 18 megapixel sensor on the inside.

“There will be an Android powered, interchangeable lens camera introduced by Polaroid at CES 2013. Additional information and specs will be released during the show.” – Hardy

The Polaroid interchangeable-lens Android camera was tagged with the number IM1836 when it was first revealed on the 18th of December and it’s only had a couple of slightly pixelated – yet rather clear – images of its body shown off. This machine takes what their earlier release in Android/camera hybrid action made real with the SC1630 and boosts it up into outer space.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera has proven to us that an Android-toting high-powered camera can and will be a category for consumer wants and needs in the very near future – now it’s time for Polaroid to jump in on the fun! Those of you wanting to get your hands on this device without worrying so much about the OS should have a peek at the Nikon 1 J2, a device which looks to have basically the same size and shape as this next-generation Polaroid model.

We’ll see the real deal soon, and so will you in our ever-expanding CES 2013 tag portal – stay tuned through the beginning of January, 2013, for the whole show!

[via PhotoPop]

This Polaroid IM1836 machine is said to be working with a lovely 18.1 megapixel sensor, 3.5-inch touchscreen on the back, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on the inside. This Smart Camera hybrid is said to be working with Headphone as well as HDMI outputs, and a pop-up flash. You’ll be working with panorama as well as blink detection functions and the software is quite likely not going to be finalized until the release – Android 4.0 at this point would just be silly.

The newest word on this device has it working with microSD cards as well. This would be just one step closer to the released device known as the Samsung Galaxy Camera – out on the market today. If our own Samsung Galaxy Camera review is any indication, we’ll likely be seeing many more devices like these in the very near future. They just work!

The camera being rumored here for Polaroid has had a rendering leak via a Polaroid Russia fanpage that also shows a couple of physical buttons on the back, physical holds for a neck strap on both sides of the camera, and the interchangeable lens release button up front.

This device also has a thumb bumper and a physical shutter button as well according to these renderings. As the folks at PhotoRumors note, this device does look extremely similar to the stylings of the Nikon 1 J2, as pictured below. Can’t wait to see the real deal!

[via Photo Rumors]

Intel has reintroduced a processor meant to run Windows 8 tablets, and speaking of the incoming operating system, Microsoft founder Bill Gates shared some thoughts on Windows 8 today as well. A couple more companies have been updating their apps to play nice with the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, with Netflix delivering a new widescreen update for iDevices and Foursquare updating its iOS app as well. Camera+ launched an update for its own app too, adding support for iPad and iCloud.

The AMD AppZone Player was announced today with BlueStacks support in tow, and you can now sync your iPhone with Google contacts thanks to CardDAV integration. Google also launched a new field trip app today, which is being described as “your guide to the cool, hidden, and unique things in the world around you,” and Dish Network announced that it will be launching satellite broadband for rural areas next week. A Google executive was arrested and later released in Brazil after the company didn’t cooperate with take down requests centered around a video that criticized a Brazilian politician, and sure enough, Rovio’s new game Bad Piggies has secured its spot as the top App Store app on the same day it was released.

In perhaps one of the biggest news stories of the day, NASA scientists are saying that Curiosity has discovered an ancient streambed on the surface of Mars, and Facebook has launched a new gifts service, allowing users to buy real life gifts for their Facebook friends. Steam will be kicking off a private Linux beta sometime next month, and European pricing details for the incoming Nokia Lumia 920 surfaced. Finishing up the news from today, Polaroid has announced a series of new sports video cameras for the more adventurous folks out there.

Finally tonight, Chris Burns interviews Dr. Edward Farhi about the time travel mechanics found in the new movie LOOPER (with the full review of the flick coming later on tonight), and we have a review of the Samsung Galaxy Stellar by yours truly. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up. Go out and enjoy the rest of your night and start getting excited for the weekend!

We’ll start with the Polaroid XS7 (pictured above), which features a professional CMOS sensor that can capture video in 720p and snap 5-megapixel pictures. This camera features a 2-inch screen on the back that allows you to immediately check out your pictures and video, and comes encased in a waterproof shell. That case means that the XS7 can be submerged in up to 10 meters of water without taking damage, so those who like to spend their free time scuba diving or snorkeling might want to give this one a look.

Next up is the XS20, which features the same professional CMOS sensor as the XS7. Like the XS7, the XS20 is waterproof as well, although this one can handle depths up to 20 meters. It also comes with 8 LEDs for “shooting in all environments,” and a battery that Polaroid claims can shoot for three hours. Finally, the XS20 comes equipped with motion sensors to initiate recording, which would make the XS20 a good choice for security recording – it even looks like a security camera in the image above.

Rounding out these three new cameras is the XS100, the best of the bunch. The XS100 sports a professional 5MP sensor, with 720p, 960p, and 1080p recording capabilities, along with the ability to shoot 3MP, 5MP, and 16MP images. It’s ultra wide lens gives a 170° shooting angle, and it has multiple frame rate settings to take advantage of, ranging from burst shooting mode to slow motion. Like the other two cameras, the XS100 is waterproof (up to 10 meters), and on the inside, we’ve got a auto rotation G-sensor, which means that the camera will “always capture the best shot, no matter it’s position.”

All three of these cameras come packed with bike and helmet mounts, so if you’re always looking for the next big adventure, you can have your camera with you and shooting at all times. The prices seem pretty reasonable too, with the XS7 coming in at $69.99, the XS20 at $99.99, and the XS100 at $199.99. All three will be available at Polaroid retailers starting in mid-October, though a specific release date is still unknown. Are any of these cameras for you?

The new line of Polaroid camcorders includes the iD820, iD879, iD450, and the iD640. The first camcorder is the iD820 being called one of the world’s thinnest and lightest true 1080p HD camcorders. The body of the camcorders only a half-inch thick and features a three-inch touchscreen that supports gestures. The camera has 12-megapixel resolution and weighs less than 4 ounces.

The camcorder features dual stream recording allowing you to record two sets of video on the memory card at one time. The dual videos give you one full HD stream and one stream at less resolution for uploading the YouTube. The camera will sell for $179.99. The iD879 is a camcorder that also features a three-inch touchscreen supporting gestures and it has five times optical zoom. The camera has dual memory card slot supporting both microSD and SD cards for storage. The camera is also a dual streaming unit recording full HD and YouTube quality at the same time. This camera will also sell for $179.99.

The iD450 has integrated Wi-Fi and allows users to stream live video to the Internet using the integrated Ustream app. The camera also works with apps for Android or Apple devices allowing you to view live video on those platforms from the camera. The camera records full HD and has the same three-inch touchscreen. This camera also sells for $179.99. The final camera is the Polaroid iD640, which is waterproof, shock proof, dustproof, and freeze proof. It has a two-inch LCD and can record 720p HD video. This camera sells for $99.99 with all four of the new Polaroid camcorders launching in mid-September.

A collapsable bellows-style assembly extends, to sit your iPhone – or, indeed, any other smartphone with a sizable display – on top. At the bottom there’s a manual shutter and the guts of a Polaroid camera: to use it, you load up the Instant Lab app, pick the photo you want a hard copy of, and slide open the shutter.

There’s a signal to indicate when the exposure – powered only by the phone’s own backlight – is ready, and then it’s a case of closing the shutter and pushing the button; the photo itself is spat out the front. The battery is doog for up to 150 shots, and you can use Polaroid 600 and SX 70 film.

Although it seems a bit gimmicky, it’s obviously found appeal with enough Kickstarter backers: they’ve already pushed it past the $250,000 goal by more than $55k, with 25 days left to run. Mass production should start in mid-February 2013, and the retail price will be $299.

[via Technabob]

The Z2300 has an integrated ZINK Technology printer inside the digital camera that allows you to take digital photos, and then print a 2 x 3-inch hard copy immediately. The digital camera can also upload images to social media sites such as Facebook. The camera comes in two colors, including black and white.

The camera resolution is 10-megapixels and has a three-inch LCD on the back so you can preview the image before you print. The printer integrated into the camera uses no ink. The paper the ZINK printer uses is a composite material that has cyan, yellow, and magenta dye crystals embedded in paper. The printer uses heat to activate and colorize the crystals to deliver a clear and vibrant print in less than a minute. The Z2300 camera is priced at $159.99. The 2 x 3″ ZINK paper sells for $24.99 for 50 sheets, and a 30-sheet pack is available for $14.99.

The printer concept works with all Apple compatible devices and has the same small size and design as the printer we saw at the beginning of the year. It also prints 3×4-inch photos in less than a minute that are smudge proof. The printer weighs 15-ounces and is powered by lithium-ion battery.

The new concept version uses the same Zink zero ink printing technology. That printer tech uses no ink inside and instead uses a paper with cyan, yellow, and magenta dye crystals embedded inside. This is very much like an advanced version of the old Polaroid cameras we had back in the 80s.

The camera weighs 5oz and offers 18 different scene modes, along with automatic face and smile detection. Geo-tagging can mark each image with information on where it was taken, and there are cropping, red-eye removal, resizing and color correction tools to tweak pictures before they’re uploaded.

WiFi and Bluetooth are standard, and cellular – data-only – connectivity is an option. Unlike most cameras, though, the SC1630 offers access to the Android Market and all the apps there, which means you can can play games and use other third-party software in-between shots. The rechargeable battery should last a day of use.

Polaroid expects to launch the SC1630 Smart Camera sometime this year, though the price is yet to be confirmed.

Cameras front and back are an interesting touch – that should certainly make nighttime video calls clearer, should you be the sort of person who reaches for their tablet at midnight – and there’s a sizable speaker above the display. Portrait orientation looks to be the default angle, going by the logo on the back, while the OS is a somewhat reskinned Android.

Ereading also gets center-stage; this particular unit is loaded up with the Kobo app, among others, and some of the promo material puts an ebook front and center. Whether Polaroid will have its own store or rely on third-party content remains to be seen.

Our guess is a relatively low-cost model, in the 7- to 8-inch size range, and targeted more at NOOK Tablet and Kobo Vox buyers than, say, would-be iPad owners. Full details will be forthcoming at CES next week, no doubt.

The Z340 Instant Digital Camera is fairly bulky at one-pound, seven ounces, due to its integrated Zink zero-ink printer. But sleek style certainly won’t be why you’ll be interested in this nostalgic device. It prints 3- by 4-inch photos on demand and since its digital now, you can preview the images on the 2.7-inch LCD display before you print.

Not only can you be more selective now about which photos you print, you can even make some edits to the images beforehand. For instance, you can crop and choose between Polaroid’s classic white border or other frame styles from design libraries stored on the camera.

The camera also comes with an SD card slot and can print up to 25 images and capture up to 75 images on a single charge. The Z340 is priced at $299.99, but the Zink printing paper will cost $20 for a 30-sheet pack.

[via TheVerge]

Polaroid has unveiled the Studio Series 58mm 2.2x Telephoto and 0.43x Wide Angle Lens Travel Kit that sells for $49.99. The lenses mount onto the existing lens on your camera and converts it over or more zoom. The Polaroid Studio Series 0.3x HD Ultra fisheye lens adapter is also offered in 37mm and 52/58mm versions. They will fit on any camcorder or DSLR lens and offers 180-degree field of view. The lens is priced at $269.99.

The most interesting of the lenses is the 900mm Mirror Lens for outdoor and sports shooting. It uses reflection optics and lenticualr light refraction such as a telescope uses. The lens is priced at $299.99. These lenses are very cheap and should be appealing to photographers wanting more lens options at a lower price than buying a new camera or DSLR lens.

The GL10 Instant Mobile Printer is on sale now at the Bloomingdale’s 59th St. flagship store in NYC, but will start rollig out to other select Bloomingdale locations by the end of June. It’s already available for pre-orders on Polaroid.com and will be available on HSN.com starting May 27th. It will also hit Costco stores starting June 20th.

This nifty little mobile printer uses Polaroid’s second-generation Zink (zero ink) technology, which is capable of instant 3×4-inch smudge-proof prints. Powered by a rechargeable lithium ion batter, the GL10 can last up to 35 prints and can print via USB or wirelessly over Bluetooth. The printer itself is priced at $169.99 but the print media is priced at $19.99 per pack of 30 sheets.

[via CNET]

Anytime a camera can print photos directly, we think of a Polaroid camera. However, this concept does not attempt to bring back the nostalgic styling, just the functionality in a new modern form. The iPhone snaps into the protective case that looks simple and sleek.

Funamizu imagines that the photos printed with the case can include QR codes and geo tagged maps. This will allow the photos to be easily linked to a digital version somewhere on the web, such as on Flickr. But of course imagination’s a whole lot easier than execution. Practical problems of ink and paper will surely create issues for an actual product like this.

[via Yanko Design]

Video demo after the cut

The GL10 printer and GL30 camera each use ZINK instant camera paper and can either print the shots from another digicam or, in the case of the GL30, take the shots itself and then produce hard copies. The GL30 also has various filters for adding retro and other affects. The GL10 will go on sale in May 2011, priced at $149.99, while the GL30 will arrive later in 2011, price tba.

As for the GL20 Camera Glasses, they’re a set of oversized sunglasses with an integrated digital camera in the bridge and a pair of LCD displays behind the lenses. That means you can snap a shot and then display them rather than your eyes, which is probably great for fashion but not so useful for navigating rooms. They’ll go on sale later in the year, pricing tba.

Press Release:

Polaroid and Lady Gaga Announce Grey Label

A Collaboration Between Two of the Most Influential Icons of Our Time, Polaroid Grey Label Comes to Life With Three New Products That Showcase the Magic of the Polaroid Instant Experience

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Polaroid and its Creative Director, Lady Gaga today unveiled Polaroid Grey Label, an original line of products co-designed with Lady Gaga. This collaboration between two cultural icons reflects Polaroid’s long standing tradition of innovation tracing back to founder Dr. Edwin Land and Lady Gaga’s mission to deliver products that enable creativity for all, celebrate artistry and make sharing instantaneous across the physical and digital. The inaugural Polaroid Grey Label line is truly expressive of Lady Gaga’s artistic vision and includes the GL10 Instant Mobile Printer, GL30 Instant Digital Camera and the GL20 Camera Glasses, a unique new look at how to turn images into a fashion statement.
“I consider myself to be a visionary, not just a songwriter and a singer. I am an artist,” said Lady Gaga, Polaroid’s Creative Director. “I brought my vision and love of fashion, technology and obsession with the future into all of my work with Polaroid.”
Polaroid Grey Label Products
Polaroid and Lady Gaga today unveiled the first trio of Polaroid Grey Label products at Polaroid’s CES booth:
1. GL10 Instant Mobile Printer:
Advanced Technology: The newest instant printing experience begins with the embedded dye-crystal ZINK® Zero Ink® Technology from ZINK Imaging. Patented ZINK Paper™ is an advanced composite material with cyan, yellow, and magenta dye crystals embedded inside. Before printing, the embedded dye crystals are clear, so ZINK Paper®, looks like regular white photo paper. The GL10 Instant Mobile Printer uses heat to activate and colorize these crystals.
Superb Print Quality: The GL10 Instant Mobile Printer uses ZINK’s second-generation thermal technology, delivering image quality that rivals a photo-lab. Prints emerge fully developed and protected by a smudge-proof, water-resistant coating.
Aesthetically Pleasing and Environmentally Responsible: Designed for both form and function for use both in the present and future. ZINK technology requires no messy ribbons, toner or inkjet cartridges.

The GL10 Instant Mobile Printer will be available in May 2011 (US $149.99 MSRP). ZINK 3×4″ Paper will be available in May 2011 at a price to be announced.
2. GL30 Instant Digital Camera:
Brings the Polaroid Instant Experience to Life: Introducing a new generation to the joy of instant photography, the GL30 uses next generation ZINK Zero Ink Technology from ZINK Imaging.
Fuses the Digital and Physical Worlds: Featuring the benefits of a digital camera, instant photo printer and digital display, the GL30 is a creative tool that delivers the best of the digital and physical worlds.
Pays Tribute to Polaroid’s Legacy: Reminiscent of Polaroid cameras of the past, the GL30 is clearly a significant departure from a typical camera. Designed for longevity, the GL30 is not only for the future, it’s an object of desire. Users can select from a number of filters and borders to create truly original images that instantly fit in the palm of your hand.

The GL30 Instant Digital Camera will be available later this year, at a price to be announced.
3. GL20 Camera Glasses:
Merges Fashion With Photography: Never before has the world seen fashion, photography and technology come together in one, singular product.
Tells Your Story to the World: Users can instantly capture or upload photos with the built-in camera and then display the images on the glasses’ LCD screens for others to see.
Expresses True Artistry and Originality: Only Lady Gaga could create a hybrid that’s part fashion statement, part revolutionary technology and part tool for self-expression.

The GL20 Camera Glasses will be available later this year, at a price to be announced.
The Polaroid Grey Label Evolution
After being named Polaroid’s Creative Director in January 2010, Lady Gaga and Polaroid collaborated to define a direction for the line that blended the brand’s core values with Lady Gaga’s creativity. Stemming from “greige goods,” a fashion-industry term for fabric in its purest form, the Polaroid Grey Label line encompasses Polaroid’s heritage of delivering simplicity with the style, wit and sensibility of Lady Gaga.
Committed to bringing originality back to product design across all genres, Lady Gaga articulated that all Polaroid Grey Label products communicate three essential elements of self-expression:
Creativity: All Polaroid Grey Label products are designed with the idea that creativity and sharing go hand in hand, in both the digital and the physical world.
Instant Artistry: All features found in Polaroid Grey Label products celebrate, express and bring an element of artistry and originality to the act of image making.
Fashion: Intended to be just as much everyday fashion accessories as innovative imaging tools, all Polaroid Grey Label products feature unexpected design elements such as leather touch points, brushed metal and exposed mechanical details.

“The Polaroid Grey Label line embodies the Polaroid brand, with an injection of the future-looking fashion and design mantra of Lady Gaga that simply can’t be replicated,” said Scott W. Hardy, Polaroid’s President. “It represents Polaroid innovation for the new generation, one in which there are no limitations to sharing creativity through photography, both physical and digital.”
About Polaroid
Across several generations, people regard Polaroid as one of the most trusted, well-respected and recognizable brands when it comes to instant photography. The Polaroid brand has been around for more than 70 years starting with polarized sunglasses which then evolved into instant film, camera and camera accessories, marking the beginning of the well recognized Polaroid Classic Border Logo. In recent years, the Polaroid brand has expanded into flat panel televisions, portable DVD players, digital photo frames, digital HD camcorders, waterproof digital cameras and more. People can expect to see new Polaroid products that will deliver the fun, instant gratification and value for which the brand has long stood.
For more information, visit www.Polaroid.com.
Polaroid, Polaroid & Pixel, Polaroid Grey Label, and Polaroid Classic Border Logo are trademarks of PLR IP Holdings, LLC.
About ZINK Imaging
ZINK Imaging Inc., a privately held company, was founded to enable millions of customers to enjoy the magic of ZINK® Zero Ink® products. ZINK Imaging invented, manufactures, and is an OEM supplier of the ZINK Printing Technology and the award winning ZINK Paper® to partners that will bring ZINK‐enabled products to market under their respective brands. ZINK Imaging’s headquarters and research and development labs are in Massachusetts, with a state of the art manufacturing facility in Whitsett, North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.ZINK.com.

The new glasses are curved to conform to the users face more than the flat glasses we are used to at the theater and for other passive 3D applications. The new collection of eyewear will be offered at the movies and via other retail channels and will be compatible with all RealD 3D enabled theaters around the world.

The glasses will be offered in styles that can fit over and prescription lens frame. The line will include junior version of the glasses as well so kids can watch without the large adult glasses falling off.

Polaroid has unveiled a new version of that old-school Polaroid camera called the 300 Instant Camera. The 300 prints photos that are business card size, just like the PoGo printer Polaroid has been offering for a while. The camera sells for $89.99 and has integrated flash, four scene settings, and gets power from four AA batteries.

A rechargeable battery is also included. I’m not sure why the camera ships with a rechargeable battery and disposable batteries too. The film that goes along with the camera is $9.99 for ten exposures and both the camera and film are available now.

Yes, we said “back.” Why? Because a couple years ago the company actually released a controller that held 15 games on it. One of those “15-in-1″ things that was all the rage back then. Sure, it didn’t necessarily push the company into the wide world of games, but at least they tried. This time around, though, they seem to have a firm plan, and they’re going after all of the major consoles. They’ve got a microphone headset and battery packs planned for the Xbox 360, and wireless controllers for the PlayStation 3. Additionally, they’ve got a dock planned for the Nintendo DS.

That’s not all, though. For Nintendo’s Wii, they’ve got a sensor bar in the pipe, along with some sports packs. We’re not exactly sure what’s going to be in those packs, but we’ll hope they’re good. Also, why the Wii would need an additional sensor bar is beyond us, but Polaroid obviously thinks they can make some money there. Here’s us crossing our fingers that when these things launch later this year, they don’t completely bomb.

[via UberGizmo]

The Spectra is known for taking better quality photos than the Polaroid-using rank and file, and the Instructable goes through fitting an AA battery pack, modifying the exposure system to allow more light through, and then tweaking the cartridge slot to suit regular sheet film.  You’ll also need to craft a film holder to fit the camera (and learn to ignore the odd grinding noises the Spectra makes when you load it in).

As for the end result, it looks pretty impressive – though obviously you’ll have to do the developing yourself.  A pack of Impossible Project film – when they’ve tweaked it for better picture quality – is always going to be easier, but if you’re a photographer on a budget then this could save some serious money while letting you still enjoy your favorite camera.

The new PX monochrome instant film will go on sale alongside The Impossible Project’s remaining – and dwindling – stocks of original Polaroid film, and you can also pick up cameras with which to use it from their online shop.  It’s not clear how much the new film will cost, but there’s more detail about the project in the video here.

[via Twitter]

Polaroid has announced a new special edition PoGo printer in pink with part of the proceeds for each sale going to help fund the fight against breast cancer. The printer sells for $49.99 and for each unit sold Polaroid will donate $10 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Other than the donation to cancer research and the pink hue, the PoGo is the same that we talked about back in June. The pink printer produces 2 x 3 borderless prints from cell phones and digital cameras without needing ink. Prints are produced in 60 seconds and a rechargeable battery that can print 15 photos per charge powers the device.

Even though the 7420 square foot factory is still in fine fettle, and in fact was churning out Integral film until the middle of 2008, there are still some serious problems to overcome.  Not least is the technology used in each pack of film, around twenty components in all, and some of which have ceased production.  That means the team have around twelve months to figure out the best way to replace them and chemically re-engineer Integral film to not only be backward-compatible with existing cameras but viable for new business going forward.

The Impossible Project plans to restart production of Integral film for vintage Polaroid cameras in 2010, and they’re hoping that anyone with a passion for the technology – or, even better, cash or working knowledge of the systems used – will help out.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the name doesn’t turn out to be depressingly prophetic.

[via spurgeonblog]

Built into the camera are multiple templates, borders and frames to let you customize your image before printing it.  Prints themselves take around a minute to produce, but unlike a traditional Polaroid camera you do at least have the option of which shot to get a hard-copy of.  The Zink paper itself costs around $12.99 for a pack of 30 (roughly 43 cents a print).

However the price of such impulsive convenience is high.  While the Xiao is on sale in Japan for the equivalent of around $350, in the US it’ll cost you $499.99.  It’s available in three colors: black, green and a particularly vibrant shade of pink.

This camera offers the one thing that Polaroid lovers couldn’t get enough of: the ability to have physical access to your photos instantaneously. You see, the camera has a tiny Zink printer build inside. This requires composite paper that has crystals of cyan, yellow and magenta dyes on it. Once activated by heat, the crystals get to work and your picture shows up. The prints measure in at 2″ x 3″ and are borderless stickers.

The camera isn’t much to speak of. It’s 39mm-equivalent with a 5-megapixel image sensor. But I think this is more about the novelty of printing out pictures on the spot. If the Tomy Xiao sounds like something of interest to you, you’ll be able to get your hands on it in Japan starting on November 28th for $350.

Polaroid tried to recapture the market earlier this year with the PoGo Bluetooth Printer, which could fit in your pocket and produced 2″x3″ prints using Zink technology. But this was just a printer.

Come next year, the next Polaroid venture will be a point-and-shoot and printer combined, bringing back that instant satisfaction of the old Polaroid camera with modern-day quality. These prints will be larger, at 4″x3″ and Amateur Photographer magazine is currently taking reader suggestions as to what Polaroid should be included in the new camera and some will be implemented in the final design. I say they should bring back the shake handle. Sure, you don’t need to shake it, but wasn’t that half the fun of old photos?

[via Stuff.tv]

Each photo sheet contains minuscule dye crystals, which form the picture when heated and take about sixty seconds to produce.  The PoGo itself is battery powered, offering fifteen prints per charge (the battery is replaceable, and the printer also works when plugged into the AC adaptor to recharge).  Connectivity is via USB (with direct connection to digital cameras) or Bluetooth.

The PoGo only measures 120 x 72 x 23.5mm and weighs 8oz (without paper).  The Zink paper itself comes in a pack of ten and is sticky-backed; Polaroid expect it to be popular with teenagers.  Whether they’ll be able to regularly afford to buy it is another matter: per print, it works out to around 35 cents.  In future, Polaroid are promising larger versions of the PoGo that will produce more traditionally-sized prints.

You’ll be able to pick up a Polaroid PoGo for $149 from Best Buy on July 6th, and elsewhere by the fall.

[via Crave]

The portable supports Bluetooth-wireless and PictBridge for direct printing via USB connection that works with digital cameras and camera phones. The printer is selling for $150 and cost of paper per sheet is around $40 cents.

CES: Polaroid (again) enables photo printing on the fly

Starting with TV you can connect broadcast, basic cable or DIRECTV to the box and you get free, unlimited, lifetime TV guide services and you can record TV shows, movies on TV, just about anything you want. You can also sync all your digital content with this box, all your photos, videos, music, and it doesn’t have to start digital, you can also rip analog content into digital from a VCR or camcorder using the Freescape.

The best part is that as more Freescape products come out, you can spread the content out to those devices as well. There are currently four products in the line in total, the Digital Media Exchange, the Digital Media Extender, Wireless Multimedia Frame, and the Wireless Media Player.

The Exchange and Extender are both set-top boxes with the exchange being the center of the whole device network and the Extender is, well, an extender. The Wireless Multimedia Frame is a wireless connecting picture frame that you can view pictures on, watch videos, listen to music, or watch recorded TV with.

The Wireless Multimedia Player more of the same, except that it comes in a form that looks almost exactly like the iPhone. Sadly I don’t have anything in the way of price or availability information, but for now enjoy the pictures and the news and I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything new.