Polaroid: This Time It's Digital

MrSeb writes "Long before Facebook and Twitpic, photos were shared by simply handing someone a print. No camera made this easier than the once-ubiquitous Polaroid. Nothing represented instant gratification better in the film era than having a print develop before your eyes, ready to hand out in a minute. Unfortunately for Polaroid, the advent of digital photography sounded the death knell for its iconic instant print cameras. A brief reprieve in the form of inexpensive sticker-printing versions was ended by the cellphone camera revolution. Now, after a decade in remission, Polaroid has returned with a full-up digital camera that incorporates instant printing technology. The Polaroid Z340 is a 14MP digital with an integrated Zink-enabled (Zero Ink) printer. In a nostalgic touch, the new camera prints 3×4-inch images, the same size as the original Polaroid film cameras. Remarkably, all this fits in a one-pound, seven-ounce package, about the same weight as a mid-range DSLR."

Comments

What about a film polaroid

[jbolden]

That sounds good and I'm glad they're back. Though I wonder if coming back with an old fashioned analog polaroid might not sell as well. "The polaroid" was a name for a type of picture, a digital print isn't going to feel that unique.

Re:What about a film polaroid

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Unfortunately, 'ZINK' is "zero ink" in the sense that "the necessary dyes or precursors are embedded in our unique proprietary paper and then heat-activated by the printer".

Technologically speaking, 'ZINK' is substantially more advanced than your basic monochrome thermal printer, as seen in most label and receipt printers everywhere, and I give their tech guys full credit; but I cannot help but be extremely unimpressed by the likely value proposition of a printer where you have to buy the manufacturer's proprietary paper(and in the correct size for your mobile gimmick widget, unless you feel like doing some cutting). At present the stuff isn't cheap and either due to limited market or patents on the paper technology, no generic compatibles appear to exist...