Polaroid Pop camera lets you instantly print photos, just like in the good old days
Remember how awesome Polaroid was? In a time when getting to see your photos meant waiting days or hours for a studio to develop them, the Polaroid camera showed you the results almost instantly.
Nowadays, the problem is different: There are so many digital photos that no one ever bothers to print them out anymore. Enter the new Polaroid Pop, a 20-megapixel camera that doubles as a printer.
Sure, the Polaroid Pop, which was announced back in January, is not the only portable printer or even camera-printer combo around. But the Polaroid name carries a certain weight in the space.
The camera has a 4-inch LCD touchscreen on one side, a 20-megapixel camera module on the other, and all your usual camera gizmos, including flash, image stabilization, microphone, a MicroSD card slot (the camera can only hold 10 images in memory without it). It's using Zink's Zero Ink printing tech and prints 3.5 x 4.25-inch photos with a frame -- a size that's very close to the prints produced by some of the original Polaroid cameras that were all the rage in the second half of the 20th century.
Another cool feature is the camera's ability to connect with your phone, meaning you can use the camera to print a photo you've taken on the phone, transfer the photos from one device to the other etc.
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Unlike the last time we saw the Polaroid Pop, this time we were able to actually test it out with a quick photo. The result is nowhere near something you'd get developed in a studio, but it's decent-sized and fun, and it's definitely a better memory than something that's stuck with the zillions of other photos you have on your phone.
For the photo you see above, I used a black and white filter, one of the few filters that you have at your disposal, but you can take and print color photos as well.
The camera itself is a bit clunky to hold -- it's way bigger, heavier and thicker than a smartphone -- but that's also what gives it a slight retro feel. Just don't expect to stuff it into a pocket easily.
The Polaroid Pop will cost $199.99, and a 10-pack of paper will set you back $9.99. It will be available in the U.S. in October.
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
