Nowadays, the Polaroid company is far from its former glory, from the time when just about everyone wanted to buy a Polaroid company and enjoy instant photos. However, the firm is actively trying to regain some of it popularity, one of the latest steps in that direction being the launch of the Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera in January 2009, a device that combines the same old concept (instant photo availability) with the most up-to-date digital imaging technology. In other words, you could call it a myth reborn.
Although the general concept remains the same, the actual details of the technology used by the new PoGo digital camera are quite different. Thus, the device employs the ZINK Photo Paper, a special type of paper that includes very tiny ink crystals. The camera itself doesn't “print” anything, but rather heats up the crystals on the photo paper in order to form images.
The main advantage provided by the ZINK system is the fact that all of the obtained photos are smudge-proof, water-resistant and tear-resistant, which is indeed a major plus, especially given the fact that this thing is meant to be used mostly on the road. The “printing” speed is also quite OK, since a 2x3 inch full color photo will be ready in about 40 seconds.
Now, a few words about the camera module. The Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera is not exactly what one might call a highly-advanced device, since it sports only a 5-megapixel sensor and provides a maximum zoom level of 4x. Furthermore, it has also been equipped with 3-inch LCD display, which allows users to both view photos and slightly edit them, prior to the printing process.
The device doesn't have any internal memory, but instead relies on SD cards for saving the photos. It also features a rechargeable battery, a full charge lasting for around 20 photos.
The Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera sells for around 200 US dollars, while the consumables (ZINK Photo Paper) sell for 5 US dollars (the 10-pack) and 13 US dollars (the 30-pack), which, in the end, are some pretty OK price points, especially for those old Polaroid fans who want to get their hands onto a new version of their old, beloved cameras.
