The Polaroid Instant Camera is Reborn in Digital with the New PoGo

When the first version of the Polaroid Instant Camera came out it in the 1980s it was an instant success. People enjoyed being able to snap a photo and not have to take the film in to get developed. The Polaroid made parties and other special occasions more fun as the instant pictures provided could be shared and enjoyed in the moment rather than after the fact. Well that same feeling of spontaneity can be had again but this time in a digital fashion.

Polaroid will showcase its new digital version of the instant print camera dubbed the "PoGo" at the upcoming International Consumer Electronics Show. The PoGo, which will cost around $200 and be available in stores around late March to early April of this year, will feature an ability to print 2-inch by 3- inch photos by way of a built-in printer by selectively heating spots on special paper. Though the technology sounds the same it is in fact quite different than that of the original version and has nothing to do with the chemicals or paper of the original. The new PoGo will use the same paper as Polaroid's stand alone printer with a cost of $5 for a ten pack or $13 for a 30 pack. While the cost is more expensive than regular inkjet photo paper it is cheaper when compared to the old version's film cartridges. There is also no ink or toner needed (source: tech.yahoo.com).

Some of the advances in the PoGo are a view finder that allows you to view the photo before you print it where as with the old Polaroid camera you had to point, shoot and hope for the best. There is also a way to print multiple copies of one picture and you can store pictures to be printed at a later date. The paper of the PoGo features an optional peel-off sticky backing that makes it ideal to spruce up just about anything. The PoGo can also be used to print photos from other digital cameras that also use an SD memory card (source: tech.yahoo.com).

A draw back to the PoGo is the fact that like the old version of the Polaroid camera the pictures are of poor quality and grainy looking. It has also been reported that the picture you see on the view finder gets trimmed quite a bit during the printing process. While there is a feature that allows you to crop the photo and make it bigger if that is your desire, there is no feature that allows you to fit the entire image in the photo. The zoom feature is less than advanced with a no auto focus and a switch for either infinity or close-up. The PoGo has a delay when pushing the button and the actual image being captured which does make it challenging to capture action shots. The five mega pixels are much less than that of many cheaper digital cameras on the market today, but then again it is the only one digital camera that can print right away (source: tech.yahoo.com).

But for those who are interested in getting back that nostalgic feeling that comes with instantly getting your photos, the PoGo camera will do the trick. So gather your friends and get ready to have some good times with Polaroid's rebirth of the classic only this time in digital form. While certainly not the most advanced digital camera out today, it just may prove to be the most fun.