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Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera. Photo provided by ZINK Imaging Inc. Polaroid, Zink announce instant-print digicam
By
(Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 10:41 EST)

A year after the two companies kicked off their cooperation at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, Polaroid and Zink are back at CES with a new announcement.

Last year they unveiled an inkless digital printer, and this year they've wrapped it in a digicam to create the Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera. It's not the first time we've featured a digital camera with built-in printer on this news page - in fact, over the years there have been quite a few. Bandai's Prigenic was the very first, launched way back in March 1999, and followed by the Fujifilm FinePix PR21 Princam (October 1999), Olympus' Camedia C-211 Zoom (July 2000, a cooperation with Polaroid), Canon's prototype bubblejet digicam (March 2001), Zink's own prototype printer camera (August 2007), and Tomy's Xiao TIP-521 (November 2008, a cooperation with Zink). With dimensions of 4.7" x 3.0 x 2.0", though, the Polaroid PoGo instant digital camera would certainly rank among the smallest.

Unfortunately, few specifications are available so far, and we lack basic points such as the PoGo's sensor resolution or lens type. From the press photos, it would appear that Polaroid has opted for a fixed focal length lens, which would reduce the camera's versatility rather. Polaroid's camera is in some areas - print type and storage medium, for example - very similar to Tomy's Xiao camera. One point where it does beat the Tomy, however, is in its use of a larger 3.0" LCD display. The Polaroid PoGo camera produces sticky-backed 2 x 3" prints in under sixty seconds, and stores its images on Secure Digital cards, while drawing power from a Lithium Ion rechargeable. Battery life does look to be a bit of a weak point, with Polaroid's specs rating the camera as capable of just 75 shots with flash, or 20 prints.

The Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera is set to go on sale priced at $200 from March 2009. The camera uses the same paper as the inkless Polaroid PoGo instant printer, and paper packs are sold at $4.99 for a ten-sheet pack, or $12.99 for a 30-sheet pack, which equates to roughly 43-50¢ per 2" x 3" print.

Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera
Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera. Photo provided by ZINK Imaging Inc. Click for a bigger picture!
Dimensions (approx.) 4.7" x 3.0" x 2.0"
119mm x 76mm x 51mm
Weight (body-only, approx.) 10 ounces
284 grams
Display 3.0" diagonal color LCD
Digital Zoom 4x
Flash Strobe Yes
Self-Timer Yes
Pictbridge Yes
Image Editing In-camera red-eye removal, cropping, automatic picture lighting enhancement
Storage SD card slot
Printer Built in ZINK inkless printer
Print Type 2" x 3" borderless sticky-backed prints
Print Speed Less than 60 seconds per print
Print Overlay Date, File number, Borders
Connectivity USB
Compatibility PC or Mac
Battery Lithium Ion rechargeable
Battery Life 75 images with flash
20 prints
Product Bundle

Polaroid PoGo camera
Lithium Ion rechargeable battery
AC adapter / charger
USB cable
Carrying case
Wrist strap
10 sheets of photo paper

More Photos
Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera. Photo provided by ZINK Imaging Inc. Click for a bigger picture!
Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera. Photo provided by ZINK Imaging Inc.
Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera. Photo provided by ZINK Imaging Inc.
Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera. Photo provided by ZINK Imaging Inc.
Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera. Photo provided by ZINK Imaging Inc.
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Original Source Press Release:

Polaroid Introduces the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera

Digital version of the company's iconic instant camera

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today Polaroid announces the launch of the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera, the first digital camera and instant printer combination available in the U.S. and Europe that is portable enough to take anywhere. With the push of a button, consumers can select from among the digital photos on the camera, crop or edit them and in less than 60 seconds, print full-color, 2x3-inch prints -- all with a single device.

"This is the digital version of our traditional instant camera, which consumers have loved since the 70s," says Jon Pollock, vice president and general manager, Digital Imaging. "With this product, Polaroid will bring the magic of instant photography to a whole new generation. It's what consumers have told us they want -- a fun, easy way to use a digital camera to print photos and share their memories instantly."

The Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera is the second product in the Polaroid PoGo™ family of products. Like the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer, which hit store shelves in July 2008, the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera uses the same ZINK Photo Paper™ and ZINK™ Zero Ink™ Printing Technology from ZINK Imaging. ZINK™ Zero Ink™ is an ink-free printing technology which replaces ink cartridges or ribbons with ZINK Photo Paper™ -- a composite material that has embedded, heat-activated dye crystals. Before printing, ZINK Photo Paper™ appears white like regular photo paper. Once the pictures are printed, they are immediately dry to the touch, durable and smudge and water resistant.

The Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera offers a full-feature digital camera with 100 percent inkless printing, 2x3-inch sticky-backed photos with or without fun borders and the advantage of reviewing the captured photos on a three-inch color LCD screen before printing. The instant digital camera measures 4.7-inches wide by 3-inches tall and weighs only 10 ounces.

"Unlike traditional instant film, photos from the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera emerge fully developed," Pollock says. "While many of our most passionate customers tell us "shaking" a Polaroid photo is part of the fun, with any Polaroid photo, the "shake" is totally optional."

The Polaroid PoGo ™ Instant Digital Camera will be available beginning in March 2009 at major retailers for a suggested retail price of $199. Ten- packs of ZINK Photo Paper™, which can be used in both the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera and the Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Mobile Printer, retail for $4.99 and 30-packs for $12.99, and are widely available at national retailers everywhere.

About Polaroid
With over 70 years of visual innovation that includes the invention of instant photography, Polaroid has established itself as a trusted consumer electronics company. In addition to its flagship line of Polaroid PoGo™ digital instant products, Polaroid is globally recognized as a leading brand for LCD TVs, digital cameras, digital photo frames, and more.

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 http://www.ZINK.com.

The ZINK™ Technology and ZINK™ trademarks are owned by ZINK Imaging, Inc.

SOURCE Polaroid

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