Polaroid may not be making its famous instant-developing snapshot cameras anymore, but that doesn’t mean fans of the instant picture will be left high and dry in the digital age. The company’s new PoGo portable pocket printer aims to bring the spontaneous excitement of snapshots to the digital generation. The diminutive printer weighs just eight ounces (without paper), runs off a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and can print full-bleed 2-by-3-inch snapshots in 60 seconds using new Zink inkless printing technology. The quality isn’t as high as other photo printers on the market, but at snapshot size it seems to be just fine—and since the printer is PictBridge compatible, users can print snapshots using their PictBridge cameras and phones via USB or Bluetooth, with no need for an intervening computer.
The PoGo’s Zink paper features a peel-off back (sound familiar?) so users can attach their images to a wide variety of surfaces. The Zink technology uses heat to activate dye crystals embedded in the paper to create the images; the paper offers a polymer coating to protet printouts from scratches and moisture, and the result feels a lot like traditional photo paper. Sadly, no shaking is required to make the images appear.
Polaroid says the PoGos should retail for about $150, and while the models shown so far sport a black casing, the company says the printers will be offered in other colors to increase their appeal. The devices are clearly intended for the consumer and amateur photo crowd rather than serious photographers, but if you’re looking for a simple way to plaster vacation snapshots around the office, the PoGo might do the trick.
