The Polaroid Zip provides instant gratification in the form of 2 x 3-inch prints

By Brandon Widder Published January 8, 2015

Few things capture the essence of nostalgia quite like an excellent photograph. Nevertheless, most of us have moved away from the film of yesterday in favor of something quicker, more convenient, and — let’s be honest — more apt for bathroom selfies. Instant gratification has been a hallmark of Polaroid since the beginning, though, and the iconic company’s latest foray into the realm of instant photography is aimed at millennials and anyone with a smartphone on hand.

Aptly dubbed the Polaroid Zip, the pocket-sized mobile printer takes a cue from the rest of the instant cameras in the company’s lineup. Weighing in at 1.86 grams and measuring a mere 2.91 x 4.72 inches, it’s roughly the size if your average smartphone, embellished with single power button and a high-gloss finish bearing the colorful Polaroid logo.

Once you pair the wireless device with your iOS or Android smartphones via Bluetooth or NFC, the accompanying photo app allows you to apply a bevy of filters, effects, and simple controls to the photo of your choosing. The integrated tools are basic but welcome, ranging from those for adjusting the contrast and saturation to applying frames.

When you’re finished with your edits, the Zip allows you to create 2 x 3-inch color photos in just under a minute with the help of Polaroid’s zero-ink technology. The printing process relies on an advanced composite material embedded with cyan, yellow, and magenta dye crystals, each of which starts off colorless until activated with heat exposure.

The mobile gadgets can print up to 25 photos on a single charge, and furthermore, the resulting photos also moonlight as stickers thanks to their adhesive backing. The ability to create business cards and prints lined with individual QR codes is also a plus.

The Polaroid Zip is set to launch this spring with a suggested retailed price of $130.

Former Senior Editor, Living Articles

Brandon Widder is a multimedia journalist and a staff writer for Digital Trends where he covers technology news, how-to…

Topics

Emerging Tech

Anti-surveillance clothing is getting cheaper, but don’t expect an invisibility cloak

Affordable shirts now claim to confuse facial recognition, although their protection depends heavily on the camera and software watching you

Chart, Plot, Adult

Anti-surveillance clothing is starting to look less like an art-school experiment and more like something you could actually wear outside. Shirts designed to confuse facial recognition systems now cost about as much as ordinary streetwear, although buying one won’t make you disappear.

The Guardian reports that designers are using face-like prints, unusual cuts and infrared lights to interfere with computer vision. These techniques target specific weaknesses, so their success depends on what happens to be watching you.

Emerging Tech

This spinning drone hides in plain sight using a visual illusion

This drone doesn't turn invisible. It tricks your brain into thinking it has.

Phantom Twist

For decades, engineers have chased the dream of an invisible drone. The usual approaches have involved transparent materials, camouflage coatings, or complex optical systems that bend light around an object. Researchers at Northwestern University decided to take a completely different route. Instead of hiding the drone itself, they chose to fool the human eye.

The result is Phantom Twist, an experimental drone that spins so rapidly it almost disappears into the background. It's not technically invisible, but to anyone watching, it looks more like a faint blur than a flying machine.

Emerging Tech

This smart knitted fabric can flip switches, count your steps, and even change shape

Grandma's knitting just entered its Iron Man era

Representative Image

For most of us, knitting brings to mind sweaters, scarves, and perhaps an ambitious grandmother determined to make winter more fashionable. Researchers at Harvard University, however, have a far more futuristic vision. They've transformed ordinary knitted fabric into a programmable material capable of changing shape, acting as an electrical switch, sensing movement, and potentially forming the foundation of tomorrow's wearable technology.

The research, published in Advanced Functional Materials by scientists at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), demonstrates how machine-knitted textiles can "snap" between multiple stable shapes without relying on motors or rigid mechanical parts.