Before there were digital cameras, humans had to get their impatient photographic ya-ya's out using Polaroid cameras. The images were lousy, couldn't be reproduced or enlarged, were frequently blurry and completely devoid of realistic color.
But, since Dr. Edwin Land perfected his revolutionary chemical miracle in 1932, Polaroid has flourished as a company. That is, until February of 2008, when the digital revolution caught up to Polaroid and it announced that it would halt production of all of its instant film production. While the art world mourned the loss of a beloved creative medium, Polaroid was working behind the scenes to reinvent itself.
The first steps towards that reinvention were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show last week, as Polaroid announced the creation of the world's first instant digital camera, using a whole new instant photograph substrate that harkens back to the days of their instant film.
Called the PoGo, the device is a 5 megapixel digital camera that can print 2x3 sticky-back photographs on a new instant developing paper that uses what Polaroid has called "Zink" (zero-ink) technology.
What's more, as a fully digital camera the PoGo allows you to preview your shots before you print them and will allow you to download the images to your computer for printing on another device or for future uploading to a website. None of these options were available with the previous generations of instant photography.
If the PoGo takes off (and at a $199 retail price point, it should), I would imagine that Polaroid will be able to advance the options available with their Zink technology to include larger prints that can be used by both consumers and professionals.
Just when you thought that printing technology couldn't get any more exciting or interesting, something comes along and fools you.
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