August 8th - 2008

WIRED OFFICE: PoGo goes where you go

Hard to believe it was more than 60 years ago that Polaroid introduced the instant camera amazing consumers with its ability to produce a printed picture within 60 seconds.

Hard to believe it was more than 60 years ago that Polaroid introduced the instant camera amazing consumers with its ability to produce a printed picture within 60 seconds. Now, the magic of Polaroid instant prints has caught up with the digital age in the form of Polaroid’s PoGo, a pocket-sized, inkless digital photo printer.
 
PoGo – short for Polaroid on-the-go – produces full-color photos wirelessly from Bluetooth-enabled cell phones and via PictBridge from digital cameras. Nowadays, cameras are everywhere, but getting a photograph in your hand still means accessing a personal computer or sending digital files to a photo lab. Weighing only eight ounces, and about the size of a deck of cards, PoGo provides consumers with a convenient solution for sharing digital images trapped on cell phones and digital cameras. 
 
PoGo uses a revolutionary ZINK (Zero Ink) printing technology to produce borderless, full-color, 2-inch by 3-inch prints in less than 60 seconds. ZINK Photo Paper is a durable material that contains colorless cyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals. When the image file is beamed from the camera to the printer, a program translates pixel information into heat information. Then, as the paper passes under the printhead, the heat activates the colors within the paper and brings the photos to life.
 
Early reviews on this new gadget are mostly positive with a few downsides including photo quality issues and the relatively high cost to print. ZINK photo paper will retail for between 33 and 40 cents per print; and 10-packs will cost $3.99, while 30 packs will cost $9.99. According to a U.S. market research firm, the potential market for instant printing of photos captured by phones is vast and untapped. The same firm predicts more than 478 billion photographs will be taken worldwide this year, mostly by camera phones. However, only a small fraction of these will end up as prints. PoGo will likely be most popular among gadget lovers or teenagers who enjoy exchanging photos. REALTORS® may also find the PoGo useful when they want to hand an instant image to a prospective buyer or seller.
 
Instant cell phone prints
Polaroid PoGo makes it easy to print photos from a cell phone. You can wirelessly transfer images from a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to the mobile printer and print. Using the built-in OBEX (object exchange profile) Bluetooth in the phone and printer, connecting and printing becomes instant. Polaroid offers directions for different phones on its website at http://polaroid.com/pogo/comptool/index.html, but basically, to print photos from a cell phone:

  1. Select the image you would like to print from the stored images on your cell phone. In the “options” menu, select “send via Bluetooth.” Search for devices and select the Polaroid printer and print.  
  2. If you are unable to print from “send via Bluetooth,” select “connectivity” or “Bluetooth” under the “settings” or “tools” menu. Search for devices and select the Polaroid printer. Once paired, go back to stored images and select the image you want to print. In the “options” menu, select “beam” or “send via Bluetooth.” Select the Polaroid printer and print.
  3. If your cell phone does not include “send via Bluetooth” under the “options” menu, select the image you want to print. Select the “options” menu and select “print via Bluetooth.” Search for devices, select the Polaroid printer, and print.

This next evolution of instant photography was unveiled at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January and went on sale at Best Buy stores in the U.S. for about $150 this summer. Polaroid says it will be available for pre-ordering online from Best Buy across North America starting July 6. It's also available at Target, but they don't ship to Canada, so it might be worth a stop if you are across the border for business or pleasure. To find out more visit http://polaroid.com/pogo.

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