Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer Review

Jul 6, 2010 by Shivendu Madhava

Click a picture, print a picture… instantly!

The young whippersnappers among our readers might not remember the good ol’ days when the Polaroid camera ruled every tourist spot. You posed with your family as the cheerful photographer framed your moment through his viewfinder and clicked. A small white paper rolled out of his camera, which he took out and shook furiously. As if by magic, your picture started to appear on that little white sheet!

But film slowly started going out of style as digital cameras took over the market. Polaroid’s instant-print photo was no match for a generation where you could click a photo of yourself using that little device in your pocket that normally hears you go “Hello?”

Still, the company was not ready to give in. As the cell phone increasingly became the weapon of choice for simple photography, Polaroid decided to target these devices. The thinking was that there would always be a need for instant photographs, the technology just had to be adapted to it.

The first problem that the Polaroid faced was that printers required ink cartridges, installing and replacing which is a tedious task. The company’s researchers set to work and came out with a new technology that altogether eliminated the need for ink in printing!
Called Zink (short for zero ink), the technology uses the photo paper itself as the source of colour. The patented Zink paper is an advanced composite material that is embedded with 100 billion dye crystals of yellow, magenta and cyan.

The ‘printer’ itself heats the appropriate parts of the paper as per the image, such that the desired crystals are activated and the paper is coloured. A single print of the 2×3-inch photo paper takes about 30 seconds to finish.

Being completely inkless, there is no waiting for the ink to dry. As soon as it’s out of the device, what you see is what you get.

Ah, the device itself. The Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer is a portable gadget that measures 4.7×2.8 inches and is just under an inch thick. Weighing around 230 grams, the tiny size and light weight ensures that you can easily carry it around without it inconveniencing you.

Before using the device, you will have to put in the requisite special photo paper. A small button throws open the door to insert the paper, along with a calibration sheet. Shut it and switch it on for the device to automatically align the print settings and spit out the calibration sheet.

Now, if you have a picture on your cell phone that you wish to print, the method is quite easy. In the options for the image, select ‘Send via Bluetooth’. Once your phone asks you to choose a Bluetooth device, select the entry for the Polaroid PoGo. That’s it! You will hear the printer go active and start its process. In sixty seconds, you will be holding a printout of your image in your hand. And yes, with the inkless technology, there’s no need to shake it. What’s more, they’re smudge-free, water-resistant and can’t be torn!
A single charge of the printer claims to let you print about 15 photos, which is quite sufficient according to us. After all, how many photos would you click and print in a day with your handset?

All in all, the Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer is one of the best add-ons out there for any person who loves the little lens on the back of his mobile phone.

It is not available in India at the moment, but if you have anyone coming down from the US, this is a great buy. Alternatively, you can always order it online and have it shipped. In either case, we also suggest you pick up a few extra packs of the photo paper!

Product: Polaroid PoGo

Price: $100 (Rs. 5,000 approx)

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