Polaroid Bringing Back Classic 4x3 Insta-Prints With Forthcoming Digital Zink Cam

John Mahoney — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:00:00 EDT

While the tears spilled mourning the death of Polaroid's instant film division are still somewhat damp, the company has a little spark of an announcement that could make hardcore 'roiders (of the best kind) happy—the company looks like it's finally getting serious about building its Zink instant digital printing tech into a camera. And it won't use the diminutive 2 x 3 inch format currrently spit out by the PoGo printer, which is the only product that currently features Zink tech. Instead, the new camera is planning to use the classic 4x3 vertical rectangle size, which became the company's trademark. And they're even taking (or pretending to take) suggestions from the public on the camera's features.

Just drop by the Amateur Photographer site and fill out the form, rating which features are important. Not a whole ton of flexibility here, but it's a nice gesture.

Zink's dye crystals are built into the paper itself, so there's no need for the white chemical pack/label area/shaking handle of the classics, but let's hope they keep that anyway, for old time's sake. I would encourage everyone to vote for that, as a write-in.

We've already seen a prototype camera packing Polaroid's Zink instant digital printing tech (at the 2x3 size), which is still apparently going to ship, someday. The new 4x3 cam is scheduled for "sometime in 2009." [Amateur Photography via Gadget Lab - Image: mocvdleung]

Shoogle Gives Your Cellphone Balls of Steel that Shake, Rattle and Roll

Charlie White — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:55:18 EST

If your cellphone's not quite annoying enough for you yet, researchers have created Shoogle, software that combines vibrations and sound effects to let you know when messages come in, how many you have in your inbox, and when you're battery's running low. The software uses the phone's accelerometer, so when you shake it, it makes you feel like you have balls of brass (clinking around inside your cellphone, that is). Cellphone running out of juice? Shake that thing, and you'll hear and feel a volume of liquid sloshing around in there, getting smaller as your battery's power diminishes. There's even a animation to go along with each vibration and noise. Might be fun for a minute or two, but seems like this commotion might get old pretty fast. [New Scientist]

Gizmodo: shake it

Polaroid Bringing Back Classic 4x3 Insta-Prints With Forthcoming Digital Zink Cam

Shoogle Gives Your Cellphone Balls of Steel that Shake, Rattle and Roll