Polaroid to shake Instant Digital photo frame into reality [Update: sorry, game off!]

For every terrible mockup we see, there's a few that stand out -- and it looks like that Digital Polaroid frame concept we spotted a couple weeks ago caught some eyes over at Polaroid as well, because the company has apparently contacted designer Dave Friedman and is working on making it a real product. That's a pretty fitting tribute to a classic gone by -- but we won't be appeased unless you can shake this thing to make new photos appear.

Update: Looks like Stuff misconstrued a simple statement made by a Polaroid employee (that he saw and "liked" the concept), and ran the whole thing as fact. Shocking. David Friedman, the concept's originator, got in touch and let us know that "I wish [it] were the case, but unfortunately the first I heard of this was earlier today in a post on Stuff Magazine's website. ... So I think this still goes in the "rumor" category for now."

[phanbouy @ Mar 13th 2008 4:07PM]

i can't quite say why, but this whole phenomenon reminds me of starbucks gift cards for some reason

[ReggieXuk @ Mar 13th 2008 4:09PM]

They should make it the size of an actual Polaroid, but flexible. Imagine a wall of Polaroids with morphing images. I need a job.

[White|Phatt @ Mar 13th 2008 4:16PM]

That's a neat idea.. I picture it something like a flexible OLED the size of a poloroid, with a microSD card slot. :-)

[7on @ Mar 13th 2008 4:57PM]

I pictured Harry Potter pictures...

[Mike @ Mar 13th 2008 4:11PM]

Nice! When I saw the first post about this I thought that it was a real product. Of course a quick Google product search turned up nothing and I felt lame. It is nice to see that the corporate big wigs do actually listen to consumers as I think this would make a trendy little gift around those holiday times!

[White|Phatt @ Mar 13th 2008 4:12PM]

Not that it matters much, but the whole 'shaking the polorid' to aid in it's development is a myth, and doesn't hold any merritt to actually speed up the film development process. :-)

[phanbouy @ Mar 13th 2008 4:34PM]

tell that to Outkast. Pfffffffffffffft!

[Anthony @ Mar 13th 2008 10:31PM]

Why you gots ta ruin my childhood? You're just like that babysitter I had who told me going into the closet w/ him was a good idea.

[JD9000 @ Mar 13th 2008 4:17PM]

Polaroid made an press release to that effect when the 'shake it like a polaroid' song made it big. Back to the subject at hand, props to Kodak on doing the right thing; Contacting the maker with a business offer rather than a call from a laywer.

[Aytunc @ Mar 13th 2008 4:22PM]

Dude, when did Kodak bought Polaroid?

[Khris @ Mar 13th 2008 4:33PM]

The same time your grammar skills went on vacation.

[JD9000 @ Mar 13th 2008 5:00PM]

Doh! I guess I can understand why Polaroid sued Kodak (and won)... so schucks like me don't mix the two companies up.

[tudor @ Mar 13th 2008 7:47PM]

The song is, hey ya

[sinerasis @ Mar 13th 2008 4:23PM]

I think it'd be cool if it was the size of a real one like others have said, but when you shake it a new picture comes up (either the next one or a random that's loaded on there). Not only have your cool pictures, but interaction with people that want to see them, creating another memorable moment to cherish forever... (gush)

[pacheco @ Mar 13th 2008 4:26PM]

There should be an iPhone app where you can take pictures and you shake your iPhone to make it appear....let's just not shake too hard or you'll break your pretty device.

[krellish @ Mar 13th 2008 6:17PM]

that sounds pretty dumb. soon enough apple will have to start giving away wriststraps and you'll hear stories about people throwing their iphone through their tv.

[Bad Beaver @ Mar 13th 2008 4:27PM]

Awesome development! Mark me up for one, "life size" please.

[Ant @ Mar 13th 2008 4:33PM]

Why not add an acelerometer so you can shake it to reveal the next photo, like the old ad. That would be a great touch, not that difficult to do either. Needs a nice 300ppi screen to realy get things going. Flexible would be good but a nice solid little white frame.

[Ant @ Mar 13th 2008 4:36PM]

We all think the same thing at the same time, funny.

[7on @ Mar 13th 2008 5:23PM]

You could get by with 150ppi, it's not exactally the tech elite buying digital picture frams o.o

[EasySt @ Mar 14th 2008 4:31AM]

A Chumby has an accelerometer, and can already do exactly that, for pictures and more...

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 13th 2008 5:05PM]

Honestly whats all the buzz about?!

These digital photo frame pictures have been around for a few years.

So someone decides to change the color and shape of the frame?

BIG DEAL!

[Shake it! @ Mar 13th 2008 5:24PM]

What is buzz about? The buzz is about a clever product. Yeah, digiframes have been around for awhile now, but hey, so have cars, computers, and music...that does not mean that once something has been around for awhile it is past the point of innovation. This is a clever and innovative product that taps into the memories of an entire generation. I for one will get one.

[jojo @ Mar 13th 2008 6:39PM]

If it was just a digital picture frame, then of course it would be no big deal...they are a dime a dozen. However, this device captures a lot of the Polaroid charm. I'd be willing to pay big bucks for this whereas you couldn't pay me to keep a normal digital picture frame.

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 14th 2008 3:40PM]

lol. no, seriously?

[krellish @ Mar 13th 2008 6:13PM]

That would be cool if they had the words on the bottom in e-ink too, on top of the shaking it.

[pball_inuyasha @ Mar 13th 2008 8:50PM]

if i get what your saying i'll add something to it
how about you could tag the photos then that tag would display on the bottom in some chosen font like handwriting.
Then the pic would have a title or something, like how people write on the back of pics

[robert1966 @ Mar 13th 2008 8:50PM]

I think the shaking is a sweet idea. Especially if instead of just changing the pic, it changes it by having the screen go gray and fading in the new pic..although not as slowly as a real Polaroid. I never wanted a digital picture frame til now...I love this one. And yes, it needs to be the actual size of a real Polaroid...let's hope they actually do this thing right when they release it.

[kneeyogi @ Mar 13th 2008 11:09PM]

Not sure if already exists, but how about a digital photo frame with a built-in photo printer so you can get a hard copy whenever you want? Cash in on the nostalgia by printing on Polaroid paper.

Even cooler would be a frame with a Polaroid film cartridge in the back that you could expose with the LCD screen (with appropriate additional backlighting and optics). This probably wouldn't make it as a commercial product, but would be an awesome project for those DIYers out there.

[Geir E @ Mar 14th 2008 9:15AM]

Forget the stupid shake, just release a photo frame that shows a photo with a subtitle in your favorite font - then changes after a while.

The subtitle could be an oled that lit through the color like the sony flash players - nothing more fancy. Just a ever changing polariod style (hopefully a tad bigger) photo frame.

With wlan and the ability to control every one from one computer anywhere in the house would be perfect. Add motion sensors so that it doesn't wear out the screen when nobody is in viewing distance and it would be perfect.