Tomy xiao digital camera has built in Zink printer, the spirit of Polaroids

Like just about everyone else, we miss the Polaroid film format; maybe it's just nostalgia, but we enjoyed having something we could hold on to (and shake) after taking a picture. Polaroids may be dead, but the basic concept lives on -- remember Zink, that company whose technology prints digital photos on the spot without ink? It's joined forces with toy-maker Tomy to make the xiao TIP-521, a digital camera with a printer built in. The xiao has a modest five megapixel resolution, so we might wait and see how Polaroid's own Zink camera turns out, but in either case we're stoked the tactile experience is back.

[Via Market Watch]

[BJ is Gooder @ Nov 6th 2008 2:31PM]

Polaroid is still the posthumous king...

[Patrick @ Nov 6th 2008 2:52PM]

to be honest I thought that Polaroid was as dead as the mcdonalds buyer 1 ate for lunch

[lowdef @ Nov 6th 2008 3:19PM]

? care to rephrase

[paragraph @ Nov 6th 2008 2:44PM]

I still use (and purchase film for) a polaroid instant camera. I don't carry it in my camera bag (thats for my crappy PnS digicam and whatever Film SLR i chose that day), but from time to time i take my polaroid for a spin. It'll eventually go the way of the Holga, just not yet.

[Cadillac @ Nov 6th 2008 2:45PM]

I am stoked too... for 6 months, until they discontinue the sucker and the paper that goes in it.

[y3k.nik @ Nov 6th 2008 3:09PM]

Whats the point? Its adding to the weight of what you are carrying!

I would prefer buying a potable image station instead of buying that, so that I wont have to carry my printer around with me but it can still be close enough to me, to print pictures on vacations etc.

[Crayola @ Nov 6th 2008 3:35PM]

Apparently 'xiao' can mean small or crazy depending on which region you are from :D

[ntlam @ Nov 6th 2008 6:37PM]

"xiao" = crazy ;-)
crazy idea = brilliant idea

[Valicore @ Nov 7th 2008 2:54AM]

ahahahaha, I was totally thinking xiao3 like 小心 lol.

[superkev @ Nov 6th 2008 3:17PM]

Seems like printing photos immediately is the only reason to have one of these cams, so the 5MP resolution should be more than adequate. It's a fun idea... I'd like to see how it evolves into other form factors.

[BeniRose @ Nov 6th 2008 3:27PM]

I can already hear the hipsters complaining about how analog was just so much better than digital.

[tekdroid @ Nov 6th 2008 8:11PM]

People prefer different cameras and films and lenses (some old, some new) for their 'look' or character, much like some prefer Polaroids for their own unique look, much like some prefer analogue mastering to digital mastering. Each technology imparts its own character, whether it be sonic signature or image. Every technology, every different model has it advantages and disadvantages, none being 'perfect'. You can get digital stuff that's horrible much like you can get analogue stuff that's great, and vice-versa.

So I don't think this is about 'hipsters' commenting at all. People have different tastes. Many 'high-tech' artists still prefer mastering on good analogue tapes...yes, many CDs you have listened to were mastered from them. Does that make them 'hipsters'?

[BeniRose @ Nov 6th 2008 8:21PM]

I think you missed the joke. I'm a huge proponent of analog devices as well as digital. I actually run a digital studio, but I would love to get into analog. The joke was that hipsters think everything is better in analog regardless of the actual quality of what's getting captured with that medium. Thus, anything recorded with an analog 4-track or on polaroid is gold and anything recorded in a DAW or captured on a DSLR is just rubbish and "simply not art".

[InvadrZIM @ Nov 6th 2008 3:39PM]

actually you weren't suppose to shake Polaroids...

and this is neat. i don't think weight enters into it much because it looks like its pocket ready and once something is in your pocket it doesn't really matter how heavy it unless its obscenely heavy

[TopaZ @ Nov 6th 2008 3:42PM]

60 Seconds?!?! Yuck.

Call me when it's

[TopaZ @ Nov 6th 2008 3:47PM]

continued:

"Call me when it's less than 5 seconds, then it will be a true competitor for traditional Polaroids."

[konshuss @ Nov 6th 2008 4:01PM]

you could'e printed 5 photos in the time it took you to complete a single thought.

[Eli Gundry @ Nov 6th 2008 3:53PM]

What's so bad about a 5 megapixel resolution on this camera? 5 megapixels is more than enough for a decent picture, and anymore on a camera like this, with it's small print size, is overkill. Hell, it might make the picture a little worse.

The only people that really care about the resolution of their pictures are those of us who want to edit or print their pictures, of which neither are this items target audience. I really hope this product takes off.

[Geof @ Nov 6th 2008 4:22PM]

yeah i am w/ Eli....wtf...when did 5 megapixel become a bad thing, or so "modest"??? my first digi cam was like 1/2 megapixel, and I remember when 1 was like WOW that is a lot!! while my current camera goes up to 5, i very very rarely shoot past 3. is that old school??

I think this is a neat idea and hope it works as cool as it sounds...my daughters would love it!

[Das Gluten @ Nov 6th 2008 7:34PM]

And there you have the market for this kind of thing. My mini polaroid was cool too, when I was six. Other than the fact that each picture cost me about 75 cents because of the ridiculously hard to find, super-expensive, very quickly discontinued film.

[Valicore @ Nov 7th 2008 3:01AM]

Megapixels are overrated. Yes if it's 1MP v. 5MP 5 is better, but for family photos do I really need 50 megapixels?

[Trevor @ Nov 6th 2008 5:38PM]

Now when will they combine this with a cell phone and try to sell us THAT monstrosity?

[Shagwell73 @ Nov 7th 2008 12:43AM]

WOW!!!! They reinvented the polaroid!!!!! Gimmee a break!!!! Whats next?? They going to reinvent the compass with some kinda computer satellite monstrosity??? :-)

[curiouscat @ Nov 7th 2008 8:15AM]

Hi. I saw your post through one of my friends and I'm really interested in purchasing one, unless it's unreasonably costy. Are they released already in the market?

[Dan @ Nov 7th 2008 2:24PM]

BLOG FAIL

[Grus @ Nov 8th 2008 7:53AM]

"a modest five megapixel resolution." Yeah, beacuse you'd definitely need 12 megapixels for everything that has a camera -_-