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The Impossible Project launches its iOS app ahead of the Instant Lab's debut
Making old photography new again is all the rage these days. Although The Impossible Project's Instant Lab isn't due to launch until late August, the company decided to debut the companion iOS app today in the iTunes store. It's a little early to the party since users won't be able to capitalize on all of its features without the Instant Lab, but there are still some options to fiddle around with while you wait. The free app functions as part lab extension, part scanner; you can digitize your analog photos with the scanning feature before sharing them with your buddies. Once the Impossible Instant Lab is available for purchase, you'll be able to use your iPhone 4 (or above) to turn your digital photos into faux-vintage Polaroid-style prints. You'll have to sit tight until August 29th to unlock the app's true potential, but if you're impatient, you can download it at the source link below.
Impossible Instant Lab mobile photo booth ships August 29th for $299
There's a certain irony to the Impossible Instant Lab taking a long time to develop, but we won't mind (much) now that it has a solid release date. The instant photo kit ships to stores on August 29th, when it will cost the same $299 that The Impossible Project promised during its crowdfunding campaign. Compatibility hasn't changed much since then -- you'll need to use at least an iPhone 4 or fourth-generation iPod touch, and there's no immediate support for devices using Android or other platforms. If that's no barrier, however, you can bring your digital photos to the analog world in a matter of weeks.
Impossible Instant Lab iPhone photo booth hands-on (video)
Life's hard when you're an analog enthusiast in the early 21st century. Thankfully, however, you're not alone in this world -- there are fellow travelers like the folks behind The Impossible Project, folks who bought a Polaroid factory to continue production on the company's famed instant film. As we noted roughly a week ago, the company's also launched a Kickstarter to create an iPhone-friendly gadget to go along with it. It's since handily met its goal and is still chugging along at around $440,000 (from a proposed $250,000), with a full 19 days to go. The company also made an appearance on the show floor here at Photokina to show off what its been working on. The Impossible Instant Lab is still in the prototype stages, as with a number of devices we've seen here today -- though it's fully operational. We got a demo of the thing from one of the folks at Impossible -- just load the film into the rollers on the bottom, extend the old timey accordion top, choose the proper settings in the company's iPhone app and place it in the holder.
Insert Coin: Impossible Instant Lab makes iPhone photos tangible
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Going back to a physical medium isn't just for vinyl lovers. The Impossible Project (TIP) wants to make our iPhone photos equally concrete through its extra-simple Impossible Instant Lab. Don't worry about setting up AirPrint or otherwise jumping through software hoops: the Lab captures the screen and prints it to Polaroid-compatible instant film as a keepsake. The design is even collapsible and battery-powered in the event you'd like to hand out hard copies on the spot. It's no hobbyist effort, either, with a Leica designer and a former Polaroid factory both involved in making the Lab a reality. TIP is planning to move beyond its initial iPhone 4 and 4S support to include future iPhones and, if all goes well, more commonplace Android hardware. Investing in this Kickstarter project sidesteps novelties like t-shirts in favor of the real product -- and provides a very strong incentive to buy early. Backers quick on the trigger can pay as little as $149 for a Lab with a voucher for free film, or about half the $299 retail price. Pay the full cost and you'll get a special black version with an extra voucher, while $2,000 will provide both a gold edition and a trip to the ex-Polaroid factory in Enschede, The Netherlands. Cameras could be in retro photographers' hands as soon as February, but only if TIP reaches its $250,000 funding goal by October 8th. If your parents would like a little more than a Facebook photo gallery as a souvenir, or Instagram just isn't nostalgic enough, you can hit the source link to show support and make the Instant Lab real.
