Polaroid's barebones a520 digital camera

While Polaroid may have had that snap 'n shake camera market locked down, it certainly isn't atop the list of quality digital cameras, but the a520 isn't parading around attempting to be anything more than a bottom-of-the-line, wallet-friendly offering anyway. While the company's 10-megapixel i1032 was relatively uninspiring, this compact shooter should certainly appeal to budget-conscious consumers looking for a basic, simple way to take digital photos. The pocketable cam sports a modest five megapixel CMOS sensor, 2-inch LCD monitor, 16MB of built-in storage, SD support (limited to 1GB cards or smaller), and a VGA movie mode. Unfortunately -- albeit expectedly -- you'll find a (nearly worthless) 4x digital zoom in place of the more functional optical variety, and while it touts integrated "redeye reduction," we have our doubts concerning its effectiveness. Nevertheless, this diminutive P&S probably boasts enough capability for those wanting a (very) basic digital alternative to buying all those disposables, and can be found for the super-cheap price of about ¥10,000 ($85) when it drops in October.

[Via Far East Gizmos]