I purchased the Polaroid PoGo today and have done a fair bit of "playing" with this compact little printer over the past couple of hours. In fact, I have already used the first package of 10 sheets of Zink (Zero Ink) paper that come with the printer. So my first recommendation is; if you are planning on buying a PoGo, I highly recommend getting extra paper so you can get through your "testing" phase without having to purchase more paper. However, don't go crazy and buy too much, there are expiration dates on the paper which may affect your picture quality if you take to long to "expose" (print) them.Connectivity:
I have tested the Bluetooth capabilities with my Motorola Q, Laptop Computer (Bluetooth enabled), my desk-top Windows Vista computer (with Radio Shack "Bluespoon" Bluetooth 2.0 adaptor added) and my PictBridge capable Canon Powershot A 640 camera (directly connected to PoGo via USB cable) and the printer worked like a charm in all of the above tests!
Speed of Printing:
Print time is about 1 minute per photo. There was no noticeable change in print speed with any of the tests I performed. Using the Bluetooth (wireless) connection or plugging in your USB cable directly from your camera did not seem to make any difference as to how fast the image printed.
Image Quality:
Not great...but not the worst I have seen either...The pictures I printed from my camera (via USB connection) looked better than my pictures from my cell phone, but this was likely due to the higher megapixel image created by my camera versus the 1 megapixel image from my cell phone. However, the "white balance" of both my camera and cell phone images were a little "off". The whites were extremely white (almost washed-out) and the dark (shadow areas) were very dark. So if you stay away from printing bright "beach / snow" images or dark "night" photographs you will be OK. Photos with lots of color (flowers, for example) looked pretty good when printed with the PoGo.
Cool things to do:
The adhesive on the back of the photo paper is a nice feature of this product. This makes it possible to add pictures to your hand written journals. You can stick them to business card magnets and put photos all over your refrigerator. You can make photo luggage tags, cards and much, much more.
If you don't need the highest quality image, but want to do some fun, creative stuff with photographs I would definitely recommend the PoGo. If you are a photographer hoping that the PoGo would give you a quick "proof" of what your printed images will look like, then this printer is probably not for you, since the image quality is not as good as you could get with some standard ink jet printers.
Have fun...
Now for the rough spots. While I really enjoy this printer, you should probably be aware of some hassles you may encounter (as I did). The battery life is not super-great it's rated at 15 pictures, but if it's cold outside you may find the battery dead until you warm the unit up again. The metal case doesn't help matters in this regard. You can bring the charger with you, but be aware that the charger is about as big as the unit itself a minor annoyance.
Picture quality there's a reason the prints are so small. The quality is somewhat marginal, but usable. Most people are impressed that the thing exists in the first place and don't scrutinize the prints that much, so the quality is generally good enough. I attended a wedding and started printing lots of prints for an on-the-spot scrapbook. The printer started streaking badly on the prints. There is a cleaning process you can run, but it became quite a time-consuming hassle. Not to mention the waste each time a print was unusable.
I still give it four stars because it's a fun product and usually works well. The Bluetooth connection is a great feature for cell phone pics. Just be aware that you may have some occasional hassles.
Update: I've discovered that I get consistently very good looking results by keeping the special blue cleaning/calibrating sheet that comes with each pack. I run the sheet through before using the printer each day (if it hasn't been used that day), and also after every three prints. The colors come out nice and rich, and no streaks!
Buy Polaroid CZA-20011B PoGo Instant Mobile Printer (Black) Now
I used to take my old Polaroid on every trip and give people a picture of themselves and while they were admiring it would snap another picture--they were always smiling in that second picture. Now I can do it again. I have only printed a few samples but am very happy with the quality (printed from my Canon SD900) and time to print. My only negative comment is that the charger is large and heavy. I am hoping I can find an extra battery as sometimes it is hard to find electricity for charging when traveling. I definitely recommend this product.Read Best Reviews of Polaroid CZA-20011B PoGo Instant Mobile Printer (Black) Here
The new PoGo mobil printer from Polaroid is a very nifty little gadget. While not a high end printer, this will serve the BBQ, sports, school, birthday party, college campus circles just fine. I also see vast almost unlimited potential for artists. Being an artist myself and a lover of traditional Polaroid film this new portable printer is a new step in the right direction for Polaroid. With no ink to speak of this ZINK, (zero ink) printer removes a very pricey aspect of home based printing. I found a pack of 30 prints for a mere $10 at Best Buy today. I was also the only one waiting to get one of these when the doors opened.I already see that a digital camera/POGO printer is in the works. taking pictures with this thing is actually all that is lacking. The print size is small but i am sure Polaroid is just testing the waters. With their old technology cameras and film on the way out, it is nice to see a new, simple, clean technology replacing the old before it has even left the shelves. I do love traditional Polaroid film and hope they find a way to keep it around, even if only in a limited/artsy capacity.
The quality on these small prints is decent. Nothing spectacular though. Decent enough for casual prints. Nothing more.
Thoughts for future models:
* Larger Paper Models
* Built in Camera with a macro lens
* Cool Polaroid Special Effects (BW, Old film, Sepia, negative, borders, Etc.)
* Miniature Spy version
* I'm sure I will think of more after a few days.
So that is the skinny so far. great little product with room to grow.
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I bought the Polaroid Pogo Instant Mobile Printer a short time ago. I am a techno savvy, 'Gadgety' person and love to try new gadgets. The day I got it I sat down at my desk and read all the manuals and guides that came with it completely before even charging the battery. Then I minutely examined the entire contents of the package. I was surprised to find a tiny screw wedged in the internal paper path of the printer. It was no problem to dislodge and remove. I again inspected the printer carefully, unable to find where the screw might have come from. (must have been dropped inside during manufacture) Having satisfied my curiosity and assured myself that things were good to go, I plugged it in and charged it up, rereading the manual while waiting for it to finish charging. I took some pics with my LG VX9900 enV cell phone and located some pics on my Canon SD 1100is camera that I wanted to print. When everything was good to go, I proceeded to print my pics from the camera and the phone. The printer worked flawlessly with both devices. I truly believe that anything will work if you 'read and follow instructions'. Loading the film media couldn't have been easier. Getting the printer to pair with my cell phone via bluetooth was simple. Using Pictbridge with my camera was easy. And, most important of all to me, it was loads of fun to use! Before I bought this little printer, I researched the compatibility with my various devices, so compatibility was never an issue. As far as the strikes that other reviewers have given this printer all I can say is that this is a GADGET. It was never meant to compete with a full size printer. Sure the print quality is only adequate rather than superb. Sure the prints are tiny. Sure the media/paper is expensive in comparison to the cost per print of 35mm developed photos. But! You don't have the portable convenience using either of those other options. Yes, the transformer for charging this printer is huge in comparison to the size of the device. Yes the battery life leaves much to be desired. But what do you expect from a gadget/toy? I for one am very pleased with the performance of the Pogo. It is no more and no less than what I expected. And when I take it out with me to print pics on the fly, the 'Ooh and Ah' factor is quite gratifying, to say the least. In conclusion, all I can say is to review your own expectations before you commit to buy any kind of tech gadget, do your research and then make an informed buying decision.
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