One of the more peculiar Android devices on the CES show floor was Polaroid's Smart Camera. We played around with the device and left rather unimpressed.
To the naked eye, the Smart Camera looks like your run of the mill point-and-shoot camera, complete with a 3x optical zoom. Flip the device over and the camera can easily be mistaken as a standard Android phone.
The Smart Camera runs an unspecified, vanilla version of Android 2, and is fully equipped with Gmail, Navigation and access to the Android Market. As odd as it may be, this means that you can download games to the camera via Wi-Fi. On the upside, you also have the ability to grab camera apps from the Market to make it even more versatile.
Unfortunately, the camera was one of the device's weakest features. Although it can shoot 16MP photos, it still doesn't compare to some of the better smartphone cameras, like the ones seen on the Apple iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy S II, or other point-and-shooters. The optical zoom is an obvious advantage, but likely won't be enough incentive for you to pick up the Smart Camera.
Polaroid was also showing off their Instant Mobile Printer, featuring a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery for quick prints on the go. Sending a photo from the Smart Camera was easy with Polaroid's pre-installed app, but the process was slow and not very "instant."
The small 4x3-inch photos are in full color, but the results were generally underwhelming. At $20 for 30 prints, the overall package is a tough sell.
Pricing and availability for Polaroid's Smart Camera have yet to be announced. The Instant Mobile Printer is available now for $149.99.
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