Socialmatic Polaroid Camera to Print Instagram-Style Pictures
Camera to have built-in printer, ability to post to Facebook and Instagram.
March 4, 2013— -- An Italian design firm is taking Instagram out of the digital realm and putting it into your hands in the form of a camera that takes postcard-size photographs.
The Socialmatic camera, which bears the Polaroid brand, is expected to hit the market in the first quarter of 2014.
"There's a space to create something to fill the gap between the real and virtual world," Socialmatic CEO Antonio De Rosa told ABCNews.com in an email.
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The Socialmatic camera allows its users to point, snap and apply one of Instagram's retro filters to get various artistic effects. Keeping with the theme of turning a digital concept into something more palpable, users can post a caption on their photos before printing them.
The slim, square camera resembles the Instagram app icon. But De Rosa said product design details were still being finalized and the look could change.
The device will have a built-in Zink printer, Wi-Fi and the ability to sync photos to one's Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Socialmatic's licensing deal with Polaroid will also include accessories such as camera bags, lenses and filters, De Rosa said.
The Instagram app launched in 2010, allowing users to post retro filters to their smartphone photos before sharing them across social media. Instagram was acquired by Facebook last year for $1 billion.