Your iPhone does a pretty neat job of getting your snaps into iPhoto and onto Facebook, but the real world? Not so much. Sure, you could use it to call directory assistance to hunt down one of the few remaining photo-labs and wrestle with a kiosk (arghhhh) — OR — you could just dock your handset in the iPhone Photo Printer and turn your digi-pics into brilliant 4″ x 6″ prints in less than a minute!

With no computer, software or ink cartridges required, the iPhone Photo Printer is controlled via a FREE downloadable app that shoots out crystal-clear 300dpi prints with vibrant colors – thanks to special mess-free, patented paper with embedded yellow, magenta and cyan dye crystals.

These ultra-durable prints are smudge and tear-proof, as well as fade and water-resistant, plus the iPhone Photo Printer can be set to print either 1, 4 or 10 images per sheet – ready for passport photos, cut-and-paste collages or an index for cataloging/archiving your photography.

The iPhone Photo Printer is the size of a box of tissues, doubles as a charger for your iPhone/iPod Touch, also connects to iPad/iPad 2 or Android phones and is available now (including paper for your first 12 prints) from Hammacher Schlemmer for $159.95. Additional sheets are also available for $24.95.

Digital photo frames and portable photo printers are hot items by themselves, but this gadget called the iMo Photo Frame Printer conveniently manages to combine the two – vibrantly displaying your digital images and offering intuitive, computer-free printing from one clever standalone device.

Operating like an on-demand photo kiosk, but sitting elegantly on a bookshelf or mantelpiece – you simply insert your digital camera’s memory card into the iMo to begin a slideshow of your photos on its 8-inch 800 x 600 pixel LCD. When you spot one you like, hit the print button on the remote and you’ll have yourself a glossy 4″ x 6″ 300dpi color print that’s just like a real photo from a photolab. There’s even a function to do your passport/ID photos when you need them.

The iMo Photo Frame Printer features easy-replace, no-mess print cartridges that even include the paper – so you can spend more time sorting through photos instead of sorting out blocked print heads and paper jams.

Including slots for USB and CompactFlash, SD, MMC and xD memory cards, the iMo PhotoFrame Printer supports up to 16-megapixel JPEG images, comes with a 12 print starter cartridge and remote control and is available now over at ThinkGeek for $199.99. Additional 36 print cartridges are also available for $19.99.

Source:
ThinkGeek

Though they always make it look simple on display models, printing decent quality photos at home is often a hair-pulling affair, requiring frequent print head cleaning and regular replacements of costly ink cartridges. This little gem however, called the Portable Digital Photograph Printer not only avoids trouble by using no ink, but can print 4″ x 6″ photos directly from your camera’s memory card – without hooking it up to a computer.

How does a printer print without ink, you ask? Well, the Portable Digital Photograph Printer, like Polaroid’s automagical PoGo camera, incorporates a thermal element which activates patented, dye-impregnated paper with heat. This method takes less than a minute and produces vibrant, ready-to-touch prints that are smudge, tear, fade and water resistant.

Including a 1.5-inch LCD and simple nav-buttons to preview images before printing, the Portable Digital Photograph Printer will accept SD, Memory Stick, MS-Pro, MMC and XD card formats or optionally, plugs into your computer via USB to produce extra copies of all those old photos you’ve been busily digitizing.

Measuring 6″ long x 4″ wide x 1″ high, the Portable Digital Photograph Printer includes 5 sheets of paper to start you off and is available now over at Hammacher Schlemmer for $149.95. They also stock packs of 40 sheets for $19.95 so you’re ready for the holiday season.

Source:
Hammacher Schlemmer

The SmartShopper Voice Recognition Grocery List Organizer is an electronic hub that records and prints grocery lists for any items you’re out of. Featuring built-in voice recognition – you simply tell it any item you need and it will store, then later print an alphabetized and categorized paper list to make your shopping quicker and easier.

Featuring 2,500 food, beverage, office, household and beauty items in its database, the SmartShopper displays each item you speak on its LCD for confirmation. It can recognize products as specific as swordfish and emery boards and can even record errands you need to run such as going to the library or bank.

The Grocery List Organizer can record two different lists simultaneously – which is handy if you split the shop with a partner, or stop at different stores to get the best quality or price for certain items. The database can also store up to 5000 products in case supermarket avoidance turns your weekly shop into a monthly one (or if you have a big family).

Equipped with a magnet so you can stick it handily on the fridge, The Voice Recognition Grocery List Organizer is available now from Hammacher Schlemmer for $99.95. Might even help control those impulse buys.

Source:
Hammacher Schlemmer

The Polaroid PoGo is the latest release from the legendary instant camera manufacturer Polaroid, which promises the power and flexibility of digital photography, combined with the convenience of instant prints.

With a slim form-factor that we’ve all come to expect from digital point-and-shoot cameras, the Polaroid PoGo amazingly manages to squeeze in a built-in printer that can spit out 2 x 3-inch prints in less than a minute. The Polaroid PoGo is a 5-megapixel camera – which appears a bit behind the times, but should be more than enough for printing good quality 2 by 3s. It also comes with a large 3-inch LCD display for previewing your photos before printing, fetching 20 prints per battery charge.

The PoGo also includes all your modern digital camera features including smile detection, face tracking, red-eye removal and image stabilization, plus an SD memory card slot for saving images you’d rather store on your computer. It throws in some extras as well, such as the ability to crop or add borders to your images before printing, enabling simple image editing without connecting to your computer.

The integrated printer uses Polaroid’s ZINK (Zero Ink) technology to produce affordable prints and remain maintenance free. There are no ink cartridges to replace, just keep an ample supply of the special ZINK heat-activated paper and you’re good to go. With dimensions of 6.1″ (15.5cm) x 8.1″ (20.6cm) x 4.8″ (12.2cm) and a weight of 3 pounds (1.36kg), Polaroid should be lauded for their innovative and successful merging of old and new. This is a modern and compact product that further extends the convenience of digital photography.

The Polaroid PoGo is available for $199.99 from Amazon.com, who also stock packs of 30 of Polaroid’s ZINK paper for $12.99.

Sources:
Polaroid PoGo (Product Page) and Amazon.com
Via: Technabob

A Microsoft Surface-like device has…well…surfaced in a Sony patent app titled “Image forming device, having an ejection tray, and a display is mounted to a cover.” The device is essentially a flatbed inkjet printer with a large touchscreen display, that wirelessly downloads photos when a digital camera is placed on top. Once the download is complete, users can manipulate their images directly on the touchscreen and print them off, all through the one device.

Sony’s invention is described as being equipped with storage for printer paper on the inside, beneath the hinged lid (see image below). This would presumably allow access to the internals of the printer also, to allow the changing of ink cartridges and clearing of paper jams etc.

It must be noted that while the wireless image transfer is certainly an attractive feature, it would not function unless you had a suitably equipped camera with a transmitter and receiver. This could be easily achieved by Bluetooth, but is far from common in current cameras and knowing Sony, would more likely be some proprietary format/protocol.

Seeing as all of the technology in this patent app already exists, it does not seem like it would be difficult to produce. Whether or not Sony will decide to go ahead with production in the near future is doubtful however, considering the clobbering Japan’s tech companies are currently facing. But who knows? Maybe sometime down the track.

Sources:
USPTO (Patent Application)
Via: Engadget and Electronic Pulp