Polaroid introduces SC1630 high-end digital camera powered by Android

UPDATE: Continuing to stare at this bizarre device, it eventually hit us that the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera is almost exactly identical to the altek Leo - a camera-centric Android smartphone that we previewed in March 2011. The altek Leo that we previewed was almost exactly the same in terms of appearance, and featured a 14MP camera, so obviously what we're dealing with here is not a product built from the ground up, but rather, simply a rebranded device. The only thing that doesn't become clear is whether or not the SC1630 can act as phone, similarly to the altek Leo, or has been stripped off of such goodies. On one hand, it does appear to have an earpiece on the images, but on the other, there are no phone or contacts icons seen there either.

A name from the past is trying to make a comeback using new technology as Polaroid has introduced a smart camera powered by Android. The device, said by the manufacturer to be a high-end digital camera, is called the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera. With a 3.2 inch touchscreen display and Wi-Fi connectivity, you could be excused for confusing it with a smartphone if it weren't for the lens on the back of the device

On board the camera is a 36-108mm lens and 16MP sensor with built-in 3X optical zoom. Once a picture has been snapped, you can use a Wi-Fi connection to upload it to a social networking site with the press of a single button. Polaroid says that the SC1630 weighs 5 ounces and has all of the features of a digital camera, except that it is powered by Google's open source OS. And not only can you take high-def snapshots, but the camera also shoots high-def video as well. As much as 32GB of storage can be added through a microSD card. The camera supports the Android Market which means that you can install apps related to picture taking, among others.

The Polaroid SC 1630 allows the user to select from 18 different shooting modes and view pictures on the touchscreen display captured at 36mm or full 108mm magnification. Polaroid has included a feature it calls Smart Album which allows you to store your pictures by date, location or subject. The location of the shot can be noted through the use of geotagging. And you can also edit your shots to make them more to your liking. These editing features include cropping, red-eye removal, resizing and color correction. The rechargeable battery will allow the camera to be used all day on a single charge.

With pricing to be determined later, the Polaroid SC1630 will be available sometime during 2012.

source: Polaroid