Looks like Polaroid has announced a ship date for the Polaroid Pogo. Or should I say month? According to Like Cool, Polaroid will ship the Pogo Instant Digital Camera next month. If you recall, the Pogo was the merging of a digital camera with the Zink portable printer. The Zink, which stood for “zero ink” prints a smudge-proof, water-resistant, fade resistant print with a no ink, heat activated process. Polaroid has been waiting for this development (pardon the pun) so they could finally get back to what their core business was … instant print pictures.

When instant print film died a lingering death (which Polaroid finally put out of it’s misery by simply stopping production), they wandered the wilderness of digital cameras with lackluster designs which could be consider “also rans.” Copies of what everyone else was doing. But it’s identity was always about instant print images and now, it can finally get back to that with the Pogo. But could it have killed them to make the print the classic Polaroid look with a chin on the bottom?

The Pogo will provide a 5 megapixel image, but sadly, no zoom lens. It will include a 3” color LCD screen and expanded SD memory. It will print a 2×3” digital print in about a minute. Cost of the Pogo will run about $200, with 30 sheets the Zink paper to cost $12.99.

Welcome back to the party, Polaroid!