Polaroid’s Fotobars Will Let You Print All Those Photos Of Feet & Cats From Your Smartphone

(Polaroid)

(Polaroid)

You might not be able to buy Polaroid film easily anymore, but the company is planning a comeback by way of all those photos of food, feet, pretty clouds and of course, cats that you take and store on your smartphone. Because the world should — nay, must! — see a visible display of your smartphone photo skills, Polaroid is launching a bunch of Fotobars so you can edit and print your mobile works of art.

The company is planning on opening at least 10 new retail stores in 2013, reports Businesswire, in the hopes that people will be lured in by a desire to make physical copies of their favorite digital photos. Kinda like the photo counter at the drug store but all cool and stuff.

You can also wirelessly transmit pictures from the various social media we’re all hooked on, apply any filters you might need to get just the right touch of sepia, fix red-eye and basically tinker with your photo until it’s perfect.

The Fotobar isn’t just touting plain old paper prints, either — customers will have the choice to print their images on things like metal, wood, bamboo and frame the result in a number of ways.

This way you don’t have to show off your cat only on the go, you can point to a framed photo on the wall and make it art. At least, that’s the goal, says Warren Struhl, the founder and CEO of Fotobar:

 “There are currently around 1.5 billion pictures taken every single day, and that number continues to grow in tandem with the popularity and quality of camera phones. Unfortunately, even the very best of those pictures rarely ever escape the camera phone with which they were taken to be put on display around our homes and offices. Why? Because turning those pictures into something tangible, creative and permanent is neither easy nor fun. Polaroid Fotobar stores are going to change all of that.”

The first store will open in Delray Beach, Fla., with future locations planned for New York, Las Vegas and Boston.

It’ll be interesting to see if this idea hits home with our increasingly digital social consciousness. After all, I can share a city skyline right now with the click of a button and go on to photograph my delicious old-timey cocktail at some hip new  mixology bar, instead of actually walking somewhere and doing physical work. Either Polaroid is underestimating our laziness or the company has hit on an idea that’ll actually stick.

Polaroid Announces Plans to Launch at Least Ten Polaroid Fotobar Experiential Retail Stores in 2013 [Businesswire]

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