Anyone who was around when the film photography era was still popular will always refer to Polaroid as the original source of polarized pictures and instant photos, not Instagram. Now that the brand has been resurrected after a partnership with United Kingdom-based supermarket chain Asda, you can expect to see the Polaroid branding on a slew of gadgets as random as a partnership with a supermarket itself.
This exclusive partnership will bring Polaroid products to Asda retail stores, including lines of 3-D televisions, portable movie players, iPhone docks, speakers, and alarm clocks, to name a few. Since you’ll find these in supermarket chains, it’s no surprise that retail value of these products are relatively modest. The Polaroid 42-inch LCD television, which comes with four pairs of 3-D glasses, will run you £399, or approximately $618 USD, and comes with integrated digital Freeview, three HDMI sockets, PC input, and a SCART socket. You can accompany this with a Polaroid home theater speaker system, which retails for £39.97, or approximately $62 USD. There are even HDMI cords under the Polaroid branding going for £15.00, or about $23 USD.
“We’re extremely proud to be stocking this exciting new range of products from Polaroid,” said Michael Arnott, Asda’s technology expert. “It is a brand synonymous with high quality, instant entertainment and value and therefore a perfect fit for our customers.”
It might be natural to think of Polaroid’s venture into the television market as unusual, but the foray actually makes quite a bit of sense. Since Polaroid’s technology was one of the pioneers of photo polarization, the same glare-reducing filters are at the heart of most modern television technology. In fact, they were originally developed right in Polaroid’s laboratories before making it into the general television production industry.
The alarm clocks and iPhone docks, however, we can’t quite explain. Perhaps the most diehard of Polaroid fans will enjoy the random new devices at an affordable price range, and we imagine these budget tech to rival other lower tier brands such as iHome or Skullcandy.
The full line of new entertainment and audio gadgets by Polaroid will be available in various Asda retail stores and online beginning July 26.
