Polaroid camera using Android gets to be David amongst Goliaths

Polaroid has unveiled the world’s first interchangeable lens camera powered by the Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean” platform. It is called iM1836 and it is said to become available in the near future.

iM1836: the almighty name of Polaroid’s David. It is the world’s first interchangeable lens camera powered by the Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean” operating system.

Why is Polaroid iM1386 considered to be David? Because it has tough battles to carry out with the industry’s Goliaths (Canon, Nikon, Sony etc.) just to get a slice of the already over-saturated  camera market. And lets not forget about Samsung’s point-and-shoot Galaxy Camera, a serious competitor, considering it also uses Android 4.1.

Polaroid iM1386 Android 4.1 camera next to its 10-30mm kit lens.

According to the information Gizmodo managed to acquire directly from Polaroid, iM1836 comes with an 18-megapixel sensor, a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen (swiveling?) LCD, and WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.

The design of this mirrorless camera appears to be inspired by the Nikon 1-series, a line-up that will be a competitor to the new Polaroid-branded shooter. Nevertheless, a huge advantage could be the fact that the Polaroid iM1836 is a smart camera, whereas Nikon’s units are not.

It also shoots 1080p HD videos, offering the possibility to connect the camera to a TV via HDMI output. The camera does not have a data connection, but it does tether to other devices, so sharing the pictures and videos is a stroll in the park.

The other great thing about Polaroid’s camera is its compatibility with all Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lenses, through a mount adapter. It comes equipped with a 10-30mm kit lens, a pop-up flash, and it features auto blink detection, auto face exposure and panorama mode.

The “droid” camera will be available for sale from the first quarter of 2013, for $400. For the time being, it seems like the only color of choice is black, albeit we should not rule out any other flavors.

Back view of Polaroid iM1386 with Android 4.1 camera, with Bluetooth and WiFi seems to have a swiveling LCD