• by Aaron Baar , December 6, 2010

There really is an App for everything ... even Polaroid, whose technology and brand were nearly made obsolete by the rise of digital photography.

The Minneapolis company has introduced a branded iPhone application that simulates the Polaroid instant photo experience, namely by putting the classic white border -- including extra space at the bottom for writing -- around iPhone photos.

"Polaroid photos have always offered a unique and distinctive look and feel and we want to give consumers the option of treating their mobile images to that same originality," Jon Pollock, chief technology officer for Polaroid, tells Marketing Daily in e-mailed responses to questions. "Consumers have many choices when it comes to ways of capturing life's moments. Polaroid Instant Photos are one way to record these memories and the new Polaroid iPhone app gives consumers the option of adding their own personal touch to mobile images."

The app, which is available for $1.99, offers four distinct styles to apply to iPhone images: black and white, vintage, colorized and digital. It also allows users to add handwriting-style text to the bottom of the photo and share those photos via e-mail or social networking sites, as well as to the company's "Polaroid Studio" cloud storage site. Most distinctly, users must shake or blow on the phone's screen for the picture to develop, just as people had done (for no good reason) with Polaroid pictures in the past.

"Millions of mobile images are trapped on cell and smartphones, not being shared via email or social networks," Pollock says. "The shaking feature is a fun element that pays tribute to Polaroid's rich 73-year history."

Earlier this year, Polaroid launched a new marketing platform, "Made in Polaroid," that highlighted consumers' creativity via a revamped Web site that encouraged people to showcase their creative photos. The app, Pollock says, is an extension of that ethos. "Our [corporate] goal is to give consumers tools and resources to enable their creative spirit and easily share with the world," he says. "Polaroid is looking forward to giving consumers more tools for many mobile platforms over the next few months."