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"Photography giant\u00A0Polaroid plans to open at least ten new retail stores this year focused on getting people to print and edit the photos saved on their smartphone, or uploaded to social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Picasa.\r\n\r\nThe first \u2018Polaroid Fotobar\u2019 store, which is set to open in Florida next month, will allow in-store customers to wirelessly transmit the images stored on their smartphone or tablet to a bar-top workstation. From here, the photos can be edited to fix red-eye or alter the contrast and brightness.\u00A0A number of filters will also be available, presumably to help users get that vintage, \u201Canalogue feel\u201D if they haven\u2019t done so already using an app such as Snapseed or Instagram.\r\n\r\nPhotos can also be uploaded from social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Picasa and \u201Cseveral others\u201D. Although the latter haven\u2019t been revealed by Polaroid yet, we\u2019ve got our fingers crossed for Flickr, Google+ and 500px.\r\n\r\nOnce the images have been chosen, users can then have the image printed in a number of different materials and substrates including metal, wood and bamboo, as well as choose from various framing options.\r\n\r\nThe idea is to make the digital and often forgettable images stored on your smartphone feel like works of art again; something which you would want to share with friends or hang in your house or office.\r\n\r\nPolaroid CEO and president Scott W. Hardy said:\r\n\u201CPolaroid is about sharing life\u2019s most precious and memorable moments. We have been, and continue to be, about self-expression, creativity and fun. Polaroid Fotobar retail stores represent a perfect modern expression of the values for which we have stood for 75 years.\u201D\r\nPolaroid promises that any ordered prints will be handcrafted and shipped from their manufacturing facility within 72 hours. The store itself will also have a photo gallery of \u201Ccreative, museum-quality pieces\u201D designed to inspire customers and make them feel like they\u2019re in a real photography studio.\r\n\r\nFuture Polaroid Fotobar locations include New York, Las Vegas and Boston. The first store on Delray Beach, Florida will also have a multi-purpose room called \u201CThe Studio\u201D, which can be used to host classes, private parties and a studio for portrait work. On the shopfront, Polaroid will also have some experienced \u201CPhototenders\u201D to help consumers through the entire ordering process.\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s an interesting time for Polaroid. While the company\u2019s reputation for instant printing is less prevalent these days, the resurgence of analogue photography - or perhaps more specifically, the analogue aesthetic - has brought them back into relevance.\r\n\r\nThey also hit the headlines back in May last year when a subsidiary of Acacia Research Corporation, a renowned patent troll, acquired patents covering digital imaging and other related technologies that were originally issued to Polaroid.\r\n\r\nImage Credit: Polaroid"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/01/02/polaroid-to-launch-fotobar-retail-stores-aimed-at-encouraging-smartphone-users-to-print-their-favourite-photos/>