A very meta instant camera

Japan¡¯s biggest toy fair, the International Tokyo Toy Show, is always a good place to discover new gadgets, even if they are originally designed for kids. This year it was held June 1-4 and one product proved particularly popular with the adults: Takara Tomy¡¯s Printoss instant-film printer for smartphones.

In this digital age of apps, it¡¯s easy to replicate the look of a retro Polaroid on a smartphone. But a digital image or even a printout of one isn¡¯t quite the same as having a physical, glossy photograph. The Printoss is a very simple idea ¡ª it literally takes a photo of your digital image and prints it like a Polaroid.