Polaroid i-zone Translucent Pocket Instant Camera, Phat Blue

Polaroid's i-zone pocket cameras produce tiny, high-quality Polaroid pictures about the size of a frame of 35mm film (or your average postage stamp). The i-zones use either sticky or nonsticky instant film, so you can put your pictures in a frame or stick them onto your notebook or CD player. While the cameras all have the same funky oblong plastic design, they are available in a variety of interesting color schemes. The silver edition is a solid silvery gray color, while Phat Blue and Fireball Red are neon-like translucent monotones, and most others are two-tone, like the Jade version, which has an aqua green front and bluish back.

Each i-zone set comes complete with camera, instant pocket film (six shots), and two AA alkaline batteries--everything you need to start making pictures. We recommend buying extra film right away, especially if the camera is a gift, because those first six shots tend to go pretty fast. Loading the camera is as easy as dropping the film cartridge into the back of the camera and closing it back up. The trickiest part is remembering to pull the film tab out in one fluid motion, without stopping--exactly like most other Polaroids. When you expose a shot and pull out the film, you get something that looks like a Band-Aid, with an image in the middle and extra paper on both ends. Just clip the extra paper off with a pair of scissors and you have your final product. Be careful not to cut into the actual photo, as you don't want to give the caustic paste inside a chance to seep out and get on your fingers.

There are three exposure settings on the i-zone--indoors (with flash), outdoor/sunny, and outdoor/cloudy. Overall, the camera is probably best for subjects within 2 to 8 feet, although we took pictures of downtown buildings that turned out pretty well. The outdoor/sunny setting requires bright sun directly on the subject for a good exposure. Even if it isn't cloudy, try using the outdoor/cloudy setting if the subject is in shadow or if it is early or late in the day when the sunlight isn't at full strength. The flash seems to work best from about 4 to 5 feet away.

The best part is figuring out what to do with the mini photos once you've created them. The options seem to be limitless, from decorating cell phones to using them as key chains, putting them in mini frames, or making refrigerator magnets. These cameras are affordable, simple to use, and a lot of fun. --Walt Opie

Polaroid's new I-Zone instant pocket camera is the latest "go- everywhere, must-have item," which comes in phat blue and will let you express yourself. The camera kit includes Polaroid's latest format of instant camera, six exposures of sticky film, and batteries. It produces postage-stamp-sized photographs, available with either a sticky or nonsticky backing, and offers a selectable built-in flash that automatically shuts off after each shot to conserve batteries. The picture quality is one of Polaroid's best, producing vivid colors and surprisingly excellent detail for such a small image. Loading the Polaroid I-Zone is simple, and using it is even simpler. There is no need to focus, the built-in flash fires automatically, and the camera is small enough to slip into a purse or the small pocket on a backpack. The pocket camera is not just about taking pictures--it's also about what you decide to do with them.