The Consumer Electronics Show opened in Las Vegas with a bang as Lady Gaga made an appearance to unveil three new Polaroid products that she has developed with company since being named as their Creative Director a year ago.
The pop star helped design all three of the new gadgets, as she told the crowd that Polaroid "really let me put my hands in there and design this shit myself."
Polaroid's booth at CES was packed with Lady Gaga fans, techies, press and people in the area wanting to see what all the fuss was about. Being in that crowd paid off as Gaga unveiled the Grey Label line.
The first, and definitely most Gaga-esque, was the GL20 Camera Glasses. The glasses allow the user to snap a photo of whatever happens to be in their line of vision, then have it display on the outer side of lenses - a 1.5 inch LED screen. As any Gaga fan would recognize, the idea came from the glasses made from old iPod screens she wore on tour a few years ago.
The second product was the GL10 Instant Mobile Printer. It is a portable, wireless printer for photos taken on a cellphone. "I'm sure many of you here are nerdy enough to carry around a mobile printer," she said during her live demonstration. "I know I am." The 3 x 4 prints are the final result, so long as the phone has Bluetooth access (iPhones are excluded for now). "This product will revolutionize how we see photos," Gaga said. "Your images will no longer die a death on your cell phone or digital camera."
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The final product was the GL30 Instant Digital Camera. It is a re-imagining of the classic Polaroid camera. The difference in this new model is that users can save a photo digitally, delete the image or print it using Zink, an inkless technology. Just like the classic packages of film, each cartridge has 10 printouts.
All three products shown were prototypes, but are expected to be available to consumers for the 2011 holidays.
And while I wasn't luck enough to be at the CES show myself to witness Lady Gaga's demonstration, The Hollywood Reporter's Antony Bruno had this to say about just how great Gaga was in front of a crowd of techies (not so much her usual core audience):
"For a tradeshow that often features executive suits awkwardly stumbling over their public-speaking duties and hired celebrities reciting scripted lines about which they have little actual knowledge, Gaga proved herself an effective pitchwoman. She handled the live demos with ease, deftly ad libbing through the delays and calmly winning the crowd back when they rebelled over the lack of iPhone support for the printer.
That could be because Gaga is no mere spokeswoman. Polaroid first announced its partnership with her at last year's CES, giving her the title of creative director. And it's clear she played a hands-on role in designing these products."
For a brand like Polaroid, which is loved dearly but desperately in need of brand reinvention, Gaga is proving to be just what they need. Trying to reintroduce the brand in this new digital age is no easy task.
I personally cannot wait to see what other products become smash hits of CES 2011, but also what great innovations and products Lady Gaga and Polaroid come up with in the future.
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