Polaroid's Internet-Ready Camera
With the modem-equipped PDC 640 you can upload digital photos without a PC.Grace Aquino
A digital camera with a modem? You bet. Polaroid's PhotoMax PDC 640 Modem camera is equipped with a 56-kbps modem that lets you upload photos from the camera to PolaroidDigital.com for editing and sharing. The modem is convenient, but if you get the PDC 640 you'll have to settle for the camera's mediocre photo quality.
First you hook up the $249 camera to a PC (with an Internet connection), using the included USB cable; then you install the bundled PhotoMax Image Maker software and go through an easy registration process. Next, you set up an account at Polaroid's site and pay a pricey $60 for a one-year subscription, which entitles you to 50MB of online storage. Friends can view your photos, and you can order prints. One limitation: You can get similar services without charge at some other Web sites, but this camera's modem won't take you anywhere but to the Polaroid Web site.
Over a standard phone line, you can upload pictures from the camera to Polaroid's site, from any location in the United States. You use the included RJ-11 phone cable to plug the PDC 640 into the phone line. After you select the images to upload, you press the "Inet" button on the camera for the modem to dial a local server. A caveat: The company recommends using an analog phone line. The beta model I tested didn't function on my office's PBX phone system.
The dial-up process can take several minutes, and a single photo can take up to a minute to upload, depending on the size of the image. The camera has a number of basic features, including 2MB of internal memory, a slot where you can add an optional CompactFlash card, and a low 640 by 480 maximum resolution that translates into less-than-stellar shots. On screen, most of my pictures appeared murky and lacked detail.
In spite of its drawbacks, the PDC 640 Modem camera may still be the way to go for those who need to instantly upload photos without using a laptop or a desktop PC.
| Buying Information |
Polaroid PhotoMax PDC 640 Modem 2.5 stars (11/01/2001) Good for folks looking to upload digital photos quickly without a PC, but this camera's features are skimpy, and the quality of its photographs is middling. List: $249 |