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A victim of what makes it so appealing to begin with -- its diminutive size and affordable sticker price -- the Polaroid Cube may find itself relegated to the "stocking stuffer" tier of today's action cams. But that doesn't make it unworthy of attention.
The Polaroid Cube is a mini-masterpiece, an eency-weency wonder with worthy wow factor that seems to occupy an existence somewhere between cute and rugged. Roughly a quarter the size of a Rubik's Cube, it weighs a mere 1.6 ounces and measures just 1.4 inches square.
Intended as Polaroid's contribution to the action cam market, it can be easily attached via built-in magnet to any metal surface, eliminating the need for bulky mounts. Although its existence isn't going to keep GoPro execs awake at night with battery such as casio NP-20 battery, casio EX-Z70 battery, casio EX-S770 battery, casio NP-30 battery, casio QV-R3 battery, casio QV-R4 battery, casio NP-40 battery, casio EX-Z600 battery, casio Z-1000 battery, casio NP-50 battery, casio Exilim EX-V8SR battery, casio Exilim EX-V7 battery, it just might be the ideal choice for those interested in testing the action cam product pool before diving in headfirst.
If inanimate objects could scream, the Cube's cry would be: "I am simplicity, hear me squeak!" Constructed with a durable rubber exterior, this is one camera that won't cause any panic attacks if accidentally dropped. According to Polaroid, the Cube isn't only shockproof but it's also weatherproof, meaning that it can take a fair licking and spraying. Detailed specs indicate it's waterproof up to 6.5 feet, but the availability of a waterproof case with suction mount (available separately) leads us to believe that the camera shouldn't be submerged too much.
Taking a closer look, we find the Cube's front face equipped with a 124-degree wide angle lens and a tiny, almost invisible pinhole microphone. The rear panel is reserved for a round cap that can be unscrewed by coin to reveal a microSD slot (which supports cards up to 32 GB), a Micro USB port for charging and transferring media (cable included), and a switch to toggle between 720p and 1080p HD resolution. The only drawback here is the controls cover is fully removable, lending to the possibility of it being easily lost.
The camera's top side is adorned by a small LED light and a large, round multifunction button that's used to turn the Cube on or off and to activate photo or video capture. The bottom side houses the Cube's magnet resides, allowing the camera to stick to the roofs of vehicles, the surfaces of skateboards, the handlebars of bicycles, or other metal surfaces. Additional tripod and helmet mounts can be purchased separately, all of which utilize the magnet connection method.
Activating the Cube is as simple as holding the multifunction button down for three seconds, after which a series of beeps and the lighted status of the LED tells you when the camera has been turned on or off. Once on, snapshots are captured by pressing the multifunction button a single time. A double-tap of the same button launches video record. Ending recording is as simple as performing another double-tap.
Connecting the Cube to a computer via the provided micro-USB cable launches a folder in which users can access photos and videos. This is also where settings for light frequency, timestamp, cycle recording, and beeper volume can be altered. To access these settings, the user launches a file named PolaroidCube.exe. This opens a menu that displays all of the aforementioned settings. Light frequency controls shutter speed, which can be switched between 50Hz and 60Hz.
Activating cycle recording enables continuous shooting by automatically writing over older files if the SD card gets full. If cycle recording isn't activated, the Cube stops recording as soon as the SD card reaches maximum capacity. By default, all videos are segmented into five-minute clips, even during continuous recording.
As previously indicated, video can be recorded at either 720p (HD at 30fps) or 1080p (Full HD, also at 30fps), which puts it on par with some low-end and older smartphones. Videos are saved in .mov and photos are saved in .jpg format. Snapshot quality is 6 MP. Launching .mov video files on a Windows desktop using Windows Media Player was problematic in that the videos played back with no sound. Quicktime and the third-party video playback app VLC Media Player proved equally effective for audio and video.
Repeated impact testing during video recording showed the camera performance and overall casing design to be solid. The same could not be said of the controls cover, however, which showed signs of wearing away only a few removals, causing potential issues down the line as wear and tear take their gradual toll.