CES 2016

In a year when few new products surprised me, Lifeprint woke me up. Lifeprint demonstrated its photo printer and smartphone app that can make still photos appear to come alive and move. The experience brought to mind the excitement of the magical world of Harry Potter where printed photos in frames and newspapers would move like a short video.

Using videos from a GoPro or the Vine service, GIFs or an iPhone’s live photo, a single frame can be turned into still photo and printed on the Lifeprint portable printer. When the print is held up in front of the smart phone camera, the phone uses augmented reality to show the few seconds of video embedded in the photo. In other words, the photo begins to move, audio is played. It comes to life.

Using the app, Lifeprint photos can be shared and printed on other user’s portable printer. Photos are printed on adhesive-backed glossy paper about the size of a business card. But the photo movement was not limited to these small prints.

What was remarkable was when the app was demonstrated while looking at photos on the booth’s banner. Pointing a smartphone at these large pictures, they began to move and reveal the full story of the moment the photo was taken.

Lifeprint has eight more days left on their Kickstarter campaign. The printer and app are available for $129 with paper for 50 prints available for an additional $20 (later the prints will cost between $.40 and $.50. The campaign ends January 15th and units should start shipping in early March.