Prynt case review – Augmented reality comes to travel

This post is part of our Travel Tech series, where we review the coolest tech gadgets and apps for travelling the world.

We all have those moments when we are travelling that seem surreal, unique and memorable. So memorable, in fact, that we often want to share these moments and experiences with family and friends. And while a simple picture can say a thousand words, the augmented reality photos from the Prynt case can say a whole lot more.

What is the Prynt case

The Prynt case is an attachment for your phone (currently iPhone SE, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, and Samsung Galaxy S5) that allows you to print polaroid-style photos. Not only that, but when you view these photos using the Prynt mobile app, they come alive to play an embedded video or GIF that you have selected. Simply put, you can encode a video within a physical photo for your friends to watch later!

Why the Prynt case is good for travel lovers

Once you work out what you are doing with it, the Prynt case has all sorts of uses. You can take a happy snap and send it to your family as a postcard, or send it with a letter (remember those things made out of paper?). A little more creative way of using it, it to take a snap and leave it somewhere around the world for your friends to find! How cool is that!! The photos even double as stickers, so it’s perfect for the travel scrapbook, something Ling was very excited about.

How it works

To use the Prynt case, you need to download the Prynt app. Then, simply plug your phone into the case, open up the Prynt app on the iPhone and press the shutter button on the case. It will begin to record a 3-6 second video of what you are looking at and digitally embed that video into the photo.

To print a photo, the process is equally as simple. Firstly, load up the case with printer paper. With the iPhone plugged in and the Prynt iPhone app running, you select the photo you want, press the print button and the case does the rest! It’s super easy!

The details

Hopefully by now you love this thing as much as we do. But there are some things that you should know. For instance, the case will only work with the iPhone 5 and 6 models and the Samsung Galaxy S5. That should cover most travellers but if you buy a cheap phone overseas, don’t expect it to work. You also cannot adjust the size of the photo paper; the Prynt ZINK® Photos are two by three inches (or 5 by 7.62 centimeters).

While the app is pretty intuitive and easy to use, it doesn’t allow you to select the image from the video that you would like to embed. So if you want the image from the end of the video, then you’re out of luck. So when you are using the app, remember that the start of the video will be the image that gets printed. The other tip is that you don’t have to have the case connected to capture the photo/recording! This came in handy when we were doing some more active adventures, and didn’t want to risk bringing the case along and damaging it.

Feeling Pinspired? Add one of these images to your favourite boards now!

Conclusion

Well as far as travel tech goes, this has to be an amazing step forward. We’ve certainly never seen anything like this before! We’ve used it a few times, capturing some fun activities on the snow, days sightseeing and even to send heartwarming photos with messages to loved ones overseas.

Thanks to the Prynt team for supplying us with this case to review. All opinions are our own, and we really like this tech!

Have you used the Prynt case before? How would you use it for travel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.