It's not too often that I look at a camera and think: "how cute!" But, Polaroid's newest cube camera really causes that kind of a reaction.

Polaroid unveiled the new cube camera at the CES conference, and it's darn hard to ignore.

The Size and Shape of It All

The cube camera is about as small as an espresso cup at 35mm. This camera also comes in a variety of bright colors, and it has been designed to shoot action photos. The camera has been called the 'C3,' and you can get your hands on it later this month. I'm kind of shocked that Polaroid has packed so much into this tiny camera too.

The C3 comes with 1280 x 720 and 640 x 580 HD video resolution with a 120-degree lens (wide-angle); it is waterproof up to 6 or so feet; has a micro SD slot that can be expanded up to 32GB; an LED light; a microphone; and is capable of capturing images at 5 megapixels. Polaroid plans to price this camera at just $99 too, so it's definitely a camera that is affordable - not just cute.

Appearances Are Everything

From the looks of it, the new Polaroid C3 camera has an outer shell that's rubberized and easy to grip (important if you're shooting action shots). These cameras are also tiny enough to stuff into any pocket or backpack, and that's a bonus when it comes to portability.

So, why would you even want a camera that's small and portable like this one? Because it's the best way to make sure that you can take all kinds of risky action shots without actually risking ruining a really expensive smartphone or other camera. The C3 isn't for everyone, but it's Polaroid's latest stab at staying relevant within the camera market.

Additional Polaroid Notes

Polaroid has been a company that's sadly fading fast. It makes sense, then, that Polaroid would want to find a new niche market (since those old Polaroid cameras aren't cutting it anymore). Are action cameras like this tiny cube where Polaroid should be heading, though? It all depends on how you look at it.

There are a lot of other action cameras on the market right now, so Polaroid has some tough competition. The cube that the company has put out is cute, too, but it wasn't functional when reviewers got a chance to look at the camera at CES. So, let's hope that Polaroid gets these tiny cubes working by that rollout date, and that you'll want to pay $99 for a camera of this size. It would be sad to see Polaroid fail completely.

If you are looking for other action cameras, there are plenty to be found out there. There are lots of posts on this blog about action cameras, but the one that I like the most is the GoPro - we'll see if Polaroid can give the GoPro some real competition. Would you buy the new Polaroid cube camera? Or, is this too much of a novelty item?