I have the Poloaroid i1437 digital camera. The lens appears to be jammed in closed position. I have tried several different techniques to try to allow it to operate properly with no luck. When I power the camera "on", the lens tries to turn and then begins clicking repeatedly until I remove the batteries.

Sorry. It is broken. The lens was most likely jammed on start up when trying to open or close when shutting down. The really bad news is that the cost to repair it is close to the cost of a new camera. (I have had several like this, casio, sony canon, nikon and olympus.)

A stuck lens cover is a fairly common problem, but it is normally easy to fix. A single grain of sand jamming the cover mechanism is normally the culprit, and you want to try to dislodge it. There are many non-invasive techniques that people have come up with to accomplish this. Some may be seen on this blog article. You can also open the lens barrel up to fix the covers, but only as a very last resort. This article provides further information on correcting this problem.

Lens errors are fairly common. Usually it's sand or grit interfering with the lens extension mechanism. Or the camera's been dropped with the lens extended. Or the camera has been powered on, but the lens had been blocked preventing its extension. Or the battery ran down with the lens extended ...Here are some troubleshooting steps that you can try that may (or may not) correct it. They only seem to work for less than 40% of the lens errors, but if the camera is out of warranty (or repair cost approaches that of the camera), they're worth that try. Some of the later steps do involve some risk to the camera, so carefully weigh your options before deciding to conduct them.
And here's a video summary of the steps:

Hi,

Checkout this tip about digital camera error messages


Lens Errorfix for Digital Camera

heatman101

It's usually merely a grain of sand or dust jamming it. But it's also usually easy to fix. This link outlines repair techniques for a stuck automatic lens cover. Recommend trying the less "risky" ones first before considering the end of the lens.

this usually happens when lens are stuck, the reason for this is duct, could be the camera has dropped down, or the gears are jammed, now to make it work, while switching your camera on, try to tap very gently, near the lens, should make it shake in prior to make lens come out from jammed position, try this several times...it should work, if it does not, then take it to qualified service tech

slap it in your palm several times to release whatever is jamming the lens. EWhile this sounds brutal it is but I was given this tip bjy a Sony digital camera tech and believe me it does work,\\Keep trying till it eventually clears

i had the the same lens error restart camera problem for almost a month.  If you haven't already, try restarting the camera with the sd1000 in the view pictures setting.  This may allow the lens to retract into position. Next, with the lens extracted, try looking down on the camera from the top to see if the lens is angled downward in any way.  If it is, this means it is jammed into place on one side.  Simply use your fingers to slightly push the lens into proper position.  If you hear a pop, you should be in business! hope this helps!

Try some of the less severe repair techniques for a lens error:

http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2007/12/fixing-lens-error-on-digital-camera.html

I had the same problem, corrected it by cleaning the battery contacts inside the camera.