Kodak announces wireless-ready digicam (UPDATED)By Mike Tomkins (Wednesday, January 5, 2005 - 15:35 EST) In its third new digital camera announcement of the day, Eastman Kodak Co. has launched its new EasyShare-One digital camera - a model with the interesting ability to share images wirelessly. The EasyShare-One isn't the first digital camera to do so - we've seen solutions using both 802.11b wireless LAN and BlueTooth technology in the past from manufacturers such as Ricoh (whose RDC-i700 could accept a wireless LAN card) and Concord Camera (the Eye-Q Go Wireless featuring Bluetooth), for example. What the EasyShare-One would be is the first time such a camera has been aimed towards consumers and sold by one of the most recognizable names in the photographic industry. The EasyShare-One is a 4.0 effective megapixel camera with a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 36 - 108mm equivalent 3x optical zoom lens, and features a swivelling panel that dominates the camera's rear, filled with a large 3" LCD display. The display itself also features a touch screen (operated with an included stylus), and the panel it is mounted on can be swivelled to face inside the camera when closed for extra protection of the LCD. The camera will also feature a VGA 30 frames-per-second video mode, as well as Kodak's Favorites feature which allows downsized versions of up to 1,500 favorite images to be stored in the camera's internal memory to show friends and family at a later date. It also features two Secure Digital card slots, one of which will be occupied by an 802.11b Wireless LAN card - the other being available to store images. The camera also features 256MB internal memory, in which the Favorites images are stored at a resolution suitable for 4" x 6" printing, with unlimited albums (synched with your PC) and the ability to browse favorites by date. The camera will be compatible with 802.11b wireless LANs, and will see a firmware update in Q3 2005 to extend support for LANs using WEP encryption, or those requiring acceptance of terms and conditions before use (as is common with public wireless LANs). The EasyShare-One will be able to wirelessly upload photos and video to Kodak's Ofoto image sharing service, which is today being renamed the "Kodak EasyShare Gallery". It will also be able to wirelessly print photos when used with the Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Plus, in combination with an optional Kodak Wi-Fi card for the dock. The Kodak EasyShare-One will go on sale in June 2005, with pricing set at $599 without a Wi-Fi card. Customers purchasing the camera will apparently also be entitled to "premium" post-sale service including assistance with wireless setup and operation, and priority handling of inquiries. Pricing for the optional Wi-Fi card for the dock has not yet been announced, but we believe will be in the region of $100 extra when bundled with the camera.
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| Kodak Redefines the Digital Camera; New EASYSHARE-ONE Camera Puts Sharing First First-of-its-Kind Innovation Expands Picture-Sharing Possibilities with Storage for 1,500 Pictures; Wireless Connections for Instant Picture E-Mail and Printing LAS VEGAS, January 5 ? Eastman Kodak Company today unveiled KODAK EASYSHARE-ONE, a new digital camera designed as much for sharing pictures as for taking them. Kodak is showing the innovative camera for the first time at the 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show (Booth #31400; LVCC South Hall, Second Floor). The EASYSHARE-ONE camera gives people extraordinary control over how and when they share pictures, whether on the LCD screen, online, or as prints. The camera is truly first-of-a-kind, with the ability to hold up to 1,500 favorite pictures for instant display on its crystal-clear, high-resolution, 3-inch touch screen display; direct picture e-mailing and online album viewing via a wireless connection to KODAK EASYSHARE Gallery (formerly Ofoto); and the capability to take high quality still pictures and video. No other digital camera gives people such extensive ability to take, organize, share and print their pictures. “The EASYSHARE-ONE redefines what is possible with a digital camera. We’re changing the digital photography experience from point-and-shoot to point-and-share,” said Greg Westbrook, vice president, Eastman Kodak Company. “We have combined the power of digital picture taking, intelligent organization, the freedom of wireless, and sophisticated picture sharing into a single innovative product.” “This is so much more than just another camera introduction. It’s about giving people the ability to instantly share a picture while they’re still in the moment ? whether with a person by their side, or a person across the globe ? simply, quickly, and elegantly.” Kodak designed the EASYSHARE-ONE camera specifically for sharing. It incorporates multiple benefits that avid picture sharers could only dream of until now, including:
The EASYSHARE-ONE camera will begin reaching select retailers this June, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of US$599. The optional KODAK Wi-Fi card will be available separately. Like all new EASYSHARE digital cameras, the EASYSHARE-ONE is compatible with the new IMAGELINK print system. By placing the camera on an EASYSHARE printer dock or other photo printers compatible with the IMAGELINK system, people can print their pictures in as little as 90 seconds at the touch of a button. And, with the EASYSHARE printer docks, people have the built-in convenience of rapid camera battery recharging and one-touch picture transfer to a connected computer. The award-winning KODAK EASYSHARE consumer digital photography system — consisting of cameras, software, printer docks and camera docks, inkjet and thermal papers, and accessories — makes it simple for anyone to take, organize, share, and print high quality digital pictures. In the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Digital Camera Satisfaction StudySM evaluating performance, connectivity, cost and appearance, KODAK EASYSHARE cameras in the US$200-399 and US$400-599 price ranges ranked Highest in Customer Satisfaction. More information on the KODAK EASYSHARE system is available at www.kodak.com/go/EasyShare. About Eastman Kodak Company and infoimaging # * At launch, the KODAK EASYSHARE-ONE camera will be compatible with most in-home and public WiFi networks that support 802.11b technology. A firmware update to permit direct connections via hotspots that require WEP key authentication or acceptance of terms and conditions is planned for Q3 2005. Disclaimer: J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Digital Camera Satisfaction StudySM. Study based on 4,260 responses from consumers who purchased a digital camera between November 2003 and June 2004. www.jdpower.com. Kodak, EasyShare-One, Ofoto and ImageLink are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company. Schneider-Kreuznach and Variogon are trademarks of Jos. Schneider Optische Werke GmbH used under license by Eastman Kodak Company 2005 |