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Kodak's Smile camera and printer are its latest take on instant cameras
While most companies are at CES 2019 trying to sell people on the future of technology, Kodak showed up for the show with a whole lot of nostalgia. The camera company that was once synonymous with memorable moments is hoping people will put down their smartphones and capture the perfect picture with its Smile-branded line of instant cameras and printers.
Kodak's retro Ektachrome film arrives after a long wait
It took a while but Kodak is finally releasing its Ektachrome color reversal film, beloved by analog photographers and filmmakers alike. First to ship will be Ektachrome Film E100 in 135/36x camera format (which will make its way to buyers immediately) followed by Ektachrome 7294 for Super 8 movie films from October 1st, with 16mm format coming later this year.
SEC halts sketchy Kodak-branded cryptocurrency mining scheme
One of the more surprising gadgets to appear at CES this year was a Kodak-branded cryptocurrency mining computer, which might have seemed like an easy way to make money if you leased the machine. But economists said the math never added up, and the proposed profits were nigh-on impossible. Spotlite, the company behind the plan, now says it will not move forward with leasing the machines. CEO Halston Mikail told the BBC that the Securities and Exchange Commission had blocked the scheme.
SEC is ‘looking closely’ at companies that dabble in blockchain
The Securities and Exchange Commission has had it with companies throwing around words like crypto and blockchain in order to bump up their stock prices. There have been quite a few instances of that lately and the SEC says it will be looking more closely at public companies that suddenly shift their interests to cryptocurrencies or blockchain technology.
Watch the first footage from Kodak’s reborn Super 8 film camera
Even if you think film has had its day, there's no denying that it evokes a dreamy nostalgia that digital video can't match. Kodak got a lot of folks, including A-list Hollywood directors, excited about its hybrid Super 8 camera based on that idea, and it has now revealed the first footage that seems to deliver on that promise. Shot by cinematographers like Nick Green and GQ fashion photographers, the video reveals the soft grain, organic-looking flares, low resolution and high contrast you (might) love with Super 8 film.
Kodak slaps its name on a sketchy bitcoin-mining business
Kodak's attempt to ride the cryptocurrency wave isn't limited to offering its own virtual coins. CES attendees have learned that Kodak has attached its name to a Spotlite-run bitcoin-mining business that will lease you a Kodak KashMiner computer for a two-year contract. It'll cost you $3,400 plus half of the value the machines earn, but Spotlite argues that it's effectively a license to print money. If you believe the company's math, you'd be paid $375 per month if bitcoin maintains an average price of $14,000. However, there's just one problem: The math ignores the very nature of how bitcoin works.
Kodak is jumping on the cryptocurrency bandwagon
Kodak's big film revival isn't working out as well as planned, which leaves it in a tough spot. How is it going to spark interest and raise a ton of cash in a hurry? Easy -- hop on the cryptocurrency bandwagon. The former legend has partnered with Wenn Digital to launch a KodakOne image-rights platform that takes advantage of KodakCoin, a photo-centric virtual currency. In theory, the monetary format creates a reliable photo economy -- the distributed trust of blockchain ensures you get paid instantly and securely the moment someone buys your pictures. KodakOne, meanwhile, continuously crawls the web looking for copyright violations.
Kodak cuts 425 jobs as film revival treads water
Kodak has lost $46 million this quarter and will lay off 425 employees, indicating that its film resurgence is still a work in progress. The company chalked up $46 million in losses (compared to a $12 million profit in the same quarter last year), to a slowdown in the printer market and rising cost of aluminum used in its products. The company's Consumer and Film division, which manufactures movie film for its upcoming Super 8 camera and the motion picture industry, also lost money.
Kodak’s app and chatbot will scour your photos for forgotten gems
If you're like me, you have thousands of photos on your phone, most of which you will have long forgotten. And let's be honest, you probably don't scroll through all of them often, if at all. I certainly don't. Well, Kodak Moments -- the photo-printing division of Kodak Alaris -- has updated its app and introduced a new Facebook chatbot, both of which will pore over your photos on Facebook or those stored in your phone's camera roll and pick out images that qualify as a "Kodak Moment."
Kodak channels Polaroid for its hybrid instant camera
I still remember how excited I was when my parents brought home a shiny Kodak instant camera, and how that turned to disappointment when it was recalled in a patent dispute with Polaroid (yes, I'm that old). I'm not nearly as excited with Kodak's latest instant camera, the Printomatic, though. That's because this time, it's nearly a carbon copy of Polaroid's Snap, introduced in 2015 and produced by a third company, C+A Global, that licensed Kodak's name.
Gudak turns your $1,000 iPhone into a $20 disposable camera
With their simple controls and lack of preview, disposable cameras are fun to use and let you relive the party once the film is developed. Gudak wants to give you that feeling with its iPhone app -- it has a number of features that are pretty bizarre at first glance, but make sense if you get into the spirit of things.
When tech nostalgia goes too far
Nintendo had a bonafide smash on its hands with the NES Classic. And it looks like the SNES mini console will fly off of store shelves just as quickly. But it's not the only company looking to cash in on your nostalgia. Nowadays, there are reboots of TV shows like Twin Peaks and MST3K. Oh, and how about Netflix's Stranger Things, a series that's basically a love letter to the 80s? These are all examples of nostalgia products done right. But not everything we've seen in recent years has been as great as you would have hoped. Because, seriously, do you really want one of the Furbys pictured above watching you sleep? And who would be caught dead toting around a Tamagotchi in 2017? You know what, maybe that is you, and who are we to judge? But if you ask us, these 10 things probably took our retro obsession a little too far.
Kodak's chunky, retro cameraphone is coming to the US
You might not hear much about Kodak these days, but the brand still exists -- it even released a new smartphone with a humongous camera in Europe last year. Now, that same phone named after its Ektra camera from the '40s has made its way to the US. As a phone, the new Ektra doesn't really have impressive features with its 5-inch 1080p display, 32GB internal storage, deca-core MediaTek Helio X20 processor and 3GB of RAM. It also ships with Android Marshmallow instead of Nougat. Ektra's main draw is none other than its 21MP camera (with six-axis image stabilization, no less) that takes up a huge chunk of its leatherette-wrapped back.
Kodak brings back classic Ektachrome color reversal film
Kodak Ektachrome color-positive film, beloved by portrait photographers and indie filmmakers alike, is rising from the dead. Kodak Alaris will start selling the classic 135-36x 35mm and Super 8 movie films in the fourth quarter of this year, the company said in a statement. The stock (also called reversal or slide film) was discontinued in 2012 and is known for its extremely fine grain and saturated colors. It's also cherished by indie filmmakers for its ability to be "pushed," producing an artistically grainy effect (see the trailer for Buffalo 66, embedded below).
Kodak revives its Ektra brand with a camera-centric smartphone
Kodak is a brand with history, but little relevance in the modern photographic world. The company battled through bankruptcy in 2013, refusing to give up as its film business was superseded by digital. Now, it's experimenting with smartphones. Following the IM5, a largely forgettable device aimed at shutterbugs, Kodak is trying again with the Ektra. Named after its 1941 rangefinder (and the '70s 110 film camera range) the handset certainly looks like a camera. The back is wrapped in a dark, artificial "leatherette," with a slightly curved grip on one side and a dedicated shutter button on top. A large, protruding lens pokes out the back, a 21-megapixel Sony sensor (IMX230) buried underneath.
Kodak's latest 4K action camera captures VR-ready video by itself
The Kodak Pixpro SP360 4K action camera had a branding problem. Yes, you could shoot 360-degree videos, but they weren't spherical -- you needed two cameras to do that, which made it less-than-practical for full virtual reality videos. You won't have to do some extra shopping with the 4KVR360, though. The newly launched cam fuses a 20-megapixel sensor with lenses on both the front and back, letting one camera shoot fully immersive VR video all by its lonesome.
Kodak is giving free film to Kickstarter directors
Crowdfunded filmmakers will be able to shoot on film for a lot less money thanks to a partnership between Kodak and Kickstarter. Kodak says it will provide free 35mm or Super 16mm film stock for select projects, up to a total of around $20,000 for 35mm film, depending on the total budget. Beyond that, the company will provide discounted film and mentoring for packaging, financing and sales strategies. The choice of filmmakers appears to be at Kodak's discretion, but so far the company has picked several Kickstarter productions that will launch this spring.
Kodak's big comeback is an old school throwback
As I squeeze my way through the small gaps between people on the floor at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, the excitement of the crowd is palpable. TVs are rolling up like sheets of paper; robots are swerving in and out of booths and speakers are shapeshifting. But there's something different about the buzz around Kodak's yellow-colored cubicle. The bright red "K" on the logo that looms overhead instantly evokes a sense of nostalgia that feels misplaced at a show cluttered with snippets of the future. I walk in, past the glass shelves with film rolls on display, to join a group of people huddled around the prototype of Super 8, the company's "new" film camera that made its debut 50 years ago.
Kodak's Super 8 camera is retro in all the right ways
One of the nicer surprises at this year's CES was Kodak's Super 8 camera announcement. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that the company isn't leaving the film development up to aspiring film makers. In the $50-$75 development cost, you can expect to get a film reel and a digital copy. Pretty neat. Being the curious folks that we are here at Engadget, I stopped by Kodak's booth for a closer look at the Super 8 prototypes.
3DR's Made for Solo program does 360-degree video on a budget
When 3DR announced its Made for Solo program last October, we knew it was working with Kodak to bring 360-degree video to its Solo drone. Today at CES, 3DR is showing off a prototype model of that integration, which adds a hyper-wide-angle lens to both the top and bottom of the drone, along with some early footage captured with the kit.
