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Kodak envisions edible RFID tags for medical purposes, light snacks
If you're not down with wearing, handling, or implanting RFID chips on (or in) human beings, we presume you're fairly skeptical about consuming one. A recent patent application filed by Kodak envisions an edible RFID wafer that would ideally be used to monitor various aspects of a patient's health. The digestible tag would be covered in a substance that would slow the dissolving process enough to view certain aspects of one's innards, and furthermore, these tags could be surgically implanted into knees and joints in order to alert doctors when additional work should be performed. The tags could even be integrated into medicines in order to more accurately witness whether a rebellious patient has indeed swallowed his or her pills. So before you cry foul on voluntarily ingesting a (hopefully) dissolving RFID tag, just think of all the medical breakthroughs this could lead to -- or how traceable you'd eternally be if your gastric acid is weaker than usual.[Via NewScientistTech, thanks Matt]
Kodak enters the desktop printer market, plans to rumble with HP
With traditional film sales all but dead, and the intense competition in the digicam space, the once formidable Kodak is hoping to find success and newfound revenue in that teensy little $50 billion market known as the print industry. Of course, Kodak has been selling photo printers for a while now, but this new launch is a full-on assault on the king of printing: HP. Kodak's secret is to skip over the whole bait and switch model of most printer sales, where everybody discount their printers heavily, and make it all back on exorbitant ink prices. Kodak will be charging reasonable prices for its three new EasyShare All-in-One printers, the 5100, 5300 and 5500 (pictured) which can print copy and scan for $150-$300, but the ink costs are at $10 for a black cartridge and $15 for a five color cartridge. With ink about half the price of competitors -- Kodak's secret is a print technology that doesn't require the print head to be in the cartridge, just ink -- Kodak is hoping consumers will feel free to print more photos and in turn buy even more ink from the big red K. The technology also supposedly produces prints that can last up to 100 years, and will be making it into stores with these new EasyShares in March. Who knows if this will be enough to give Kodak a fighting chance in the consumer print world, but even if all that results is a speedy and bloody price war, we sure wouldn't be complaining.[Via Cnet]
Kodak CES booth tour
Kodak's CES booth this year had a distinct electronic picture frame theme. We think it's something to do with the fact that they sell them ... Kodak CES booth tour
Kodak announces four EASYSHARE digital picture frames
Ok, it's just another in a long line of digital picture frames. But hey, this time we're talkin' Kodak, so we're expecting the same ease of use we've seen from the rest of their EASYSHARE line-up of cams, printers, and accessories. The four new frames consist of a 10 and 8-inch (diagonal) pair with built-in 802.11b/g WiFi (EX1011 and EX811) and a couple of 8 and 7-inch standard frames (SV811 and SV710). All support the usual memory card formats (CF, SD, MMC, xD and MS) and bring a USB 2.0 host port to pull files direct from any USB digital cam or flash drive without the aid of a computer. Like many frames these days, you get support for not just JPEG images but also MPEG-1, MPEG-4, MOV and AVI video formats and a bit of MP3 audio to accompany slideshow playback. You'll also get built-in stereo speakers, 128MB of internal memory, and interchangeable faceplates including a "whiteboard' faceplate for those longing for the homey feel of the corporate conference room. The top of the line EX1011 WiFi frame features a 10-inch , 800x480 display and should retail for $280 in March. Prices drop off from there until you hit the rock-bottom, 7-inch SV710 sporting a low, low 480x234 resolution for an equally low price of $130. What, isn't your family worth the extra pixels?[Via DPReview]
Kodak shoots out 8 and 10-megapixel EasyShare V803, V1003
The EasyShare lineup swells by two as Kodak tosses a couple more into the fray: on top of the entry-level C653 that slipped out a couple of days ago, the V803 (pictured above) and V1003 are rolling out in 8- and 10-megapixels, respectively. Both feature 3x optical zoom, 1600 ISO, 2.5-inch LCDs, 32MB memory on board, 30fps MPEG-4 video at VGA resolution, and a menu feature for storing your preferred flash, white balance, ISO and resolution settings between your Britney and Brangelina photoshoots. You've got a plethora of corporate "creative" colors to choose from across all three new models, from "silver essence" to "cosmic blue" and "golden dream," which, according to our crackshot palette translators, will bear a striking resemblance to "yellow." If you're a member of the female demographic pastel-conscious club, may we suggest "pink bliss"?
Kodak quietly releases 6.1-megapixel EasyShare C653
Another month, another ho hum offering from Kodak. This time around it's an addition to the already loaded EasyShare lineup, as the 6.1-megapixel C653 joins the fray. Sporting a (somewhat) compact 3.5- x 2.6- x 1.4-inch enclosure, the point-and-shoot boasts a 2.4-inch LCD monitor, mediocre 3x optical zoom, 32MB of built-in memory, SD / MMC expansion slot, three pre-selected scene modes, panorama functionality, up to 1,250 ISO, and automatic red-eye reduction. Additionally, you can capture VGA movies at 10fps or QVGA clips at 20fps, and Kodak's Perfect Touch technology supposedly clears up your photos without a lot of effort on your part. You'll also find USB 2.0 connectivity and the company's EasyShare software bundled in, which supposedly helps the technologically disabled share and email photos without pulling what's left of their hair out. While there's clearly not a whole lot here to be proud of, at least the price is fairly reasonable, and those scouting a very run-of-the-mill shooter can pick up the C653 now for $129.95.[Via PhotographyBlog]
Kodak's "gonna turn the schmaltz back up to 11"
It's been a sad tale that Kodak, the first name in consumer photography, has seen continuous downsizing and restructuring as it clings to a no longer extremely profitable analog business model. Its digital offerings to date have been, well, generally pretty awful compared to many of the major Japanese and European brands, offering superior devices, optics, and images. But Kodak's not taking it lying down -- oh no. This corporate internal-commercial-gone-YouTube-fodder, which was apparently so popular on the inside they decided to release it to the public, starts up the old hot air machine to pump out some business about next-gen Kodak cameras featuring GPS, integrated narrative ordering, facial recognition, and intelligent color metering, all of which will apparently result in memories so outstanding "Celine Dion will sing the theme song while riding along on a unicorn through a field of baby animals under a big blue sky! And there's not a damned thing you can do to stop it. You were a Kodak moment once, and BY GOD, you will be one again!" Guess we can't argue with that. Alright Kodak, your move. CES is next week, let's see whatcha got.[Thanks, Eric]
Kodak intros 200 page-per-minute i1860 commercial scanner
With all these newfangled fingerprint / retina scanners in the news lately, it's easy to forget about the plain ole document-reading variety, but Kodak is bringing it all back into focus by unveiling its "fastest production scanner ever," the i1860. The mammoth-sized device captures images at up to 200 pages per minute, and sports a snazzy color touchscreen as well as "automatic height-adjustment" for those long, cold nights spent running year-end reports. Its SurePath technology, in conjunction with "three ultrasonic multi-feed detection sensors," will supposedly help you avoid an office worker's worst nightmare (paper jams during crunch time), and the five output formats should handle just about any obscure map or overcrowded spreadsheet you throw at it. The machine also touts a 300dpi optical resolution, 500 sheet feeder, JPEG / TIFF file export functionality, and FireWire connectivity. Should you work in a heavily overloaded archiving business, or just have ridiculous amounts of cash to burn, you can pick up have this 480-pound beast delivered in December for a whopping £55,000 ($104,605).[Via BIOS]
Kodak's EasyShare Z710: 7.1 megapixels and 10x zoom
They're coming fast and furious this morning and now Kodak joins the Photokina party with their newly announced EasyShare Z710. The new model boasts a long, Schneider Kreuznach Variogon 10x optical zoom lens, 7.1 megapixel sensor, and 2-inch LCD. And to keep things as easy as possible, the cam comes packed with Kodak's Color Science image processing chip and a wide range of features and presets allowing you to keep your eye on the action and not the controls. Thing is, without any image stabilization like that found on the P712, you'll find it a challenge to take advantage of the impressive zoom. Still, with a price of only $299, you can afford not to care... much. Watch for the Z710 to drop sometime this month or November 1st according to Amazon.[Via Photography Blog]
Kodak's Easyshare P712 "performance" cam reviewed
Kodak's top-tier P712, announced in June, sure has some good specs for its price range, like a 12x zoom, 0.07 click-to-capture rate (which Kodak claims is the best in its class), RAW image capture and the always welcome optical image stabilization. The folks at Digital Camera Review have been doing what they do, and seem to like like the camera for the most part. The image stabilization does its thing without a hitch, shutter speed is practically instantaneous, and the 2.5-inch LCD and EVF were some of the best the reviewer has seen. There do seem to be a few chromatic aberrations and noise problems with the image quality, though overall it's pretty good, and the autofocus can be sluggish at times, nullifying the gains of that speedy shutter. The P712 also suffers from a shortage of battery life, managing around 150 shots with most of the features engaged, but the 14.2 ounce camera does feel good in the hand. Overall, it's hard to match for the $500 pricetag, and should make a good choice for a beginner photog or a DSLR wannabe.
Kodak's new EasyShares, the V705, C743 and C433
That 8 Megapixel EasyShare C875 got away from them last week, but Kodak has managed to do some right proper releasing for the other three new members of their EasyShare lineup. Sexiest of the group is naturally the V705, a followup to their V570. The V705 shares its predecessor's 5x zoom and ultra-wide-angle lenses, and sports the same 2.5-inch LCD, but bumps the dual CCDs to 7 megapixels. There's also a bit of anti-blur tech, and 30 fps VGA video recording. Kodak doesn't really have a lot to say about their other two new cameras, the C743 and C433 (both pictured after the break), other than the fact that they've got 7.1 and 4 megapixels respectively, and 3x zoom lenses. They're also going to "provide remarkable features at reasonable prices," and should be available in September alongside the V705.[Via Digital Camera Review]
Kodak's new EasyShare C875 leaks into Europe
There's no official release from Kodak for this one, at least that we could spot, but it seems they've got a new consumer shooter for Europe in the 8 megapixel EasyShare C875. The semi-compact unit has a 5x zoom lens, includes 32mb of built-in storage, a 2.5-inch screen and uses SD memory to store that megapixel overkill. At 1.4-inches thick and 3.5 ounces heavy, Kodak seems to have packed this one pretty well, but the £249 pricetag ($467 USD) is a quick reminder that those megapixels don't come cheap.
Kodak digital cameras to be manufactured by Flextronics
In a move probably intended to placate investors after a disastrous second quarter -- recently-reported net losses of $282 million were even higher than expected -- Kodak has announced that it will shift the manufacturing of its digital cameras over to Singapore-based Flextronics International. Although Kodak will continue to "develop the high-level system design, product look and feel, and user experience" of the cameras, Flextronics will acquire most of the company's Digital Product Center in Japan, and will be responsible for the assembly, production, and testing of the entire lineup. As part of the deal -- which Kodak hopes will help bring products to market more quickly as well as control costs -- about 550 of its employees will be transplanted to Flextronics facilities in China. While Kodak is currently the number one seller of digital cameras in the US, it's been difficult for the company to make the transition from film, with 100,000 workers having lost their jobs since 1988. Assuming that the requisite conditions are met and regulators give the thumbs up, the two companies plan to seal the deal before the end of the current quarter.[Via LetsGoDigital]
Kodak's EasyShare V610 10x ultra-zoom reviewed
The EasyShare V610 is Kodak's ultra-zoom followup to their world's first, dual-lens digital cam, the V570. Unfortunately, just like its wide-angle bro, the V610 is getting a mixed reaction from reviewers. DCRP got their hands on the V610 and were certainly pleased by the slim design, MPEG-4 movie recordings, new Perfect Touch feature to brighten and generally improve shots at the touch of a button, decent performance, and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless transfer capabilities. However, the cam had "more than its share of annoyances" with "so-so" picture quality including above-average noise, a "miserable" 135 shot capable battery, and a poorly designed four-way navigation control around back. But this cam's all about that fat, 10x zoom right? Well, those two lenses result in a slow, non-continuous zoom with a 16-millimeter "jump" in focal length when switching between lenses -- this was especially "jarring" when zooming in movie mode. And the lack of image stabilization in this expensive cam makes it "awfully hard" to produce a sharp photo on a camera billed as an ultra-zoom model. Bottom line: forget the V610 and pick up the 10x Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 for $100 less. [Via Digital Photography Blog]
Kodak, Martha Stewart partner on product line
Now that America's favorite homemaker/inside trader is back to full steam following her brief incarceration, it seems that we may be in for another wave of branded products reminiscent of her previous assault on K-Mart shelves, as Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Kodak have just announced plans to jointly release a line of personalized photo swag. Available in late September from both companies' websites, the MSLO-designed lineup will include such exciting products as photo books, stationary, calendars, stickers, and occasion-specific cards that customers can slap their uploaded photos onto -- certainly nothing new, but now the process comes with Ms Stewart's coveted seal of approval. The multi-year agreement means that we can expect the customizable offerings to expand into other categories such as food and gardening, and it looks like Martha herself is quite confident that the venture will succeed, as she reportedly bulked up her portfolio with more Kodak and MSLO stock just hours before the deal was announced.[Via DigitalCameraInfo, photo courtesy of BusinessWire]
Kodak adds P712 to top of EasyShare line
Without as much worry for raw megapixels this time around, Kodak is bringing out their new EasyShare P712 7.1 megapixel camera with 12x zoom and high-speed capturing to tempt the semi-prosumer crowd. With a suggested retail price of $499, the shooter strikes quite the bargain for its price range, with 12x optical zoom, optical image stabilisation, speedy auto-focus and a 0.07 click-to-capture rate. Kodak has also included a 2.5-inch LCD and a hot shoe, along with 30 fps VGA video capture and RAW support. The P712 should be shipping worldwide this July.[Via DP Review; thanks Justin]
Kodak Easyshare V603 reviewed
We're liking the looks of this Easyshare V603 6.1 megapixel shooter from Kodak, but just because Kodak makes it sexy doesn't mean the pictures will turn out -- as their V570 so completely evidenced. Luckily, the V603 seems to have pics as well as looks, and that 2.5-inch LCD doesn't hurt nothing neither. Kodak had to lose the optical viewfinder, but the LCD seems to be plenty usable in bright sunlight, so it shouldn't be missed. The 3x optical zoom is just average, but the built-in flash manages pretty well for its size. With ISO values from 80-800, you should find something that works. Noise is minimal up to ISO 200 and shouldn't be much of a problem at ISO 400 for small prints. The reviewer liked the feel and controls of the camera, and at 0.9-inches thick it shouldn't be too bothersome in a pocket. Image quality was pretty good, and though the camera on auto has a tendency to overexpose images, that's an easy fix in the settings. Operation was also quite speedy, and the interface is pretty easy to get along with. It's not hard to find a 6 megapixel camera for less than the V603's $280 pricetag, but it seems to be a pretty good compact offering from Kodak all the same.
Commercial Kodak scanner digitizes, tags old photos
In much the same way that Coinstar machines have revolutionized the way we deal with accumulated change, Kodak has unveiled a new commercial scanner that promises to batch-digitize stacks of old photos and assign them rudimentary chronological metadata. Introduced on the occasion of the EasyShare line's fifth birthday, the so-called "Scan the World" technology will be incorporated into modified check-scanning machines for initial deployment as stand-alone kiosks or behind the counter at drug stores, which can currently turn your bits into atoms, but not vice versa. According to Kodak, the scanners use software which is able to identify different photographic paper for estimating the decade in which the picture was shot, and can even group pictures featuring like individuals through facial recognition. Future versions of the application will also incorporate OCR capabilities for reading watermarks or handwritten notes on the back of photos, further improving the accuracy of the tagging engine.
Kodak plans EasyShare One follow-up with better hotspot support
If early users of the Kodak EasyShare One camera had one gripe, it was limited WiFi support (well, there were other gripes, but work with us here, ok?). For one thing, without major kludges, it was impossible to upload via WiFi to any site other than Kodak's own EasyShare Gallery. For another, out-of-the-box hotspot support was largely limited to T-Mobile's network -- great if you're a Starbucks fan, but something of a pain if you want to upload on the go without having to constantly reconfigure your settings manually. While we're still hoping Kodak addresses the first problem (would it really kill them to offer flickr support?), the company has at least promised to address the second one with the next version of the camera, due out this summer for $299 (not including the WiFi card). According to Kodak, the new camera (EasyShare Two? EasyShare One Plus?) will have WISPr (Wireless Internet Service Provider recommendation) protocol support for easier hotspot access. We're hoping they'll bump up the megapixel count from 4 to 6, and add 802.11g support as well, but we'll have to wait a bit to find out.[Via Wi-Fi Networking News]
Kodak's EasyShare V610 with 10x optical zoom
Even though we didn't previously know its name, we've been waiting around for Kodak to announce the EasyShare V610, their first Bluetooth-enabled camera ever since we saw it appear in the FCC not too long ago. What we weren't expecting was a device that claims to have 38-380mm focal length 10x optical zoom (which can be engaged while recording video!). This is a feat not accomplished by mere mortal compact digital camera makers, and has previously only gone into cleverly designed cameras like Ricoh's R4 (7.1x zoom) and Panasonic's TZ1 (10x zoom). We're still trying to figure out exactly how a camera with no expanding barrel or crazy folded prism optics system is going to work a 10x optical zoom (and how useful we can make that without a little OIS assistance), but each of the V610's two lenses, much like the V570 before it, feature a 6 megapixel sensor capable of shots up to ISO 800 (with pixel binning, no doubt). It also features, as mentioned, Bluetooth 2.0 for transferring images on the go, as well as to Kodak kiosks and printers (sounds like it will have the OBEX profile), a 2.8-inch display, 28MB of internal flash, SD slot, and comes ready to roll in a 4.4 x 2.2 x 0.9-inch body. It could be available as early as May for as little as $630 US, but we don't have any solid info yet; check out a comparison shot of it and the V570 after the break.
