Kodak has always been known for their impressive line of cameras and camcorders, continuing their push into portable hand-held camcorders, they have announced the Kodak PlaySport 2. With the PlaySport 2, Kodak plans on fixing some downfalls of the previous PlaySport. With it’s better designed body it will now be both waterproof to 3 meters and shockproof from 1.5 meters.
The device will be highly focused on sharing, allowing the user to upload to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Email, and Kodak Gallery with easy image and video formatting. Capturing video in full 1080 and 5MP HD images, the PlaySport will not only be durable, but powerful as well.
The PlaySport 2 will be shipping this spring for about $179.99.
Kodak will be unveiling a lot of new gear at CES 2011 in the coming week. The gear will include several new cameras and a digital photo frame among other stuff. The stuff that Kodak has announced includes the new Easyshare Touch camera with a $149.99 MSRP in the US. The camera has a 3-inch touchscreen on the back and can shoot 720p video. It has 14MP resolution and 5x optical zoom.
The Easyshare mini is a $99.95 camera that is about the size of a credit card with 10MP resolution, 3x optical zoom, and a mirrored front for self-shots. The rear LCD is a 2.5-inch unit and it has video recording and more. The Easyshare Sport will sell for $79.95 and is waterproof to ten feet and dustproof as well. It has a 12MP resolution and a 2.4-inch LCD.
The Playful Video Camera will sell for $149.99 and can record in 1080p resolution and shoot 5MP still shots. The camera is aimed at sharing video online and has an easy to use Share button for uploading. The Playsport Video Camera will sell for $179.95 and is waterproof to ten feet and shockproof as well with 1080p video and 5MP stills.
The digital photo frame is the Pulse and is has a 7-inch screen version for $129.95 and a 10-inch version for $199.95 and will turn itself off when it sense no one is in the room. It also has an email address so friends can send pics to the frame. Kodak has also announced that it is launching 3D photo prints from Kodak AIO printers with software and printing solutions.
Kodak will be unveiling a lot of new gear at CES 2011 in the coming week. The gear will include several new cameras and a digital photo frame among other stuff. The stuff that Kodak has announced includes the new Easyshare Touch camera with a $149.99 MSRP in the US. The camera has a 3-inch touchscreen on the back and can shoot 720p video. It has 14MP resolution and 5x optical zoom.
The Easyshare mini is a $99.95 camera that is about the size of a credit card with 10MP resolution, 3x optical zoom, and a mirrored front for self-shots. The rear LCD is a 2.5-inch unit and it has video recording and more. The Easyshare Sport will sell for $79.95 and is waterproof to ten feet and dustproof as well. It has a 12MP resolution and a 2.4-inch LCD.
The Playful Video Camera will sell for $149.99 and can record in 1080p resolution and shoot 5MP still shots. The camera is aimed at sharing video online and has an easy to use Share button for uploading. The Playsport Video Camera will sell for $179.95 and is waterproof to ten feet and shockproof as well with 1080p video and 5MP stills.
The digital photo frame is the Pulse and is has a 7-inch screen version for $129.95 and a 10-inch version for $199.95 and will turn itself off when it sense no one is in the room. It also has an email address so friends can send pics to the frame. Kodak has also announced that it is launching 3D photo prints from Kodak AIO printers with software and printing solutions.
Sometimes there are things that surface that are very cool, but the name does them no justice. This is one of those cases. Kodak has unveiled a new custom printing service that people can take advantage of from those print kiosks in some of the big stores near you.
From the name of the service you really get no idea what Kodak has unveiled. You go to the store with your photos on media of some sort. You pick a frame style that you want hanging on the wall or sitting on the table and scan the bar code for the frame at the Pynk kiosk.
Then you select the images that you want in the photo frame via whatever method you chose to upload them and the kiosk takes those photos, sizes them, crops them, and then prints a single sheet with the photos on it perfectly arranged and sized for the frame you choose. Before you had to spend time cutting, printing, and sometimes taping photos together in one of these collage fames to compete the same thing. Kodak isn’t talking price on these things and if it costs too much it will fail. However, for the right price, this could be a very cool service.
Kodak’s recent line of digital imaging products might not make for the most inspiring of spec-sheets, but they’ve got the sort of bargain price-tags mainstream users are looking for. We caught up with the Kodak PLAYTOUCH Full HD camcorder, the Kodak EasyShare M590 camera and 10-inch PULSE wireless digital photo frame to see what your money gets you.
Kodak are pretty proud of the EasyShare M590, what with it being the thinnest point-and-shoot with an all-internal 5x optical zoom, though at 0.6-inches it’s certainly not the slickest digital camera around. Still, the zoom gets you nice and close, and there’s a 14.5-megapixel sensor inside too. Style-wise it’s a little on the bland side, but the straightforward button layout does at least mean there’s little in the way of user confusion. It’s priced at $199.95.
As for the PLAYTOUCH, it’s more expensive – at $229.95 – which could hurt in a market where cheaper point-and-shoot camcorders are already under attack from 720p-capable cameraphones. Still, the capacitive touchscreen is responsive and bright, and the build quality is good; Kodak’s simple UI should make for a relatively straightforward experience with non-techy users, as well.
Finally, the Kodak 10-inch PULSE, a WiFi-enabled digital photo frame. The company was showing the new model next to the original 7-inch version, and while the difference might not sound much on paper, in practice you get far more viewing pleasure. At $199.95 it’s reasonably competitively priced, and Kodak’s wireless sharing feature is easy to use.
Kodak has been in the multifunction printer business for a long time now. The big claim to fame for all of the company’s printer offerings is the cheap ink. You can get the cartridges that Kodak printers use for much less money than competing printers from other makers like Epson.
The new Kodak ESP 9250 AIO printer carries on the low price ink tradition for Kodak with some new features. The printer promises to produce printed images that are as good as those printed at a photo lab and the ink pigments will last a lifetime according to Kodak. The printer can produce a borderless 4 x 6 print in 29 seconds. The print resolution is 9600 dpi optimized in color and prints can be made directly from the iPhone or iPad with a special Kodak app.
The printer can copy at up to 27 pages per minute and the scanner has a 2400 dpi resolution. The fax modem uses a 33.6 kbps modem to send data wherever you want. The printer uses a 2.4-inch color LCD and has integrated USB and memory card reader. An optional Bluetooth adapter for the printer is available. The 9250 is available right now for $249.99.
Kodak has outed what they’re calling the world’s thinnest digital camera with a 5x optical zoom, together with the 10-inch Kodak PULSE digital photo frame spotted hopping through the FCC last week. The company is obviously so excited about the Kodak EasyShare M590′s slimness that they’ve neglected to mention that other great photography competition: how many megapixels it packs. Still, Kodak are so heavily pushing their Share button – which tags images for upload to various social networking and gallery sites once you plug in to a computer with a network connection – that they’re probably assuming the raw shots will end up cropped down and compressed for online viewing, so original resolution doesn’t really matter.
There’s also a 2.7-inch LCD display, face recognition, image stabilization, HD video capture and a microSD card slot for storage. The Kodak EasyShare M590 will go on sale this fall, priced at $199.95 in silver, red, purple or blue.
As for the 10-inch Kodak PULSE digital frame, like its 7-inch sibling it has WiFi and its own email address: you can send images directly to the frame and, as long as it’s within network range, it’ll automatically start showing them. Facebook and Kodak Gallery content can also be pulled down automatically. It’ll also arrive this fall, priced at $199.95.
Press Release:
Kodak Introduces Latest Digital Camera for the Socially Savvy
KODAK EASYSHARE M590 is World’s Thinnest* 5X Optical Zoom Digital Camera; Company Will Also Offer Larger KODAK PULSE Digital Frame
Rochester, NY, Aug 23 — Eastman Kodak Company today introduced the new KODAK EASYSHARE M590 Digital Camera, the ultimate social networking accessory for people who love to share their pictures. With Kodak’s exclusive Share Button, consumers can tag pictures and videos directly on the camera for effortless uploading to popular social networking sites including FACEBOOK, KODAK Gallery, FLICKR, ORKUT, and YOUTUBE. Pictures can also be tagged to email and to send to any KODAK PULSE Digital Frame.
The new KODAK EASYSHARE M590 Digital Camera is the world’s thinnest* 5X optical zoom digital camera. On top of its sleek, modern and stylish design, the camera also boasts advanced features including Kodak’s Face Recognition feature that makes it simple for consumers to find and share the pictures they want, and Kodak’s Smart Capture feature that helps them take better pictures automatically.
“We are thrilled to see how people have embraced Kodak’s Share Button as an easier way to share life’s moments with family and friends, in three simple steps,” said Phil Scott, Vice President of Marketing, Digital Capture and Devices, Kodak. “With the new KODAK EASYSHARE M590 Digital Camera, we are continuing our commitment to bring to market innovative, intuitive and stylish products that make it fun and easy for today’s socially savvy crowd to share all their favorite moments.”
KODAK M590 Digital Camera Features:
Share Button for easy upload to KODAK Gallery, FACEBOOK, FLICKR, ORKUT, and YOUTUBE sites, as well as email
World’s thinnest* 5X optical zoom digital camera (uses SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON lens)
Built-in image stabilization
Kodak’s Face Recognition feature
Kodak’s Smart Capture feature
2.7-inch bright LCD with KODAK Color Science technology
Li-Ion rechargeable batteries and in-camera charging
HD picture and video capture
Uses MICROSD/MICROSDHC Card
The KODAK EASYSHARE M590 Digital Camera will be available this fall for US $199.95 MSRP in silver, red, purple and blue at major retailers and Kodak.com.
New 10-inch KODAK PULSE Digital Frame
Kodak is also introducing a larger size for its popular and award-wining KODAK PULSE Digital Frame. The new 10-inch PULSE Digital Frame will be available this fall for US $199.95 MSRP at major retailers and Kodak.com. With all the features of Kodak’s current 7-inch PULSE Digital Frame, including Wi-Fi connectivity and a customizable email address, the 10-inch PULSE Frame is the perfect gift for the holiday season. The KODAK PULSE Digital Frame makes it easy for consumers to keep their frames fresh with new pictures and share with family and friends. Pictures can be emailed directly to the PULSE Frame from mobile phones, computers and any device with email capability. It also connects to FACEBOOK and KODAK Gallery photo albums, offers easy set-up with no software to install, and has an intuitive touchscreen interface.
With the KODAK PULSE Digital Frame, there is always something new to look forward to.
KODAK Digital Camera Accessories
A range of accessories are available for the KODAK M590 Digital Camera including:
New KODAK Gripping Tripods available this fall in a variety of colors
KODAK Cases, Bags and Neck Straps
KODAK MICROSDHC Memory Card
KODAK Li-Ion Rechargeable Digital Camera Battery KLIC-7000
Battery charger options including KODAK Li-Ion Universal Battery Charger K7700-C
* World’s thinnest 5X optical zoom digital camera as of July, 2010
Forgive us, Kodak, but calling your new PLAYTOUCH video camera makes it sound like a bra. If you can get past the daft name, the PLAYTOUCH seems a decent little pocket camcorder, with a 3-inch capacitive touchscreen, on-device editing and Full HD 1080p recording.
It’ll also shoot 5-megapixel stills, has an SD/SDHC card slot which – with a 32GB card in place – allows up to 10hrs of footage to be stored, and a pop-out USB arm for cable-free connections. Digital image stabilization and four preloaded special effects round out the main functionality, though there’s also a Kodak Share button for designating particular shots and clips for uploading to Facebook, YouTube or other social networking sites when you next plug the PLAYTOUCH in.
The Kodak PLAYTOUCH will hit the US this fall, priced at $229.95. It’ll be available, like all good bras, in black, magenta, orange and teal.
Press Release:
KODAK PLAYTOUCH Video Camera Lets You See and Be Seen with Intuitive 3-Inch Touchscreen and Optimized HD Playback
Rochester, NY, Aug 23 — Eastman Kodak Company today introduced the new KODAK PLAYTOUCH Video Camera, a sleek and stylish addition to its award-winning digital video camera portfolio. The pocket-size KODAK PLAYTOUCH Video Camera features a 3-inch capacitive touchscreen so consumers can easily glide through their HD videos with the swipe of a fingertip. With new on-camera editing and Kodak’s exclusive Share Button, the PLAYTOUCH Video Camera makes it easy for consumers to share their favorite moments with friends and family in full 1080p HD.
Complementing its unique design, the KODAK PLAYTOUCH Video Camera boasts an array of features to help consumers capture their memories with clarity and precision, including built-in image stabilization, LCD glare shield, and an external microphone jack. To make sharing videos simpler, the PLAYTOUCH Video Camera has a built-in USB arm and Kodak’s Share Button lets consumers tag videos and pictures directly on the camera for automatic upload to popular social networking sites once they connect the camera to the computer.
“Kodak has firmly established itself as a leader in the digital pocket video camera space since introducing its line in 2008, and continues to be one of the most highly rated and recommended in this category,” said Phil Scott, Vice President of Marketing, Digital Capture and Devices, Kodak. “We’re committed to providing our consumers with innovative and intuitive products that satisfy their needs. Whether it’s a night out on the town with friends or your child’s school play, the KODAK PLAYTOUCH Video Camera makes capturing and sharing your favorite moments simple and fun.”
KODAK PLAYTOUCH Video Camera Features:
Share Button for easy video upload to YOUTUBE and FACEBOOK sites, and email
3-inch capacitive touchscreen LCD optimized for reviewing in landscape mode for the ultimate 1080p HD video sharing experience
On-camera editing features to trim and extract still pictures from video
5 MP HD still pictures
Sharper videos and less blur with built-in digital image stabilization
Built-in USB arm for easy sharing, charging, and transferring
Smart face tracking technology
LCD glare shield feature
External stereo microphone jack to add high-quality sound to videos or to plug in headphones for discreet playback*
4 capture effects, including B&W, sepia, high saturation, and ‘70s film look
HDMI output (HDMI cable included)
Up to 10 hours of HD video** with expandable SD/SDHC card slot (up to 32 GB)
Li-Ion rechargeable battery with in-camera charging
PC and MAC iLIFE product compatibility
The KODAK PLAYTOUCH Video Camera will be available in Smoke Gaze (Black), Chrome, Wine Country (Magenta), Cabana (Orange) and Spa Blue (Teal) for US $229.95 MSRP this fall at major retailers and Kodak.com.***
KODAK Digital Video Camera Portfolio
Whether you have an appetite for adventure or want to be the paparazzi of your social circle, Kodak has a pocket video camera for everyone. In addition to the KODAK PLAYTOUCH Video Camera, Kodak’s robust line of digital video cameras also includes the award-winning KODAK PLAYSPORT Video Camera – a rugged, waterproof HD pocket video camera designed for adventure seekers. The perfect travel companion, the KODAK PLAYSPORT Video Camera captures full 1080p HD video – even underwater up to 10 feet – with the touch of a button. Kodak is also now offering the KODAK Mini Video Camera, an ultra-thin and lightweight camera about the size of a credit card, available at leading retailers and Kodak.com.
Product Accessories
A range of accessories are available for Kodak’s pocket video camera portfolio including:
New KODAK Floating Wrist Strap for the KODAK PLAYSPORT Video Camera
New KODAK Gripping Tripods available this fall
KODAK SDHC Memory Cards, available in 4, 8 and 16 GB customized for optimal video capture
KODAK Adventure Mount for helmet, handlebars and more
KODAK Cases, Bags and Neck Straps
Remote control
KODAK Li-Ion Rechargeable Digital Camera Battery KLIC-7004
Battery charger options including KODAK Li-Ion Universal Battery Charger K7700-C, KODAK Solar Charger KS100-C+2, KODAK Portable Charger KP100-C+2
* Microphone and headphones not included
** Record approximately 20 minutes per 1 GB at HD 720 at 30 fps.
*** Colors and availability may vary by region
About Kodak
As the world’s foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives.
To learn more, visit http://www.kodak.com and follow our blogs and more at http://www.kodak.com/go/followus.
More than 75 million people worldwide manage, share and create photo gifts online at KODAK Gallery – join today at www.kodakgallery.com.
A new, larger model of Kodak’s Pulse WiFi-enabled digital photo frame has been spotted crossing the FCC. The Kodak Pulse W1030 has a 10-inch LCD display, rather than the 7-inch version announced back at CES 2010, and according to the wireless testing documents supports WiFi b/g together with having a USB port, SD/SDHC/MMC/MS/XD memory card slot and MS/MS Pro Duo card slot.
Meanwhile another document [PDF link] Kodak submitted to the FCC confirms that the new Pulse W1030 won’t be able to transfer files directly with a PC. The frame’s USB port will only work as a USB Host, for connecting directly to a camera; it’s unclear if that means direct WiFi connections won’t be supported, though that seems unlikely to be the case.
That would suggest that the only way to load images to the Pulse W1030′s internal memory (capacity unspecified) is to use a memory card or set up a wireless network; many frames will allow for direct connection to a computer, with the display showing up as an external drive. No word on when Kodak may release the Pulse W1030, but they requested 45 days confidentiality on the rest of the testing documentation and user guide, so that suggests a holiday launch.
From time to time I like to think about the idea of disconnecting from the digital world for an extended period and what I’d miss as a result. In the end, I came up with five gadgets that changed the world for me, products the descendents of which I’d rather not be without on a regular basis. What’s interesting is that for me, the PC didn’t make the list. Perhaps it’s an uber-gadget that just goes without saying or it’s just not that important to me personally anymore.
Treo – I first used a preproduction Treo at the end of the 2001 and wrote my first review in the January of 2002. It wasn’t the first device to merge a Palm OS handheld with a phone but it was arguably the first device that did it well enough to be used on a regular basis. Treo bucked the trend at the time by eschewing multimedia features; there was neither movie-clip playback nor MP3 audio support. Rather, it targeted business users, merging voice and data with personal information management functions and it did it well. Other devices of the era tried to integrate these functions, but they failed because they tried to add either telephony features to PDAs or organizer features to phones and neither approach worked well. Treo was the first device that successfully merged features in harmony, producing a sum that was greater than its parts.
Things that we take advantage today were part of the Treo experience. Flip it open and your speed-dial list was ready to be used. Tap a few keys and you could instantly find the contact you wished to call. All the familiar Palm applications including an e-mail client, Handspring’s Blazer Web browser and an SMS application were present. Take a look at the iPhone’s dialer and you’ll see the direct descendent of the work Handspring did a decade ago. Treo no longer defines state of the art but most devices that are state of the art today would not be here without Handspring’s efforts and the smartphone you might dread to leave behind is the direct heir to the original Treo.
TiVo – It quietly changed television – and how many of us watch TV today? – but it took a lot to get the mass market to understand the value. We called it the TiVo paradox. It was how you explained something that so many users appreciated and were excited about, but that still sold in relatively few numbers. So what’s the reason for the TiVo paradox? TiVo’s by themselves were not “killer applications”. In fact, there’s a multitude of features in TiVo that are totally contextual, that at a given moment in time BECOME the killer app. Want to pause TV when the phone rings? That was the killer app at that moment. Recording a show using an EPG to simply search for it? That was the killer app at that moment. Skipping commercials when you watch recorded content? That was the killer app at that moment.
Contextual functionality ONLY comes together when you get to see the whole, not a piece or part. When you see only pieces, you just get a very expensive VCR not a DVR. And that’s the moniker TiVo was stuck with for many years, an expensive VCR. The reality is that TiVo and later DVRs totally changed the way many of use consume TV and it’s quickly become on the of those indispensable phenomena.
GPS – Whether it was integrated into your vehicle at the turn of the century at a cost of thousands of dollars or an external unit that might have cost only a few hundred, the GPS totally changed the way many of us drive. Whether we took to the streets with a gas station map, or later Mapquest directions, the GPS forever changed how we got from point a to point b. Today, a full functioned GPS might be well under a $100 purchase and if you’re using a phone from Nokia or Google, that feature has now trended down to free. Like watching a TV with no DVR, I find it hard to drive a car with no navigation system but I discover that GPS has come indeed at a price. Once upon a time, if I drove to a new place (with directions) I found that I could easily get back there anytime in the future. The route was now part of my repertoire. With the GPS assisted driving, not so much anymore. I find that I’m paying more attention only to where the next turn is and not the route as a whole. I may be getting to where I’m going better than ever before but I feel less smarter about it overall.
Kodak DC120 digital camera – It wasn’t the first digital camera. Both Apple, Casio and others had models in the market well before Kodak. But the DC120 was a very special camera in 1997. It was the first consumer 1MP digital camera priced below $1,000. It was no paragon of style with a binocular look and a 3X zoom lens, but also had an optical viewfinder and a color LCD. Crossing the magic 1MP threshold at that price meant for the first time consumers could begin to take photographs and print them out with near film-like quality at sizes up to 5×7. The DC120 wouldn’t hold itself well to the most of the cameras integrated into today’s phones but it helped start a revolution for consumers that ultimately paved the way from analog to digital.
iPod –The first MP3 players I used changed the way I listened to music under certain circumstances. Going to the gym, for example, with a Creative RIO was a fantastic experience that let you take a solid workout’s worth of music in a device a fraction of the size of a cassette player. It was the iPod, though, that helped me rediscover music. When the iPod came out, I felt intuitively that there was more to this product than met the eye. Among the first research projects I did in 2002 at Jupiter Research was to understand what about the iPod was special.
It turned out the iPod balanced three critical features for users: battery life/form factor/sync and capacity. It didn’t have the “best” of those features but it had the best balance of them. Mapping into what was the average size of a consumer’s digital music collection of the era, fitting easily into a pocket and able to sync 1,000 songs in minutes not hours (or days) separated the iPod from the pack. There’s of course much more to this story but the bottom line is iPod brought digital music to the masses and personally helped me rediscover music I’d already owned and neglected.
Those are the five archetypical gadgets that make up the digital world that I value most. While none of them would likely be good enough to use by today’s standards, they each set the tone for a revolution in their space. What are the five gadgets that matter most to you, whose modern equivalents you’d be loath to give up?
Kodak DC120 digital camera – It wasn’t the first digital camera. Both Apple, Casio and others had models in the market well before Kodak. But the DC120 was a very special camera in 1997. It was the first consumer 1MP digital camera priced below $1,000. It was no paragon of style with a binocular look and a 3X zoom lens, but also had an optical viewfinder and a color LCD. Crossing the magic 1MP threshold at that price meant for the first time consumers could begin to take photographs and print them out with near film-like quality at sizes up to 5×7. The DC120 wouldn’t hold itself well to the most of the cameras integrated into today’s phones but it helped start a revolution for consumers that ultimately paved the way from analog to digital.