Kodak unveils smartphone
New Ektra is more like a ‘camera that has a phone,’
Eastman Kodak Co. is making another push into the crowded smartphone market, announcing a camera-focused device Thursday that will be available overseas later this year.
The new Kodak Ektra smartphone is Android based and isn’t available in the United States yet.
Still, the Rochester-based company is describing the device as a “unique hybrid of photography innovation and DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) functionality” with a larger and more powerful lens allowing for higher-quality images, particularly in low-lit areas, Chief Executive Jeffrey Clarke said on CNN.
“It’s going to help you with all sorts of different photography,” Clarke said.
“We think this is the most unique — the best camera phone — a camera that has a phone rath- er than a phone that as a second thought has a camera,” he said.
Kodak (KODK) shares closed at $14.55, up 3 cents on the New York Stock Exchange, but almost $3 lower than the stock’s 52-week high of $17.31 on Oct. 22, 2015.
“The iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy, etc. are pretty generic, so having an exceptional camera is a market we think people are going to want,” Clarke said.
The camera offers an adjustable shutter speed with a 21megapixel main camera a f/2.0 aperture. It also offers optical image stabilization, auto focus and a 13-megapixel front-facing camera.
Clarke said the smartphone pays homage to a previous Kodak camera called the Ektra.
“This goes back to our roots, George Eastman. ‘You push the button, and we do the rest,’ ” he said. Eastman, the founder of Kodak, created the advertising slogan for the Kodak camera in 1888.
“The original Kodak Ektra camera was launched in 1941, and in its latest reincarnation opens up a world of creative opportunities to all who care about photography,” Clarke said in a statement.
The device has a 5-inch highdefinition display offering 1080pixel resolution and the ability to capture 4K video. Corning ’s Gorilla glass provides screen and lens protection.
The Bullitt Group, based in the United Kingdom, is manufacturing the device, Clarke said.
It’s not yet available in Europe, but when it is, the price will be 449 British pounds, or a little more than $550 at today’s U.S. dollar exchange rate.
Kodak didn’t release specifics about a U.S. sale date or price.