Last month we wrote about a new Franken-camera from Polaroid that combines a digital touchscreen with instant prints. Now, Kodak is the latest retro camera company looking to stay fresh in the digital age. For the company’s latest venture, the 128-year-old brand is aiming to convince people to buy its newest camera by packaging it in a smartphone, CNN Money reports.
The Android-based Kodak Ektra phone is a camera first and foremost—specifically, a camera with 21 megapixels. (For comparison: the iPhone 7 camera offers 12 megapixels.) A button bearing the iconic Kodak logo lets users snap photos while a physical wheel allows them to adjust the settings. When photographers are on the go, they can protect the phone and its f/2.0 aperture lens by slipping it into a leather carrying case (which will cost owners an extra $70).
The Kodak Ektra delivers all the standard features of your typical smartphone, including the ability to make calls, browse the web, and store 32 gigabytes worth of data. It also offers a few high-tech extras that should appeal specifically to photography nerds, include a USB type-C port for easy uploads and an editing tool from the Snapseed app. But fancy technology aside, the phone’s biggest selling point is the nostalgia factor. The device will go on sale in UK and European markets this December, where it will retail for £449 (about $550); if all goes well there, U.S. consumers should expect to see it hit stores here in early 2017.
[h/t CNN Money]
All images courtesy of Kodak.
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October 21, 2016 – 2:30pm