As smartphone companies continue to up their game in terms of camera capabilities, it only seems natural for a camera company like Kodak to join the party and launch its very own smartphone.
Kodak officially announced its first smartphone, the Kodak IM5 smartphone, at CES 2015. The 5-inch Full HD smartphone was created with a unique and simple user interface that allows the handset to be very consumer friendly. Kodak also approached the issue of having photos on smartphones that never leave the device.
"Too many memories stay stuck on mobile phones, often because the process for sharing them is too complicated for users," said Eileen Murphy, VP of brand licensing at Kodak. "That's why we've partnered on the IM5, the first device in a range of mobile products that takes our heritage and experience in photographic technology and combines it with Bullitt's expertise in designing high-quality devices for a specific target consumer."
Since Kodak is an expert when it comes to cameras, it has included a 13-megapixel front-facing camera and unique image-management software that allows users to easily edit the images and share them with family, friends, and social networks via a customized app. The company licensed its trademark to Bullitt Group, which has expertise in making speciality devices.
The Kodak IM5 features a 5-inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD display and runs Android 4.4 Kit Kat with a custom built UI, although Kodak has confirmed that it will release an Android 5.0 Lollipop update. The smartphone is powered by a 1.7 GHz octa-core MediaTek processor and 1 GB of RAM.
Kodak has included 8 GB of internal storage and a microSD expansion slot that will support up to 32 GB microSD cards. Its camera capabilities consist of a 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing shooter for video chat and selfies. The smartphone will have its own dedicated app store with handpicked selection of apps; it's unclear if the Kodak IM5 will have access to Google's Play Store.
The Kodak IM5 will be offered in choice of white or black and will begin to roll out in Europe in the first quarter of 2015 and globally shortly after.
