Kodak is set to release a new smartphone. A leaked photo showed a portion of the said device. The Kodak smartphone is set to be released on Oct. 20, 2016.
In a teaser photo of the Kodak smartphone, nothing much can actually be seen. What are only evident are the button, bezel, and the edge of the display.
Kodak was the king in the late 20th century. It was a giant and synonymous to other distinguished brands like Coke. However, as the digital age emerged, Kodak got left behind. They have filed bankruptcy in 2012 according to ABC.
Kodak has indeed invented the digital camera in the 1970s. However, because of the fear that it might hurt their film business, the production did not materialize.
Kodak clawed out of bankruptcy by selling their patents to tech giants such as Google and Apple. But Kodak still has 6,000 patents under its name.
Getting into the smartphone arena isn't new for them, as last 2015, they launched IM5, a smartphone built and designed in collaboration with Bullitt Group. Despite of the craze brought about this in the blogging world, the Kodak smartphone just quickly disappeared, Digital Trends reported.
Meanwhile, talking about this year's new smart device, Jeff Clarke, its chief executive who joined the 129- year old company in 2014, said that their first trial was a camera and it is made for easy design.
Clarke said that they follow the tenet and the principle of the Kodak founder, George Eastman. What customers have to do is just push the button and Kodak will do the rest. It's about ease of use. Many jokingly say that it is an "old man's phone" because of its simplicity.
This camera corporation has been trying to keep on with the film industry. Nothing much is doing motion film pictures anymore.
Clarke said that if people still want to see "Star Wars" or "James Bond", they need to keep the factory alive. Directors J.J. Abrams and Christopher Nolan of the "Dark Knight" trilogy praise Kodak's efforts. In a statement from Steven Spielberg, he said 8 mm is the beginning of everything. When he thinks about 8 mm, all he can think about is movies.
Kodak has got $1.7 billion in revenue. Their film business only amounts to $200 million. Kodak is the last maker of the super 8 film.