Kodak is a brand that everyone knows, but is one that has been struggling for quite a few years now. After going through the horrors of bankruptcy court and being forced to sell off some of its patents to make up for the debt, Kodak is making a new return into the arena that makes the most sense for the brand: cameras. Specifically we’re talking about cameras on smartphones, since most people don’t have point and shoot cameras anymore but just use their phones instead. These new Android-powered phones will be manufactured by Bullitt Group and branded with the Kodak seal of approval.
Kodak is promising heavy focus on both design and usability, citing phones that have become increasingly more complicated over the years and effectively closing out users who aren’t willing to spend the time to use something that complicated. These new phones will be packed with image capture, management and sharing software that’s designed to make it easy for everyone to use all while offering powerful features for those willing to delve down into the functions. Kodak cites the need of the market to have easy access to printing and sharing services all while offering the latest version of Android, presumably Android 5.0 Lollipop, in addition to high-end specs and feel of the phone.
Bullitt Group currently manufacturers products for CAT, JCB and Ted Baker, among others, and specializes in manufacturing for companies with only the company’s branding on it, so no joint manufacturing or branding here. These will be solely branded as Kodak and sold as that, giving Kodak a whole new market to work with. Amazingly enough Kodak will be debuting these phones at CES 2015 in just two weeks, hopefully giving us some hands on time with the devices when we’re there in Las Vegas. Kodak has also announced that it will launch more products further into the second half of 2015 including a tablet, another 4G smartphone and a connected camera. Will this be enough to revitalize Kodak’s branding or is this just yet another entry in a market flooded with competitors and no real way to differentiate between products? We shall see in two weeks!