Kodak is jumping into the turbulent smartphone business with what it hopes will be a real moneymaker: a phone aimed at photography enthusiasts.
The one-time leader in traditional photography is competing against Apple and Samsung with its Ektra, an Android-based smartphone that comes with a 21-megapixel camera. It has an f/2.0 lens and a physical dial that allows you to change from portrait to other settings quickly. It also has low-light image capture software.
Kodak is starting the Ektra in Europe later this year and has no immediate plans for worldwide distribution. The price would work out to about $550 U.S.
If the Ektra name sounds familiar, it should be. Kodak launched the Ektra camera line in 1941 and CEO Jeff Clarke says in a press release this is its latest reincarnation.