Gear & Gadgets
Kodak Ektra Smartphone Inspired by 1940s
Kodak is a brand with history and recently has been experimenting with smartphones. Kodak and Bullitt Group's KODAK EKTRA smartphone is designed specifically for photographers. Named after its 1941 rangefinder (and the '70s 110 film camera range) the handset certainly looks like a camera. The back is wrapped in a dark, artificial "leatherette," with a slightly curved grip on one side and a dedicated shutter button on top.
Kodak hopes the camera will appeal to enthusiast photographers. The people who own a chunky DSLR, or maybe a high-end compact, and think carefully about the composition of their shots. The custom built camera app is controlled by an intuitive haptic touch, SLR-style Scene Selection Dial, where adjustments are made in real time via a range of settings including HDR, Landscape, Portrait, Macro, Sport, Night-time, Panorama and Bokeh, alongside a Smart Auto mode which auto-selects the best conditions for your photographs. In Manual mode, more advanced users can adjust exposure, ISO, focus, white balance and shutter speed, with the results being visible on the screen as changes are made.
