Kodak’s about to have its own line of Android phones now, because sure. The company — now little more than a name to be slapped on products from all kinds of no-name manufacturers — will be showing off its first Android devices at CES in just over a week.
The announcement comes by way of a press release positively brimming with optimism:
[Kodak] will launch a range of Android-powered mobile devices offering best-in-class image management software and features along with great design and UI.
Unlike other phones aimed at this target audience, the KODAK Mobile Device range will not compromise on design and user experience. With as much focus on design as well as usability, the range will stand out in a market segment that is currently under-served.
Oh boy!
Kodak’s new devices — a 4G handset, a tablet, and a connected camera — will actually be made by Bullitt Group, while the Kodak company provides the name and caché. Bullitt’s in a similar relationship with Caterpillar, which has a line of rugged Android devices.
If this sound vaguely familiar, it’s because Polaroid has gone down this same road to little success, lending its name to a series of entirely unremarkable Android tablets. There’s an outside chance these new Kodak devices might be worth a damn, but it’s far more likely they will just be sad reminders of how much those little yellow boxes used to mean to us. [Bullitt via Engadget]