CES 2015: Kodak forays into smartphone market with IM5

Kodak was once synonymous with cameras in India, until digital cameras and eventually smartphones stole the show. Kodak couldn’t really keep up the pace with the change. Finally, it has decided to enter the smartphone space.  At CES this year, the company launched its first smartphone for the masses, dubbed IM5. Just like most of the smartphones, it sports a 5-inch display with 720p resolution. It comes powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core processor coupled with 1GB RAM. On the camera front, one can expect a 13MP rear snapper with LED flash and a 5MP front-facing camera for your selfies and video-conferences. The IM5 also gets 8GB on-board storage that is expandable via microSD card slot. The specs clearly point towards a mid-range phone, but the company promises “unique image management software”. The software lets you quickly edit photos, share them via social sites and also print them directly. Now, these features aren’t something exceptional. The Kodak IM5 is said to be available in Europe by the end of March for a price of €229 (approximately Rs 17,200). The company plans a global rollout soon after. In the US, the device is expected to be made available contract-free for $249.