Kodak’s first smartphone fails to excite

Over at CES ailing photography brand Kodak has announced its first foray into the smartphone world.

You would be forgiven for thinking that Kodak, given its heritage, might make something of the camera functionality. Could it put a new twist on what we’ve seen before? When rivals Polaroid came out with its own phone a few days ago it literally put a twist on the camera.

But alas, no – the Kodak IM5 is pretty generic. It runs Android, has a 1.7ghz processor, 5″ full HD screen, and has a 13MP rear and 5MP front cameras. Sure – the cameras are probably slightly higher spec than you’d find in any other mid-range smartphone but we were expecting more from the company.

Like other manufacturers, Kodak is skinning the phone with its own customer app launcher – and is even trying its own app store, in addition to having full access to Google Play.

According to the press release, the phone is being aimed at consumers who “want a smartphone that is easier to use than what they are currently using (or being offered)” – which suggests that if anyone, this is a phone for your parents who want a trustworthy old-timey brand like Kodak.