The Kodak EKTRA, the company’s ‘camera first’ smartphone, is now available to purchase in the United States. The Android smartphone, which was first announced in October 2016, features a 21MP camera and a design reminiscent of point-and-shoot cameras. The handset has been available to purchase in Europe for a handful of months, and now US consumers can buy the model unlocked with support for GSM mobile networks for $ 399.99 USD.
Coinciding with the launch is software update version 2.009.00/_A for the smartphone, which Kodak says it is zeroing in on requests from its ‘photo-enthusiast’ customers. The update brings improved autofocus performance, better color saturation and white balance, and the addition of raw image support, among other things.
The full software changelog:
- Enhanced single handed camera functionality; when the camera app is enabled the Android touch buttons are now disabled to avoid an accidental press when using the camera with one hand
- Added RAW file support in manual mode; shooting in RAW records all the data from the sensor enabling more sophisticated image processing options
- Improved auto focus making in quicker and more accurate
- Improved Face Detection performance for better portrait photos
- Optimisations to the Auto White Balance and colour saturation
- Improvements to shutter speed performance
- New option to disable Auto Scene Detection in smart auto mode
- New shutter effect to provide visual indication of when a picture is taken
- Enhanced low light performance
- Optimisations to the noise reduction algorithm from ISO 100-6400
- Introduces a new ‘How To’ camera tutorial on the new functionality
Via: BusinessWire
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)