Techbits

Kodak getting out of camera business

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Eastman Kodak Co. will stop making digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames in a move that marks the end of an era for the beleaguered 132-year-old company.

Some of the products that remain are commercial printing; photo kiosks and digital dry lab systems for photo printing at retailers; consumer inkjet printers and supplies, including ink and paper; photo and document scanners and supplies; Kodak Gallery online photo-sharing service; camera accessories and batteries; still and motion-picture film, chemicals and paper; and disposable film cameras.

Founded by George Eastman in 1880, Kodak was known all over the world for iconic cameras such as the Brownie and the Instamatic. For the last few decades, however, the Rochester, New York-based company has struggled. It was battered by Japanese competition in the 1980s, and failed to keep pace with the shift from film to digital technology.

The company sought bankruptcy protection from creditors last month in a case that covers $6.7 billion in debt. It has a year to devise a restructuring plan. Citigroup Inc. was approved to lend the company $650 million to continue operating.

Exiting the digital camera business is especially poignant for Kodak. In 1975, using an electronic sensor invented six years earlier at Bell Labs, a Kodak engineer created the world’s first digital camera.

Through the 1990s, Kodak spent some $4 billion developing the photo technology inside most of today’s cellphones and digital devices. But fearing that it might cannibalize its celluloid film business, Kodak waited until 2001 to bring its own digital cameras to the consumer market. By then, it faced strong competitors like Sony Corp. and Canon.

These days, digital camera sales are suffering as consumers increasingly take photos on smartphones. Certain smartphone makers such as LG, Nokia, Motorola and Samsung have agreed to pay Kodak to license its digital camera technology, while companies like Apple are fighting its patent claims.

Once the digital camera business is phased out, Kodak said, its consumer business will focus on printing. It will seek a company to license its EasyShare digital camera brand.

Kodak sees home photo printers, high-speed commercial inkjet presses, workflow software and packaging as the core of its future business.

Kodak owns patents that cover a number of basic functions in many smartphone cameras, and the bankruptcy judge has given the company until June 30 to come up with a procedure to sell them.

The Associated Press

ATM-like machine buys old cellphones

LAS VEGAS — What to about old cellphones and other gadgets?

One solution — shown at January’s International Consumer Electronics Show — is a machine designed to help recycle gadgets, giving old phones a fitting end, or a better home.

Drop a phone into the EcoATM, and the machine pays out what it believes the handset is worth. The cupboard-sized machine has a large touch screen and a big metal “mouth” where people can place an old phone or MP3 player. It takes pictures of the device to figure out what kind of shape it’s in. Then, you choose one of the machine’s many cables to connect your device. The machine will figure out if the device’s internals are working.

When its analysis is complete, it gives you a quote on the spot, based on what a network of hundreds of electronics-recycling companies are willing to pay for it. If you accept, it spits out cash. In a demonstration by EcoATM founder Bill Bowles, it said a Verizon iPhone 4 was worth $221.

An older phone might not be worth reselling, but the machine will take it anyway, and give you a dollar. The company will melt down the phone in an environmentally friendly fashion to extract the precious metals from it.

The machine has potential because it’s tough to recycle old electronics. Collection bins are few and far between, though some electronics stores accept items for recycling. You can sell newer phones on eBay, but it’s a bit of a hassle.

The downside: The EcoATM’s quote probably won’t match what you can get for your item on eBay. On the other hand, you avoid eBay’s seller fees. You have to physically go to the ATM.

It’s a big machine, about twice the size of a regular drugstore ATM. It has a lot of complicated moving parts, and could be prone to breakage.

Also, there are about 50 of them deployed right now, mostly in grocery stores and malls in California. The San Diego-based company behind the machine says it plans to have about 500 out at the end of this year, spreading eastward.

The Associated Press

Websites can help with job hunting

The Internet offers a wide range of information and tips about attending a career fair. Here are a few Web locales:

• Bankrate.com: Contains insights on preparing for a career fair, how to dress and what you might expect once you arrive; http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/advice/19991019a.asp
• The Career Place: Spotlights how to make the most of a job fair experience, with tips on preparation and following up; http://www.careerplace.org/tips/jobfair.htm
• EmploymentGuide.com: Covers making the most of a career fair — before, during and after; http://www.employmentguide.com/careeradvice/Job_Fair_Advice.html
• Jobs & Careers: Provides advice on how to land a job at a career fair; http://www.jobscareers.com/articles/landajobatjobfaire.html

McClatchy Newspapers