There is no doubt that the Kodak EasyShare One is a remarkable camera because it offers two key features that have been absent in a consumer stills camera to date: broadband wireless connectivity and touch-screen operability. Why either of these assets has taken so long to arrive is a mystery as touch screens are now routinely featured in the specifications of many camcorders and the SDIO Wi-Fi adapter technology used by the EasyShare One has been around for several years.
Perhaps it’s the third Kodak ingredient that makes it all worthwhile, namely support for EasyShare One connectivity via Kodak’s online EasyShare Gallery service, further encouraged by limited time free try-out public hotspot provision. We’ll be looking at this in more detail later, but it’s the obvious partner to the EasyShare One’s party tricks and should, hopefully, issue a wake up call to other camera manufacturers.
There are going to be some who suggest the camera is a gimmick, or that four megapixels is mean and inadequate. After having used an EasyShare One for a few hours, I’m loathed to describe the camera as gimmicky – wireless connection to the Web makes Web-based sharing a cinch and you get instant photo emailing capability too. There are some rough edges to the user interface, but in the end it hangs together and actually works. Perhaps more of a concern is the bottom line cost of public hotspot services, because I can see myself using this facility a great deal in conjunction with a camera like the EasyShare One.