Kodak debuts Bluetooth-enabled digital camera

Eastman Kodak has introduced a telephoto version of its compact dual-lens camera that offers Bluetooth wireless technology.

The V610 lets consumers transfer images wirelessly to any other Bluetooth-enabled device within 30 feet of the camera. For example, consumers can take pictures in the backyard, while the images are printing in their study.

The camera, which will be released in May for $499, can share photos with Bluetooth-enabled PDAs (personal digital assistants), computers and mobile phones. While companies such as Nokia, Sanyo and Sony have offered Bluetooth capabilities in the form of camera phones, camcorders and adapters, this is the first digital camera with Bluetooth inside, according to Kodak.

The V610 is a compact 6-megapixel camera with a 10x optical zoom. Identical in body to its V570 sister, the product offers two lenses and two sensors in one camera, giving photographers a larger shooting range, Kodak said. The camera also has a 230,000-pixel, 2.8-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) screen.

The V610 offers "anti-blur" technology to protect photos from human shaking, a common problem when shooting in low-light settings, the company said. Its panorama stitching allows three images to be fused together into one photo with no need for external software.

[pu2006]

What about Sony's DSC-FX77

It came out in 2003. It had Bluetooth. It was never marketed in the U.S., but that doesn't mean that Kodak gets to say that they're the first.