Kodak EASYSHARE-ONE: Killer
design, WiFi-capability, big screen,
lots of built-in memory.
[ Photo: Kodak ]

The International Consumer Electronics Show begins tomorrow in Las Vegas and

Kodak has taken the early lead in the race for media attention. The company that previously made digital cameras for non-gadget people rocked the media who arrived early with the announcement of the EASYSHARE-ONE. This new 4-Megapixel camera includes a WiFi capability, 256-Megabytes of flash memory, and a three-inch touch-sensitive screen. Fully tricked-out with wireless it's expected to go for around $700.

Martin O'Donnell is off-line at the moment, on assignment in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. When I related Kodak's announcement to him, we both came to the same conclusion: this camera is going to sell like hotcakes at the Apple Store near you.

If you can't look at this and see another iPod mini, you have to sharpen your trend-sensing skills. Every Kodak competitor will have its interpretation of this camera rushed into production. If Kodak has done its homework on quality user experience, it will have a significant advantage for at least a little while.