AP reported that Kodak will be increasing the price of all its films by 15%:

"We have to contend with further increases in energy and raw material costs, and higher costs associated with lower volumes. Therefore, to remain a sustainable, viable business, the company is implementing a price increase for consumer and professional films"

No exact date was given for the price increase. Stock up on your favorite film now.

A week ago Kodak announced that it will discontinue three slide films.

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2. If someone will be acquiring Kodak, now would be a good time
3. Hoya & Kodak updates

Here are some images from the ongoing Focus on Imaging 2012 show in Birmingham, UK sent by readers (click here for the Nikon booth):

Above images credit: Joe Turner Photography (website | flickr)

Above images credit: Pengranger

Above images credit: Kelly.

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Thephoblographer received a confirmation from Kodak that they will be discontinuing three of their slide films: E100VS, E100G and Elite Chrome Extra Color 100:

"I’m confirming that we did send a notice to dealers today that we will be discontinuing our three slide films – E100VS, E100G and Elite Chrome Extra Color 100 – due primarily to significantly declined sales and usage over the years.. I’ve attached the dealer notice.

This does not affect any other films in our portfolio. All the color negative (Portra, Ektar) films and black and white (Tri-X, T-Max and BW400CN) films remain in our portfolio."

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Today Kodak announced that it will phase out its digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames in the first half of 2012.

Press release:

ROCHESTER, N.Y., February 09 -- Eastman Kodak Company (the “Company”) (OTB: EKDKQ.PK) announced today that, as a result of its ongoing strategic review process and commitment to drive sustainable profitability through its most valuable business lines, it plans to phase out its dedicated capture devices business – comprising digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames – in the first half of 2012. Kodak will instead expand its current brand licensing program, and seek licensees in these categories. Following this decision, Kodak’s Consumer Business will include online and retail-based photo printing, as well as desktop inkjet printing.

Kodak has contacted its retail partners, and is working closely with them to ensure an orderly transition. Kodak will continue to honor all related product warranties, and provide technical support and service for its cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames.

“For some time, Kodak’s strategy has been to improve margins in the capture device business by narrowing our participation in terms of product portfolio, geographies and retail outlets. Today’s announcement is the logical extension of that process, given our analysis of the industry trends,” said Pradeep Jotwani, President, Consumer Businesses, and Kodak Chief Marketing Officer.

Upon completion of the phase out, Kodak expects to achieve annual operating savings of more than $100 million. Kodak expects to incur a charge related to separation benefits of approximately $30 million resulting from the exit of the business.

In addition to its Consumer Businesses segment, Kodak has a Commercial Businesses segment that includes the Digital and Functional Printing, Enterprise Services and Solutions, and Graphics, Entertainment and Commercial Films units. Kodak’s digital businesses now comprise approximately three-fourths of total revenues.

Kodak continues to have a strong position in the personal imaging market.  While photos are increasingly taken on multi-function mobile devices, Kodak technology makes it easy for consumers to produce a broad range of photo products, anywhere, anytime – from prints to photobooks, photo greeting cards and personalized calendars. These items can be made on Kodak products, with Kodak quality at retail, at home, and ordered for delivery to home.

Kodak’s continuing consumer products and services will include:

• Retail-based photo kiosks and digital dry lab systems, a market in which Kodak is the clear worldwide leader. Kodak pioneered the retail-based kiosk market, and the company now has more than 100,000 kiosks and order stations for dry lab systems around the world, with some 30,000 of those units connected to the most popular photo-sharing sites.
• Consumer inkjet printers, where Kodak has outpaced overall market growth for several years. Kodak consumer inkjet printers provide consumers with high-quality output and the lowest total ink replacement cost. Consumers can send documents and photos to Kodak printers from anywhere, using any web-connected device.
• Kodak apps for Facebook, which make it easy for consumers to obtain photo products using photos from their Facebook albums.
• Kodak Gallery (www.kodakgallery.com), a leading online digital photo products service. Kodak Gallery enables consumers to share their photos, and offers product and creation tools that enable people to do more with their photos.
• The Kodak camera accessories and batteries businesses. These products are universally compatible with all camera brands, and extend into other consumer product segments such as charging units for smartphones.
• The traditional film capture and photographic paper business, which continues to provide high-quality and innovative products and solutions to consumers, photographers, retailers, photofinishers and professional labs.

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Eastman Kodak Company and Its U.S. Subsidiaries Commence Voluntary Chapter 11 Business Reorganization

Flow of Goods and Services to Customers to Continue Globally in Ordinary Course; Non-U.S. Subsidiaries Are Not Included in U.S. Filing and Are Not Subject to Court Supervision; Company Secures $950 million in Debtor-in-Possession Financing in U.S.; Kodak’s Reorganization to Facilitate Emergence as Profitable and Sustainable Enterprise

ROCHESTER, N.Y., January 19 -- Eastman Kodak Company (“Kodak” or the “Company”) announced today that it and its U.S. subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for chapter 11 business reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

The business reorganization is intended to bolster liquidity in the U.S. and abroad, monetize non-strategic intellectual property, fairly resolve legacy liabilities, and enable the Company to focus on its most valuable business lines. The Company has made pioneering investments in digital and materials deposition technologies in recent years, generating approximately 75% of its revenue from digital businesses in 2011.

Kodak has obtained a fully-committed, $950 million debtor-in-possession credit facility with an 18-month maturity from Citigroup to enhance liquidity and working capital. The credit facility is subject to Court approval and other conditions precedent. The Company believes that it has sufficient liquidity to operate its business during chapter 11, and to continue the flow of goods and services to its customers in the ordinary course.

Kodak expects to pay employee wages and benefits and continue customer programs. Subsidiaries outside of the U.S. are not subject to proceedings and will honor all obligations to suppliers, whenever incurred. Kodak and its U.S. subsidiaries will honor all post-petition obligations to suppliers in the ordinary course.

“Kodak is taking a significant step toward enabling our enterprise to complete its transformation,” said Antonio M. Perez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “At the same time as we have created our digital business, we have also already effectively exited certain traditional operations, closing 13 manufacturing plants and 130 processing labs, and reducing our workforce by 47,000 since 2003. Now we must complete the transformation by further addressing our cost structure and effectively monetizing non-core IP assets. We look forward to working with our stakeholders to emerge a lean, world-class, digital imaging and materials science company.”

“After considering the advantages of chapter 11 at this time, the Board of Directors and the entire senior management team unanimously believe that this is a necessary step and the right thing to do for the future of Kodak,” Mr. Perez continued. “Our goal is to maximize value for stakeholders, including our employees, retirees, creditors, and pension trustees. We are also committed to working with our valued customers.

“Chapter 11 gives us the best opportunities to maximize the value in two critical parts of our technology portfolio: our digital capture patents, which are essential for a wide range of mobile and other consumer electronic devices that capture digital images and have generated over $3 billion of licensing revenues since 2003; and our breakthrough printing and deposition technologies, which give Kodak a competitive advantage in our growing digital businesses.”

Mr. Perez concluded, “The Board of Directors, the senior management team and I would like to underscore our appreciation for the hard work and loyalty of our employees. Kodak exemplifies a culture of collaboration and innovation. Our employees embody that culture and are essential to our future success.”

Kodak has taken this step after preliminary discussions with key constituencies and intends to work toward a consensual reorganization in the best interests of its stakeholders. Kodak expects to complete its U.S.-based restructuring during 2013.

The Company and its Board of Directors are being advised by Lazard, FTI Consulting Inc. and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. In addition, Dominic DiNapoli, Vice Chairman of FTI Consulting, will serve as Chief Restructuring Officer to support the management team as to restructuring matters during the chapter 11 case.

More information about Kodak’s Chapter 11 filing is available on the Internet at www.kodaktransforms.com. Information for suppliers and vendors is available at (800) 544-7009 or (585) 724-6100.

Kodak will be filing monthly operating reports with the Bankruptcy Court and also plans to post these monthly operating reports on the Investor Relations section of Kodak.com. The Company will continue to file quarterly and annual reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which will also be available in the Investor Relations section of Kodak.com.

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Last week Kodak filed a lawsuit against Fujifilm for patents infringement. This week it's Samsung's turn. Any guesses who is going to be sued next week? Here are both press releases - I have hyperlinked the related patents:

Kodak Alleges Patent Infringement Against Fujifilm

ROCHESTER, N.Y., January 13 -- Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:EK) announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Fujifilm Corporation, alleging infringement of certain patents related to Kodak digital imaging technology.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, alleges that certain Fujifilm digital cameras infringe patented Kodak digital imaging technology.

“Kodak has long been in discussions with Fujifilm, asking the company to do what more than 30 other companies have done already and take a license for their use of our pioneering digital imaging technology,” said Timothy M. Lynch, Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Eastman Kodak Company. “Kodak has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in developing this technology.”

“Not only have we failed to reach an agreement, but Fuji resorted to filing suit against us in October in what was a thinly veiled attempt to redirect attention from their continued use of Kodak patented technology.There’s a basic issue of fairness that needs to be addressed. The failure to appropriately compensate Kodak for the unauthorized use of our patented technology impedes our ability to continue to innovate and introduce new products.”

Kodak has licensed its digital imaging patents to more than 30 leading technology companies, including LG, Motorola, Samsung and Nokia, with all of the licenses royalty-bearing to Kodak.

The complaint against Fuji alleges infringement of the following five patents:

• U.S. Patent No. 5,493,335 (“Single Sensor Color Camera With User Selectable Image Record Size”)
• U.S. Patent No. 6,292,218 (“Electronic Camera For Initiating Capture of Still Images While Previewing Motion Images”)
• U.S. Patent No. 6,573,927 (“Electronic Still Camera For Capturing Digital Image and Creating a Print Order”)
• U.S. Patent No. 6,441,854 (“Electronic Camera With Quick Review of Last Captured Image”)
• U.S. Patent No. 5,164,831 ( “Electronic Still Camera Providing Multi-Format Storage of Full and Reduced Resolution Images”)

Kodak Alleges Patent Infringement Against Samsung

ROCHESTER, N.Y., January 18 --
Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:EK) announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., alleging infringement of certain patents related to Kodak digital imaging technology.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, alleges that certain Samsung tablets infringe patented Kodak digital imaging technology.

Kodak has licensed its digital imaging patents to more than 30 leading technology companies, including LG, Motorola, and Nokia, with all of the licenses royalty-bearing to Kodak.

The complaint against Samsung alleges infringement of the following five patents:

• U.S. Patent No. 6,292,218 – “Electronic Camera For Initiating Capture of Still Images While Previewing Motion Images”
• U.S. Patent No. 7,210,161 – “Automatically Transmitting Images from an Electronic Camera to a Service Provider Using a Network Configuration File”
• U.S. Patent No. 7,742,084 – “Network Configuration File for Automatically Transmitting Images from an Electronic Still Camera”
• U.S. Patent No. 7,453,605 – “Capturing Digital Images to be Transferred to an E-Mail Address”
• U.S. Patent No. 7,936,391 – “Digital Camera with Communications Interface for Selectively Transmitting Images over a Cellular Phone Network and a Wireless LAN Network to a Destination”

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Here are some more leaked cameras that are going to be announced at PMA show next week:

• Samsung: six new cameras WB850F ($349) with 16MP BSI CMOS sensor, 21x optical zoom, 3-inch AMOLED screen, 1080/30p FullHD video and GPS. The DV500F model will have dual screens ($299). No word about the NX-20.
• Casio will introduce the Exilim EX-ZR200 ($380 suggested retail) with 16.1MP, 12.5x optical zoom (24-300mm), up to 30 fps, FullHD video, HDR and more.
• New GE cameras - not worth mentioning.
• Kodak: new EasyShare M750 ($170) with 16MP, 5x zoom plus Wi-Fi.
• Olympus will announce 5 new digital cameras: SP-620UZ ($199) with 21x zoom, 7 fps, HD video. The SZ-12 ($199) will have 24x zoom, 7 fps, HD video, 3D capabilities. The TG-320 ($179.99) will be the new Tough line addition.
• Panasonic will also announce 5 new cameras: Lumix SZ-7 and SZ1 will both have 10x optical zooms with Leica lenses. The DMC-SZ7 will have 14.1MP and FullHD recording. The DMC-SZ1 will have 16.1MP and 720p HD video recording capabilities.
• Vivitar will also announce new point and shoot cameras. Their top of the line model iTwist F129 ($90) will have 14.1MP, 4x zoom, 2.7-inch rotating LCD screen, 720p HD video recording.

Source

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2. Four new Samsung cameras do be announced soon, including the “Panasonic LX3 killer”
3. New Panasonic cameras announced: FZ35, FP8 and ZR1

The Wall Street Journal reported that Kodak "is preparing to seek bankruptcy protection in the coming weeks". Kodak stock is currently bellow $1 and could be delisted from the NYSE:

The Company’s common stock continues to trade on the NYSE.  Under NYSE rules, the Company has six months following receipt of the notification to regain compliance with the minimum share price requirement.  The Company can regain compliance at any time during the six-month cure period if the Company’s common stock has a closing share price of at least $1.00 on the last trading day of any calendar month during the period and also has an average closing share price of at least $1.00 over the 30 trading-day period ending on the last trading day of that month or on the last day of the cure period.

The Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements and debt obligations are not affected by the receipt of the NYSE notification.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SAFE HARBOR PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995 

Certain statements in this document may be forward-looking in nature, or "forward-looking statements" as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For example, references to the Company's expectations regarding the following are forward-looking statements: the future trading price of the Company’s common shares; and compliance with or the Company’s ability to cure deficiencies under the NYSE listing standards.

Future events or results may differ from those anticipated or expressed in these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, among others, the following risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors as described in more detail in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2011, June 30, 2011, and September 30, 2011, under the headings "Risk Factors," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," and "Cautionary Statement Pursuant to Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995" and in other filings the Company makes with the SEC from time to time:

• Whether we can generate or raise cash and maintain a cash balance sufficient to fund our continued investments, capital needs, restructuring payments and service our debt;
• Whether we can raise sufficient proceeds from the sale of non-core assets and the potential sale of our digital imaging patent portfolios within our plan;
• Whether we are successful in licensing and enforcing our intellectual property rights on which our business depends, or if third parties assert that we violate their intellectual property rights which could adversely affect our revenue, earnings, expenses and liquidity;
• The competitive pressures we face which could adversely affect our revenue, gross margins and market share;
• Whether our commercialization and manufacturing processes fail to prevent product reliability and quality issues which could adversely affect our financial results, harm our reputation and delay product launch plans;
• Whether we are successful with the strategic investment decisions we have made which could adversely affect our financial performance;
• Whether we effectively anticipate technology trends and develop and market new products to respond to changing customer preferences which could adversely affect our revenue, earnings and cash flow;
• Continued weakness or worsening of economic conditions which could continue to adversely affect our financial performance and our liquidity;
• Whether we are successful in attracting, retaining and motivating key employees which could adversely affect our revenue and earnings;
• Whether our future pension and postretirement plan costs and required contribution levels are impacted by changes in actuarial assumptions, future market performance of plan assets or obligations imposed by legislation or pension authorities which could adversely affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flow;
• Due to the nature of products we sell and our worldwide distribution, we are subject to changes in currency exchange rates, interest rates and commodity costs which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial position;
• Whether we are able to provide competitive financing arrangements to our customers or if we extend credit to customers whose creditworthiness deteriorates which could adversely affect our revenue, profitability and financial position;
• Our failure to implement plans to reduce our cost structure in anticipation of declining demand for certain products or delays in implementing such plans which could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations, financial position and liquidity;
• We have outsourced a significant portion of our overall worldwide manufacturing, logistics and back office operations and face the risks associated with reliance on third party suppliers.

The Company cautions readers to carefully consider such factors. Many of these factors are beyond the Company’s control. While the Company may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, even if its expectations change.  In addition, these forward-looking statements represent the Company’s expectations only as of the date they are made, and should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s expectations as of any subsequent date.

Notwithstanding the opportunity for a six-month grace period to return to compliance with NYSE continued listing requirements, given the liquidity challenges confronting the Company and the recent market experience with our listed securities, there can be no assurance that the Company will return to compliance with the NYSE listing standards. Moreover, no assurance can be given that future actions by the Company or the marketplace will not give rise to alternative bases for potential delisting from the NYSE.

Any forward-looking statements in this document should be evaluated in light of the factors and uncertainties referenced above and should not be unduly relied upon.

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Quick update on some interesting links from the last few days of 2012:

• Kodak agrees to sell its gelatin business to raise cash (source), loses third director in a week (source):

"Kodak is selling the Eastman Gelatine business to Rousselot, a division of the Vion Food Group. Terms were not disclosed. Eastman Gelatine produces gelatin used in photographic and printing processes as well as in food, pharmaceuticals."

• Macro solution for Fuji X10: Lens hood adapter ($26.99) with Nikon 4T close up lens on the Fuji X10

• Holga Lens Filter Kit for the Samsung Galaxy SII.

• RED sues Arri.

• Cam Crate: a portable, element proof DSLR camera case on kickstarter.

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Update: Kodak contacted me to clarify that those are not product discontinuations, just packaging changes:

Kodak is only ceasing one line, Elite Chrome. The rest are all simply packaging and catalogue listing changes, which is not such an unusual procedure. As long as photographers purchase and use Kodak’s film in sufficient quantities and demonstrate their commitment to film that way, we will be able to continue manufacturing the film.

More Kodak film is being discontinued (in connection to my previous post):

• Tmax 400 120 in single rolls
• Tri-x pan 120 400 in single rolls
• Elite Chrome 100/36
• BW400cn/24 three packs
• Gold 200/24 four packs
• Max 400/12 single roll
• Max 400/24 four packs

Source

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3. Kodak will not take part in PMA 2011 *updated*

Reuters (via Petapixel) reported that Kodak is trying to sell its Photo Sharing Service for “Hundreds of Millions” after they already sold their image sensor business a week ago.

Here are some "Kodak moments" from Chris Sandström that will probably explain how Kodak got in this situation:

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The reason nobody heard about the new sensors from Kodak (KAI-16070 has 16MP, 35mm optical format, 7.4um pixel; KAI-16050 is APS-H optical format 16MP and 5.5um pixel) is probably because Kodak sold its image sensor business to Platinum Equity for an undisclosed amount. Leica M9 and many other point and shoot cameras are using Kodak sensors.

Press release:

While the financial details were not disclosed, Kodak will have continuing access to the image sensor technology involved in this transaction for use in its own products. Kodak has previously communicated that it would sell assets that are not central to its transformation to a profitable, sustainable digital company. This sale is aligned with that strategy to generate cash to complete the transformation.

Included in the sale is a 263,000 square foot facility in Eastman Business Park in Rochester, N.Y., that houses manufacturing and research facilities.

The ISS business develops, manufactures, and markets the world’s highest performance solid state image sensor devices. Over the past 30 years, Kodak’s image sensors have delivered unrivaled image quality and innovative features for use in a broad range of demanding imaging applications. From precision manufacturing inspection to digital radiography, from earth imaging satellites to traffic monitoring, from the world’s highest performing studio photography cameras to DNA sequencing systems, customers around the world rely on high-performance products from ISS in the most mission-critical applications.

Platinum Equity is a global M&A&O^® firm specializing in the merger, acquisition and operation of companies that provide services and solutions to customers in a broad range of business markets.

“Image Sensor Solutions is a business that is well-positioned in the high-performance imaging markets in which it participates,” said Pradeep Jotwani, President, Consumer Digital Imaging Group, and Senior Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “This sale maximizes shareholder value by obtaining a full and fair valuation for this business, and allows Kodak to increase its financial flexibility.”

Jotwani noted that Platinum Equity brings significant financial and operational resources to the ISS business and a comprehensive plan to ensure its continued success.

“Platinum Equity is an ideal acquirer of Kodak’s ISS business because they are committed to the success of the business for the benefit of customers and employees,” Jotwani said. “I’m very pleased that we have such a favorable outcome for all of our constituents.”

Platinum Equity focuses on acquiring businesses that can benefit from the firm’s extensive in-house capability and expertise in transition, integration and operations.

“This is a great opportunity to acquire a business with an impressive record for delivering innovative solutions to customers around the world,” said Brian Wall, the partner at Platinum Equity who led the team pursuing the acquisition. “The ISS business has a strong management team with the right vision for leading the company into the future. We share their commitment to product development and customer service and are committed to helping the business realize its full potential.”

Wall said Platinum Equity’s experience managing complex transitions from corporate parent companies will benefit employees, customers and other partners.

“Our operations group will work hand-in-hand with the management team to ensure a seamless transition while allowing the organization to stay focused on delivering world class imaging products and solutions,” said Wall. “We are proud to have forged a unique divestiture solution in partnership with Kodak that serves the best interests of everyone involved.”

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Here are some interesting stories from last week:

• New Eneloops rechargeable batteries keep their charge for over 5 years. Check out also this post about the best AA batteries for photography.

• Apple's iPhone 4S has a Sony sensor. Sony's CEO was right and so was the Apple employee who published a picture taken with the new iPhone 4s on flickr before the announcement.

• Olympus fires CEO, stock takes tumble:

• Hoya actually made SLR lenses for different mounts, including Pentax K, Nikon F and Minolta MD (image source: eBay):

• Canon files a patent for an in-lens switchable ND filter:

• RED may actually announce a new laser based 4K projector on November 3rd.

• ARRI, Panavision and Aaton have stopped producing film cameras and will focus exclusively on digital cameras.

• iPhone 4S camera sensor actually capable of 4K 24p video:

• Fuji sues Kodak over digital camera patents.

• Sony A77 camera questions answered:

• The 360° panorama camera:

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Kodak's stock price went further down last week after concerns about a $160 million credit withdrawal. Yesterday Kodak said that they are not planning on filling for bankruptcy and their stock slightly recovered. The Kodak patent bid is due in October.

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Bloomberg and WSJ published articles that Kodak's patents are probably worth $3 billion and the company has started marketing them to potential buyers that could include Microsoft, Samsung, and even Google. The company's equity is currently  valued at $600 million after a series of negative financial news.

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Hoya announced their results for the financial year ending on March 31, 2011

"Revenues from continuing operations grew 2.7% over the previous fiscal year, to 413,349 million yen and profit before tax was up 26.2% to 63,758 million yen, mainly due to an increase in orders with the recovery in the market."

"Optics business did well this year despite temporary shutdown of the production lines due to rolling blackout after the Tohoku Great Earthquakes in March and thanks to an increasing demand for digital cameras. There are still some impacts of the disaster on our company, but except digital camera business that has difficulties in procurement of parts, our business will return toward normal by the end of May." (according to Hoya CEO Hiroshi Suzuki)

A Washington based judge decided that Kodak did not infringed Apple's patents. Apple filed a lawsuit against Kodak shortly after Kodak sued them for infringing a patent related to ways of previewing images. Kodak is expecting to win as much as $1 billion in licensing revenue if they win the case. As a result, Kodak's stock price went up 5%. Kodak has been in financial trouble lately and such a big settlement may keep them alive.

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• No SD1 yet: today Sigma announced pricing and availability of the DP2x camera: the MSRP will be $800 and it should be available in stores in late April. The DP2x was was announced in February, 2011.  There is still no word on the 46MP Sigma SD1 DSLR camera.

• Back on track: FujiFilm Japan announced today that the production of the FinePix X100 camera has resumed and the first shipments are expected in early April (in Japan). The production of the X100 was halted few weeks ago as a result of the earthquake in Japan.

• Discontinued: A dpreview forum member claims that the Sony A850 is now officially discontinued in Singapore. Sony A850 was announced on August 24, 2010.

• Miracle: Kodak won the latest round of its patent dispute  and may get more then $1 billion in licensing fees from Apple and Research in Motion. As a result, the stock rose 25%. The patent in question is about previewing "low-resolution versions of a moving image while recording still images at a high resolution". Kodak's stock price has dropped significantly in the past few months.

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Kodak's 5 days stock price (Marketwatch)

WSJ reports that one of Kodak's investors is pushing for a turn-around or sale of the 119 years old company. The current situation of Kodak was described as “deteriorating financial condition and substantial diminution of shareholder value”.

In the past few months Kodak made the headlines with rumors hat the company is for sale and several reports of declining profit and revenue.

Via PMA News

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The following headlines sum up the situation Kodak is currently in:

• Kodak reaffirms plan to complete transformation by 2012
• Kodak signals move away from cameras?
• Analysis: Investors tired of waiting for Kodak to develop
• Eastman Kodak stock hits new 52-week low
• Kodak is Apple in reverse

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Kodak was already in a bad shape and it got even worse today (source: Marketwatch):

"Eastman Kodak Co. said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter profit dropped 95%, as revenue declined in both the company’s traditional film business and its digital segment."

There were some speculations last month that Kodak is for sale. The stock is currently down over 15%. If someone is interested in buying Kodak, there is a discount today.

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